Chapter 88: Doctor Quid
Lorali Pov
"What are you doing?" I ask, placing my hands on Torin’s shoulder. I kneel behind him on the bed, leaning forward to catch a glimpse of his phone screen, which is darkened by a privacy filter.
"I’m talking to Doctor Quid, booking a full body check‑up for you today," he says calmly, his tone steady, almost casual.
Oh no. My stomach drops. If a doctor does a full body check‑up on me, I’m screwed. Every lie will unravel. I can’t let that happen.
"Oh, that’s nice," I force myself to say, my voice light, though inside I’m distressed, panic clawing at my chest.
"Alright, I’m going for a shower," Torin says, placing his phone flat on the bed before rising. He takes lazy strides toward the bathroom behind us. I sit frozen until I hear the water running. That’s my signal.
Biting my nail, I grab Torin’s phone. It vibrates under my touch. Luckily, it doesn’t have a password. For a man as distrusting as he is, it’s hard to believe he leaves it unprotected.
I click on Doctor Quid’s new message notification:
Dr. Quid:
Alright, bring her through on my way to the hospital. I should be there when you arrive.
Shoot. I quickly turn off Torin’s phone, leaving it exactly as I found it. My hand slips into my bra, pulling out my own phone. I type fast, checking behind me twice to make sure the shower is still running.
Me:
I’m going to meet Torin’s family doctor today. If it happens, my lies will definitely get exposed.
It takes Ella a couple agonizing minutes before she replies.
❣️ Cherry Blossom 🌸:
Who is the doctor?
A weight lifts off my shoulders seeing her reply, and I quickly message back.
Me:
Dr. Quid. He’s an old‑looking man, Torin’s family doctor. That’s all I know.
❣️ Cherry Blossom 🌸:
I’ll see what I can do.
That’s the last message I read before she goes offline. The shower water stops. My heart races. I shove my phone back into its hiding place between my breasts, forcing myself to calm down. The last thing I need is Torin hearing my heartbeat and asking questions.
I peek back. Torin emerges wrapped in a towel, muscles on full display as he opens the wardrobe. Hurts to admit it, but he has one fine body. If I didn’t hate him, I’d be blushing at the sight. He pulls out a suit and returns to the bathroom, because obviously he can’t change in front of me. This whole same‑room arrangement is impractical. He sleeps on the floor, and the bathroom doesn’t even have a door.
I turn my gaze away, focusing on the city view beyond the window. Then Torin’s phone vibrates again. I snatch it up, clicking on the new message notification from Doctor Quid:
Dr. Quid:
I won’t be able to make it to the appointment. We’ll have to reschedule. Sorry, I’m getting arrested.
Before I can process that, my own phone vibrates against my chest. I pull it out, clicking Ella’s new message.
❣️ Cherry Blossom 🌸:
It’s done. We’ve also arranged for another doctor to take his place. Good luck. 😉
Me:
Thanks. Love you, boo. Was almost dead for a second, there ♥️
I quickly turn off my phone, sliding it back into its safe place. Then I delete Dr. Quid’s last message about not coming and powering down Torin’s phone, leaving no trace behind.
"Torin, the doctor messaged you saying to come to the hospital. I hope you don’t mind me reading your message," I say, feigning casual honesty. He’ll see the notification was opened anyway, so I might as well confess now.
"Oh, it’s not a problem," he replies, appearing beside my bed, fully dressed in a suit now. His voice is calm, his expression unreadable. "You should go get ready so we can go to the hospital." He flashes me a smile that return.
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New Hope Hospital - After the X-ray
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Finally, I lost him. Torin has been hovering over me and Ella’s believable fake doctor, his scent suffocating, pressing into my circle until I swear another second of it and I would have snapped. I slip away, walking down the hospital corridor toward the great tree at the center, its branches heavy with threads hung up like prayers.
I’ve never seen a tree inside a hospital before. Even the one I was in back at Thali which was state of the art, gleaming with glass and steel, it wasn’t even half the size of this one. And it makes sense, I suppose. Thali is a massive city, bigger than Prone, but its population is small. Prone, on the other hand, is cramped, overcrowded like it’s the only city in the country so it makes sense for there to be such a big hospital
Stretching my neck uncomfortably to the side, I hear it. a sound beside me. Sniffling. Is that... crying?
I turn my head and see a man who looks familiar with tears spilling down his face and his shoulders trembling. For some reason, the sight tugs at a part of my heart I thought was long gone. Watching him cry reminds me of myself when I had hit rock bottom and when the world felt like it was crushing me. Without thinking and acting on instinct, I reach into the pocket of my hospital pants and pull out handkerchief before putting it in his line of sight.
"You’re not alone," I say, pausing briefly before adding, "Never suffer in silence. It’s a slippery slope. If you need help, reach out to someone close or a professional."
I’ve been down that road. In fact, I’m still walking it. Once you’re on it, there’s no off‑ramp. It becomes your life, your path, and you will die on it. The only choice you get is how you die, and who you drag with you. I’ve already made my choice.
"Here, take it. Wipe your tears." I reach out, placing the handkerchief in his hand. "I have to go now," I say quickly, hurrying off down the hall. I remembered I need to get back to Torin before he flips the hospital upside down. It doesn’t take him more than thirty seconds to notice if I’m gone.
As I walk away, my chest tightens. I hope that man actually takes my advice.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Week After Oril Got Demoted
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I have been having the best week of my life. I pulled off my big one. Walter is gone, Oracle is spiraling as he tries to prove his brother’s innocence, Torin is drowning in doubt and his life is about to get a whole lot worse, and Keion and Augi are wasting their useless lives doing whatever. I’ll deal with them soon enough. They’re far too calm for my liking.
"Arabella, are you sure your husband will keep Torin busy for a long time? We can’t get caught," Vanya asks, driving next to me in the car.
Oh yes, how could I forget? Everything was perfect until this morning when Ella messaged me, warning that Torin was planning to confirm my bold accusation with his mother. Apparently, she had the whole house bugged when we were at the hospital and overheard his conversation with her. He asked to have breakfast, and Ella is certain that at this breakfast he’ll demand confirmation. He wants proof before he can file the demotion papers, a thing we both know—even with confirmation—he won’t file them. So we did it for him already.
"I am sure. He’s a yapper," Ella’s voice says over the car speaker.
"Good. Because we’re pulling up to Spade Mansion to threaten the woman. We should be done in thirty minutes," Vanya replies as we arrive at the massive gates of Spade Manor. The house looms like a palace, its grandeur undeniable. Hard to believe she would leave this palace to come to that penthouse just to torment me. Got to respect the grudge.
A security guard approaches, ripped, wearing glasses, and looking so serious I almost laugh. "State your name and business," he demands as Vanya rolls down the window.
"Hello to you too, please tell Yurena her son’s mate Lorali is here to see her," Vanya says, flashing her brightest smile.
The guard eyes us suspiciously, then suddenly transforms into a complete fangirl. I swear we sit in that car for ten minutes while he gushed about his admiration for Vanya. You’d think she was a popstar who saved his life, the way he goes on and on. When he finally finishes, Vanya scribbles an autograph she makes up on the spot—because she doesn’t even have one—and he lets us through without confirming a thing. These people desperately need a better guard.
"This is it," Vanya says, parking in front of the manor stairs. She turns to me, concern flickering in her eyes. "Are you sure you can do this?"
I nod, unbuckling my seatbelt. "I’ve been waiting to see her again since forever. And this is exactly how I want to do it." I take a deep breath, steadying myself. This is going to be a long day.