The Year I Stopped Being His novel Chapter 354

The hallway was dead silent.

The sensor lights silently blinked out behind Quinn, leaving only the blue-and-white nameplate above the doorframe and the frantic, echoing thud of her own heartbeat.

She gripped her hands so tightly her knuckles turned bone-white.

Then Archie's voice echoed in her ears again—"The person he loves... isn't someone you can replace."

She leaned back against the cold wall, tilting her head back and closing her eyes.

She had to admit Archie was right, and precisely because he was right, she felt as if a chunk of her chest had been hollowed out, immediately replaced by a scalding, suffocating wave of jealousy.

This jealousy had no shape, no specific target, because Sloane hadn't even done anything—she was just lying there. Simply being alive and breathing was enough to strip Quinn of everything.

Quinn didn't leave. She hid in the small balcony at the end of the hallway, silently watching the scene unfold.

It wasn't until early evening that Garrison finally emerged from the room.

He stood in the corridor, gave a few instructions to the nurse, massaged his temples, and headed for the elevator.

Quinn stayed hidden on the balcony, her back pressed against the cold glass door, watching his figure disappear behind the elevator doors. Then, she stepped out. Her heels clicked against the tiles. One step. Two steps. Three. Each step was slower and lighter than the last.

Then, she pushed open the door to Room 521...

*

Meanwhile.

Garrison stepped out of the ward, walking back through the connecting corridor, and nearly collided with someone by the elevators.

"Garrison."

Vanessa Vaughan took a half-step back. She was holding a canvas bag stamped with a Red Cross logo and offered him a polite smile.

Garrison stopped in his tracks, his gaze resting on her face for a brief second.

"I visited the Red Cross Hospital for an inspection a few days ago and ran into your old director, Zachary Quinton's son. He's the new director there now. He said his father still talks about you all the time since retiring, and asked me to bring these to you."

"Thank you, Vanessa. And please pass my thanks to Mr. Quinton."

Garrison set the brewed tea in front of her and took a seat behind his desk.

Vanessa blew on her tea, took a small sip, and spoke with casual ease, as if they were just catching up:

"By the way, Garrison, I heard... Dr. Vivienne Hayes from the polar station came to tour your hospital a few days ago? My colleagues doing polar research at the department mentioned that she spent several days here at The Haven. She's a heavyweight in our national scientific community. Our department invited her several times and she turned us down! I didn't realize you two were so close..."

Garrison picked up his cup, his eyes fixed firmly on the rim.

"We're not particularly close. We just discussed some medical topics together, that's all."

"Oh? Medical discussions?" Vanessa set down her cup, leaning forward slightly, a barely perceptible gleam in her sharp eyes. "What field? Low-temperature medicine? Or..."