The Transactional Marriage That Imploded novel Chapter 369

In the emergency room, the nurses quickly followed the doctor's orders, inserting an IV line into Bianca's arm and administering fluids.

They then set up an oxygen mask and continuously monitored her blood pressure and heart rate.

The ER doctor patted her shoulder lightly, calling her name softly while checking her pupillary response.

Ten minutes later, her heart rate on the monitor slowly began to climb.

Her long eyelashes fluttered violently before a faint, suppressed gasp escaped her throat, and she struggled to open her eyes.

When her eyes first opened, her gaze was unfocused.

She couldn't focus on anything. The constant beeping of the monitors buzzed in her ears, and she couldn't tell if she was awake or still in a dream.

Cold sweat plastered her hair to her forehead, and her limbs were freezing.

While unconscious, she had kept dreaming of Grandma standing in a pool of blood, blaming her for not killing Mathis. On the other side, Mathis was holding Aveline and laughing, while Aveline said she loved her daddy.

She remembered the years after she lost her father, constantly reminiscing about him, a pain that pierced her heart like needles.

A pain that lingered endlessly.

Deep in her memories, she felt that a child without a father would end up just like her and her mother—bullied by the Quinn family.

She would be mocked for being fatherless.

But Mathis had caused her grandmother's death. The two conflicting thoughts warred fiercely in her mind.

She couldn't let go of her grandmother's death, yet she also couldn't bear to leave Aveline without a father.

The two desires pulled at her like a rubber band stretching tighter and tighter, nearly suffocating her.

As soon as she moved, a wave of dizziness hit, and she instinctively closed her eyes again.

"Don't try to sit up just yet," the nurse said, gently holding her down. "Just lie still."

She was awake, but completely numb.

Rhea's venomous words—"You're the reason she met such a tragic end"—looped endlessly in her mind like a cursed chant she couldn't shake.

She didn't break down crying; she just looked entirely devoid of life, reacting sluggishly to Mathis and Dr. Mills calling her name.

Terrified she might slip into a coma again, Mathis looked to Dr. Mills for help.

Only after Bianca's vitals stabilized slightly did Dr. Mills speak.

She didn't immediately press her on what had triggered the episode.

Instead, she lowered her voice, speaking slowly and softly: "I'm right here. Don't be afraid.

"You're in the hospital right now, and we're taking care of you. You are safe.

"You don't have to force yourself to talk. If you're uncomfortable, you don't have to push through it."

Bianca shrank back against the bed like a frightened deer.

Mathis tried to step forward to check on her, but Dr. Mills signaled for him to wait a moment.

But the moment she saw Mathis, her pupils shrank sharply, and tears spilled out like a surging tide. "Why... why are you still here? I don't want to see you."

Avoidance was her only coping mechanism right now.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify