Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 1301

Everyone immediately looked down at the floor.

Sure enough, there it was— I ris’s red dress.

On the bed, the woman still hadn’t noticed anyone had come in. Eyes half-closed, she was lost in a delirious chant. “Walter, harder…”

The sound was enough to make anyone’s ears burn.

The commotion by the door jolted the man in the room back to reality. He whipped around, face drained of color, panic scrawled all over his features. Desperate, he shoved Iris aside and yanked the blanket up, trying to hide himself.

Flora and Barrie both froze in shock, their faces shifting from ghostly pale to furious red. They looked like they might explode.

Barrie couldn’t take it anymore. He rushed in and punched the man right in the face. “Who are you?” he demanded, voice shaking with rage.

The man clutched his cheek, stumbling as he tried to get up. When he finally got his balance, he realized just how many people were crammed into the room. His eyes went wide with alarm.

“I—I’m just a hotel waiter,” he stammered. “This isn’t my fault, okay? I was just passing by when she pulled me in out of nowhere. Next thing I know, she rips my shirt off and grabs me, begging me not to leave…”

Hearing this, Flora and Barrie looked like their world had just collapsed.

Then chaos broke out in the hallway as the guests who’d crowded around couldn’t help but gossip even louder.

“Oh my god, can you believe this?” someone whispered.

“No way... The Carter family always acted so proper. And now this?”

“She’s so desperate, she grabbed a hotel waiter?”

The snide comments and judgmental looks were like slaps to Flora and Barrie’s faces. They had never, ever been this humiliated.

One of the police officers turned to his colleagues and ordered, “Take the Carter family, the driver, and the assaulted waiter into custody.”

The other officers stepped forward, snapping handcuffs on everyone involved.

The onlookers finally started to disperse, though plenty were still lingering, hungry for more gossip.

People huddled together in small groups, whispering.

“Did you hear Iris shouting earlier? She sounded totally out of it, like she’d been drugged…”

“I mean, it’s pretty ridiculous. Being drugged at your own birthday and then moaning Mr. Wilson’s name? Do you think this was a setup? Maybe she was trying to seduce Mr. Wilson in the first place…”

“Honestly, I think you’re onto something. I saw her chasing after Mr. Wilson, trying to talk to him alone outside the ballroom.”

“So she was planning to drug him, but ended up getting caught in her own trap?”

“She’s seriously wild. Who even does that?”

At the hospital.

Walter Wilson’s phone buzzed just as Audrey Williams was wheeled out of the ER. The doctor met him by the door.

“She’s stable now. The coma was caused by a lack of oxygen and being in a closed space, which triggered panic and made it hard for her to breathe. She’ll need to stay here for a couple of days for observation. If all goes well, she can go home soon. You’re lucky you got her here in time and gave her the right emergency meds. Any later, and things could have been much worse. Going forward, you have to make sure she stays away from situations like this.”

Walter finally breathed a sigh of relief. The weight that had been crushing his chest all night lifted just a little.

“Thank you, doctor. We’ll be more careful. I really appreciate everything you’ve done.”

Once the doctor left, Audrey was admitted to a regular room. Walter stayed by her side, not leaving her for a second.

Later that night, Aiden and Harden came by.

Harden’s face was filled with guilt when he saw how still and pale Audrey was.

He stepped forward, shifting nervously. “Walter, is Ms. Williams okay? Did the doctor say anything?”

Walter glanced up at them. “She’s alright. The doctor says her condition’s stable now.”

He hesitated, then asked, “What’s the situation at the banquet hall? Did you figure out who was behind all of this?”

Harden nodded, visibly relieved to hear Audrey was going to be okay. He launched into the story, his voice dripping with sarcasm. “The Carter family’s driver didn’t even leave after locking her up. Once we checked the surveillance footage, we caught him red-handed.”