Sylvester's facial expression changed as he watched Anabel slip out of the hospital room. The moment she stepped past the doorway, something sharp coiled in his chest. A suffocating unease, the kind that clawed at his thoughts and refused to let go.
What he was predicting was already unfolding right in front of him. Everything he had feared. Anabel was going after Desmond. Not in front of her family, not where emotions could be tempered by the presence of others, but privately.
And that…that was dangerous. Because if this conversation led where he suspected it would. If she let herself soften even the slightest bit toward Desmond, all of his plans would crumble.
Everything he had built. All his lies and manipulation. The money he had spent fabricating the surgery would be a waste.
Sylvester swallowed hard and gazed back at the family. He had almost won. He had almost had her completely. But Desmond was about to change the game. Desmond had done what seemed impossible . And now, Anabel was vulnerable to fall for Desmond again.
She was emotional, shaken, and overwhelmed with gratitude. He knew that gratitude had a dangerous way of turning into something else.
Sylvester felt heat rise in his chest as panic settled deep inside him. Desmond was exactly the kind of man who would take advantage of this moment. He had already proven his patience and his ability to endure rejection, humiliation, and belittlement.
And now? Now, he had leverage. Saving Anabel’s father was like an advantage to him. Sylvester gritted his teeth, frustration bubbling under his skin. He wanted to call her back, but he couldn't.
How could he? How could he call her back in that atmosphere? He closed his eyes briefly, inhaling deeply before exhaling. He couldn’t stop her now, but that didn’t mean he wouldn’t fix the situation.
He hoped that however grateful she might feel, it would not be enough to change her mind. He knew that if he succeeded in rekindling even a sliver of what they once had, he would lose everything.
.
.
.
Anabel walked through the hospital corridors, searching for Desmond. Her eyes kept scanning every face she passed, but he was nowhere to be found.
She saw one of the staff and walked up to her. "Did you see a man leaving just now?" She asked and described Desmond’s appearance and what he was wearing. The nurse frowned slightly, thinking for a moment before shaking her head. "No, I don’t think so."
Anabel sighed and asked another staff member, then another. Each response was the same until one of the staff told her that she saw him leaving the hospital.
She headed to the hospital entrance. The moment she stepped outside, she scanned the parking lot, searching desperately.
Then...she saw him. Desmond was inside his humming car. As he moved to leave, Anabel called out, "Hey! Desmond!"
He heard her and matched the break. For a moment, his car remained still.
She took a step toward him, expecting him to roll down the window. When she got closer, he drove off.
The tires screeched lightly against the pavement as the car jerked forward, moving toward the hospital exit. Anabel didn't see that coming.
She blinked rapidly, and stepped forward instinctively. "Desmond!" she called out again, louder this time, but didn’t stop. He didn’t even hesitate. The car sped up, and disappeared out of the hospital lot with reckless abandon. Anabel stood still, staring after him in disbelief.
She took a deep breath and shook her head as she murmured under her breath, "I just want to thank you." She exhaled slowly, her lips pressing into a thin line.
"I think you have changed. Maybe nothing changed after all." she muttered and retired back to the hospital room.