She Quit Her Family and Found Herself novel Chapter 11

Security at the sanitarium was incredibly strict. Hulda was only allowed inside after filling out forms and registering at the front desk.

Even from far down the hospital corridor, she could hear Conrad's grumpy, booming voice.

"Didn't you say Hulda was coming to see me today?! Where is she? Why isn't she here yet? Are you just stringing me along so I'll take my medication?!"

"Oh, Dr. Atherton, no... I'm not lying to you. She really is coming..."

"Liar! Look at the time! You're just trying to trick me!"

A second later, the sharp crash of a plastic cup hitting the floor echoed through the hall.

Hulda's heart sank. Her mentor was furious. She immediately quickened her pace.

But the moment she reached the doorway of the private suite, her feet rooted to the spot. In that instant, she profoundly understood the feeling of being terrified to return home.

Inside, Brandon was miserably bending over to pick up the scattered pills and the fallen cup. He glanced up and spotted Hulda lingering at the door, hesitating to step inside. His eyes lit up instantly.

He pointed at the doorway. "Hulda! Dr. Atherton, look, she's here!"

Conrad whipped his head around and locked eyes with a very guilty-looking Hulda. For a split second, a smile almost broke through his gruff exterior, but he instantly forced his face into a dark scowl.

"What are you standing out there for? Get in here!"

Conrad adjusted his posture in the hospital bed, crossing his arms and pointedly refusing to look at her.

Since her mentor had spoken, Hulda could only mumble a soft greeting and slowly, awkwardly shuffle into the room. Her beautiful, apologetic eyes darted back and forth between Conrad and Brandon.

Conrad shot her a sideways glance and scoffed coldly. "Ungrateful brat!"

Those words were a heavy blow to Hulda. All the color drained from her face. She dropped her gaze to her lap, no longer daring to meet his eyes.

Brandon quickly stepped in to smooth things over. "Dr. Atherton, that's not fair to her. Even though she hasn't been back to the institute for the past few years, she never forgot you. She's the first one to call you every single holiday. You're the one who refuses to pick up the phone, so how is that her fault? You ignore her calls, but you certainly keep all the gifts she sends you."

"You sure talk a lot!" Caught red-handed once again, Conrad flushed with embarrassment and anger. "If she really cared about me, she wouldn't have thrown away everything I taught her just to become some housewife!"

Brandon glanced at Hulda, whose head was practically bowed to the floor. "Dr. Atherton, that's not right. You shouldn't discriminate against stay-at-home mothers."

"Who's discriminating? I'm not discriminating against anyone!" Conrad smacked the mattress in frustration. "If she didn't have what it takes, being a stay-at-home mom would be a perfectly fine choice. But she has the gift! She's a genius! Seven years. Seven whole years! Do you know how much this field changes in seven years? How many seven-year stretches do you get in one lifetime? And she willingly threw those years away on some man! Good for her!"