The Villainess Needs a Hug (Ivy Windsor) novel Chapter 946

Hanging up the phone, Adela immediately dialed her daughter-in-law.

Back in Ivy's operating room, before she could even try to persuade the doctors again, her phone lit up.

She was sitting upright now, so all she had to do was turn her head to see the caller ID flashing through the sterile bag.

It was Adela.

Clearly, Jamison was deeply suspicious.

She was trapped. Damned if she answered, damned if she didn't.

If she answered, Adela would report back to Jamison, and he would demand to know why she hadn't picked up his video call.

But if she didn't answer, going completely AWOL would only make him more frantic.

As the standoff dragged on, the lead surgeon urged her again, "Mrs. Ludwig, please answer the phone. Otherwise, I'm afraid Dr. Ludwig is going to tear this hospital apart looking for you."

Ivy was entirely reluctant.

She had no idea what tiny flaw had tipped him off.

She wanted to explain herself, but knowing her husband, she knew he would never accept her reasoning.

The continuous ringing only made the atmosphere in the operating room heavier.

Finally, Ivy caved.

"Hello, Adela..."

"Ivy, what are you doing? Why aren't you answering your phone?"

"I'm just really busy," Ivy replied gently. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Jamison is looking for you. Call him back immediately. Something must be going on at the hospital, and he doesn't have anyone with him." Adela hung up as soon as she delivered the message.

Ivy stared at her phone, hesitating for a split second before finally abandoning her grand deception.

She was genuinely terrified that if Jamison couldn't reach her, he'd do something drastically reckless.

Before she could even catch her breath to call him back, the phone rang again.

Another video call.

She couldn't let him see her in full surgical gear, so she declined it and immediately called his cell.

He answered on the first ring.

His voice was tight and deadly serious. He didn't even say hello. "Where are you? What are you doing? And do not tell me you are on your way home!"

"..." Ivy's heart pounded frantically, but she tried her best to sound steady. "I am on my way home. I'll be back at the hospital with you very soon."

"Ivy Windsor, are you still trying to lie to me?!" Jamison's roar was chilling even through the speaker.

"Why would I lie to you? Half an hour. I promise I'll be back in half an hour."

"Is she actually coming back? Where is she? Is she in this hospital right now?" Without waiting for an answer, Jamison suddenly thought of something and bolted for the door.

"Jamison!" Director Wylde turned and chased after him.

The moment Jamison stepped out of his room, he nearly ran straight into Thad. He froze. "What are you doing here? When did you get here?"

Thad had been standing in the hallway, listening to everything unfolding inside.

He knew his brother had figured it out, but he still tried to reason with him. "Jamison, don't throw Ivy's sacrifice back in her face. She truly loves you. She loves you enough to give up everything for you. Acting like this is only going to break her heart!"

"So you knew? Who else knew? Were all of you hiding this from me? Did you all team up to lie to me?"

Jamison's mind spun into total chaos. The thought of Ivy lying on an operating table somewhere in this building, having pieces of her liver sliced out, made him feel like he was losing his mind.

"Ivy! Ivy!" Jamison roared, sprinting wildly toward the operating rooms on his floor.

The medical staff inside heard the commotion and rushed out. "Dr. Ludwig, your wife isn't here! She's not here!"

Jamison refused to believe them and tried to force his way in.

But after checking every room, she truly wasn't there.

He burst back out into the hallway and sprinted toward the elevators, ready to tear through every other surgical floor.

"Jamison, calm down! Ivy is coming right now. She's perfectly fine, she's safe!" Thad rushed after his brother, terrified that Jamison's sheer panic might cause him to collapse.