He Gave Me Hearing, Then Taught Me What Silence Really Means novel Chapter 172

She nodded, returning to her apartment like a walking corpse.

She slept straight through until the following afternoon. Her work group chat was flooded with messages, everyone asking how she was feeling.

She and two other colleagues were responsible for client outreach, meaning she didn't need to clock in at the studio every day. As long as she secured a steady stream of consignment goods for the business each month, she was fine. Since Juniper had practically handled all the preliminary preparations by herself with her first two major deals, the team was very lenient with her schedule. Given the massive wave of cyberbullying she had recently endured, everyone understood she needed time to recover.

She typed out a quick update on her upcoming plans in the chat, then forced herself up to take a shower. Her eyes still burned with fatigue.

The swelling on her cheek had finally gone down.

Just as she finished washing up, Beatrice called. "Dr. Vaughn is such a wonderful man. Come to the hospital as soon as you're up. He brought us a huge breakfast this morning. Your father is still unconscious, though."

Even through the phone, she could hear Nadine's sarcastic commentary in the background.

"No wonder some people spend all day scheming to hook a man. If you're lucky enough, you really can find some idiot willing to clean up your mess."

Juniper's grip on her phone tightened. "I'll be there this afternoon."

Beatrice hesitated, seemingly wanting to say more, but ultimately just sighed. "Alright."

As soon as the call ended, Brooks eagerly asked Beatrice, "Is she coming?"

"She said she'll be here this afternoon."

Nadine rolled her eyes. "Her own flesh and blood has a tumor and is lying in a hospital bed, and our little princess is taking it easy. I'm pregnant and sitting right here waiting, but she gets to sleep in until the afternoon. It really pays to be the daughter in your family."

Alistair's brow furrowed. A faint, unreadable glint flashed behind his glasses. "Juniper was in a psychiatric ward?"

Nadine dramatically covered her mouth as if she had just realized her slip-up. "Oh my! Did I just say that out loud? I just saw what a bright future you have, Dr. Vaughn, and I was so worried the family was hiding things from you. Yes, she was locked up in the Blackwood Institute. And there was a doctor in there who did things to her... Anyway, you get the picture. Just make sure you never bring this up in front of her family. Someone pulled strings at that institute, so all her records were wiped. Even if you tried to look into it, you wouldn't find a single thing."

Alistair's tone remained calm. For a man who usually seemed so gentle, the way he was staring at Nadine now was laced with dark amusement.

Nadine felt a sudden chill, as if he could see right through her. But at the same time, she relished having a handsome man's undivided attention, completely misinterpreting his gaze as attraction.

"I understand. Thank you for bringing this to my attention."

Nadine's cheeks flushed. She knew she should leave, but her feet felt rooted to the floor. The strange tension in the room was going straight to her head.