She Walked Away With His Twins While He Begged the Ground She Walked On novel Chapter 443

On the first day of winter, Elmwood saw its first snowfall of the year.

"Hey, you shouldn't get an IV drip all by yourself. You fell asleep just now, and the bag ran dry. Blood started backing up into the tube. Thank God my mom saw it and called the nurse for you."

Cleo Brooks lay in a bed in the hospital's ER infusion room. Her head was still pounding with a thick, heavy fog, but she could hear the kind warning from the young girl in the next bed.

The girl kept talking.

"You still have a few more bags to go. You really should call your family."

Cleo politely thanked her before replying to the girl's suggestion.

"I'm an orphan."

The girl froze, immediately stammering out apologies. Cleo offered a weak smile, assuring her it was fine. Moving sluggishly, she pulled her phone from under her pillow and checked the time.

2:00 AM.

It was late.

She had spent the entire day in the photography studio. After ordering a quick takeout dinner, she had shut herself in the darkroom to develop photos. Four agonizing hours, and not a single shot satisfied her. It was all garbage. Right as she felt on the verge of an emotional breakdown, a sharp, twisting pain tore through her stomach.

She had collapsed onto her bed, thinking she just needed a moment's rest. Soon after, the nausea set in, followed by violent vomiting. Unable to endure the agony any longer, she finally called a cab to the ER.

The doctor diagnosed her with a severe stomach infection.

She had already finished two IV bags. She was awake for the first, but midway through the second, her body had simply given out.

She was exhausted.

She hadn't had a proper, restful night's sleep in entirely too long.

The young nurse swapped out the IV bag, murmured a few instructions, and left. She was sweet—noticing Cleo had no family with her, she even offered to contact a hospital care aide.

Cleo stayed in the hospital for three days. On the day she was discharged, Melanie Brooks called.

"Tomorrow is your sister's birthday. Don't forget."

Cleo had just walked out of the hospital doors. "Can't make it. I'm sick."

Melanie knew her daughter too well and clearly wasn't buying it.

"Cleo! Watch your tone with me!"

They had this exact screaming match every single year. Melanie was used to it. After delivering her usual reprimand, she pivoted to giving orders.

"I don't have the patience for your nonsense. Jude is coming tomorrow, and he said he'll pick you up on the way."

Cleo's expression instantly turned to ice. "You called him?"

"Yes, I did. You two are fighting, so how could I expect you to call him? I'm giving you a perfect excuse to make up. When you see him, apologize and admit you were wrong."

Bringing up Jude only reignited Melanie's frustration over Cleo's life choices.

"You two are getting married after the new year. Stop rotting away in that useless studio of yours; it doesn't even make any money."

"You need to spend more time focusing on Jude. Stop picking fights with him every day. You have to fix that temper of yours. Look at your sister—her temper is wonderful. She..."

Nag, nag, nag.

It was a relentless, suffocating loop of criticism.