With each ring, the same cold, automated voice repeated itself, hollow and distant. At first, I was furious. But as time passed, the anger faded, replaced by a numbness I couldn’t shake.
For a moment, I considered confronting them, demanding they take responsibility for what happened. For the stress. For the pain that worsened my mother’s condition.
But every time I closed my eyes, I heard her last words: 'Don’t hold onto hate, Elise. Let it go. Live your life freely… gracefully… happily.'
So, I did. Or at least, I tried.
Hayes, however, still thought I was upset about Zara’s little stunt. His brow furrowed, his voice edged with impatience.
“Elise, you don’t need to keep holding on to these little things. The past is the past.”
To him, it was over. A closed chapter.
To me? It never would be.
I lifted my gaze, locking eyes with him, my expression stone cold.
“My mom is gone,” I said, flat and final. “You won’t find her.”
Hayes’s face darkened. His voice turned sharp, cutting through the still air. “Elise! Don’t go too far! No matter what, she’s still your mother. How can you even say something like that? She’s sick—where else would she be if not in the hospital?”
My fingers curled into fists, nails digging into my palms, the anger bubbling up from deep inside.
My mother had treated him like a son. She had given him everything—her warmth, her kindness, even her savings when he hit rock bottom. She helped him rise when life knocked him down.
And in return?
She never knew peace. Not even in her last moments.
That’s when Zara spoke up, her voice dripping with false sincerity.
“Dr. Montague, I know I was thoughtless before, and I’m really sorry. Can you forgive me? Hayes really cares about Auntie. Please don’t be mad at him.”
The mention of my mother’s name, coming from her lips, sent a searing rage through me.
“You don’t deserve to say her name!”
The control I’d been holding on to snapped. I shot up from my chair, fury flooding my veins.
“Get out. I don’t want to see you.”
Hayes stepped in front of Zara instinctively, as if protecting her from me. His eyes went cold.
“Elise, are you really going to act like this?” His voice was harsh, edged with disappointment. “Is this how you, as a doctor, uphold your professional ethics?”
Before I could respond, he pulled out his phone, dialed a number, and turned his back to me. Right in front of me.
His voice was ice.