Erick was initially prepared to leave with Janey.
Seeing Raegan motionless, he quickly exited the vehicle and approached her.
âRaegan.
â
Raegan stood frozen as if she hadnât heard a thing.
Her hand was cut, and blood dripped onto the ground.
Erick reached out, pulled Raegan close, and asked with concern, âWhen did you hurt your hand?â
Exhaustion washed over Raegan as she leaned into Erickâs embrace, her voice shaking.
âErick, Iâm so scared.
Mitchel seems not to recognize me anymore.
â
Erickâs heart tightened, and he reassured her, âHeâs probably just concerned about his mother.
Donât worry too much.
â
Raegan nodded, yet she couldnât shake the feeling of distance and unfamiliarity in Mitchelâs eyes.
Erickâs expression grew thoughtful as he suggested, âLetâs head to the hospital first.
â
Upon reaching the hospital, they found Janey was perfectly fine, showing no signs of distress.
Relieved, Raegan quickly headed to wait outside Lucianaâs ICU.
Upon arriving, she spotted Mitchel standing there.
A sudden wave of shyness and homesickness overwhelmed Raegan, causing her to hesitate before approaching Mitchel, her feet glued to the floor.
After a momentâs hesitation, she finally called out, âMitchelâ¦â
Mitchel looked over, his expression cold and distant.
Though it was still early autumn, Raegan felt a sudden chill.
She wondered if it was just the norm for this part of the hospital, where the emergency room was situated.
Raegan looked at Mitchel with hopeful eyes.
âLuciana will be okay.
Donât worryâ¦â
âEnough,â Mitchel responded sharply.
Then, he pivoted, keeping his gaze locked on the operating room doors.
The hope in Raeganâs eyes vanished instantly.
She was puzzled by his words.
A rare wave of anxiety washed over her, but she mustered her courage and stepped forward, reaching out to touch Mitchelâs arm.
âMitchel, are you alright? Youâ¦â
As soon as she spoke, he lifted his arm and brushed hers away.
Already weakened by exhaustion, Raegan staggered several steps, even though he hadnât pushed hard.
Struggling to regain her balance, Raegan looked up at his distant, indifferent face, and her first thought was whether he suffered from amnesia.
Perhaps Mitchel had bumped his head like she did last time and forgotten everything.
Clinging to this hope, Raegan tried to reconnect in the warm, familiar way they used to talk.
âMitchel, donât you recognize me? I amâ¦â
When Raegan caught Mitchelâs ambiguous look, she abruptly stopped talking.
His stare had a chilly, almost mocking quality.
Raegan couldnât understand why he looked at her this way.
With a slight curl of his thin lips, Mitchel said, âMiss Foster?â
His voice echoed in the chilly, deserted hallway, making Raegan shiver.
Raeganâs heart sank as if plummeting from a great height.
If he hadnât forgotten everything, why was he talking to her so coldly and distantly? Her voice trembled.
âWhy are youâ¦â