[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-26032289AC7C-168":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},168,7,"Chapter 7: There Was No Point In Calling","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She woke up to the sterile, suffocating air of the private VIP suite.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Every bone in her body ached with a dull, throbbing misery. Her torso was buried under thick layers of medical gauze, and the room was heavy with a clinical, oppressive silence. Only the steady, rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor broke the stillness.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya strained her fingers to hit the call button.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She waited—so long that she nearly drifted back into a daze—before the door finally swung open. A nurse stood there, her expression a mask of annoyance.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"What do you need now?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Water...\" Maya’s throat felt like it was lined with sandpaper.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The nurse rolled her eyes, grabbed a glass, and filled it with ice water. She slammed it onto the bedside table with such force that the liquid sloshed over the rim.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Drink it and quit hitting the button. I’m in the middle of a shift change!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">With a sharp click of her heels, she marched out.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya stared at the glass, then at the closed door. A bitter realization took root. This was a Meyer-owned hospital. If Callahan wanted her treated like a ghost, why would his staff bother with basic decency? She was his fiancée in name only, and apparently, that counted for nothing.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">She lay still, enduring the pain and the thirst in silence.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The next few days were a blur of cold food and rough hands. The nurses rarely answered her calls, and when they did drift into her room, they didn’t bother to hide their chatter.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Did you hear? The girl in 302 is Alexandria Rodriguez. She’s an angel. So kind.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Oh, I know. Callahan’s with her every single day. He’s completely devoted.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"We need to prioritize her care. Keep Mr. Meyer happy, and a promotion might finally be in the cards.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then, a voice dipped, sneering. \"Unlike that one in here. She brought this on herself. Does she really think she’s still some high-and-mighty debutante?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya listened, her expression vacant.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">That afternoon, a nurse came to check the IV. She moved with careless, jagged motions. As she turned to leave, her cart caught the tubing, giving it a violent yank.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Ah!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The needle tore clean out of Maya's vein. Dark beads of blood blossomed across her hand, and the sudden jerk sent Maya tumbling off the bed. She hit the floor with a sickening, jarring thud.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Pain, white-hot and blinding, flared from her ribs.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The two nurses glanced back at her. Instead of helping, they looked irritated.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Watch what you’re doing! We’re behind schedule getting Miss Alexandria’s snacks. If you cause a delay, you're the one who’s going to hear about it!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">They shoved their cart forward and walked out without a second look.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya lay on the cold floor, unable to draw a breath. She tried to push herself up, but her strength was gone.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Then, the door opened.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Callahan Meyer stepped in.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His gaze snapped to her on the floor, and his expression twisted into pure fury. He was at her side in two long strides. \"Maya! What happened?!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He gathered her up, his touch firm as he maneuvered her back onto the bed. When he saw the blood on her hand and the look of agony etched into her features, he slammed his palm onto the call button.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He pivoted toward the nurses—who had only just reached the doorway—his voice a low, terrifying vibration of cold rage. \"What the hell is going on here?! Is this how you treat a patient?!\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The nurses turned deathly pale, stammering for excuses that weren't coming.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya leaned against his chest. She caught the scent of his sharp, pine-heavy cologne, masked by the cloying, sweet perfume that always clung to Alexandria.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It’s nothing,\" she said, her voice faint but steady. \"They just bumped into me, and I fell.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Callahan stiffened, looking down at her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">There was no accusation in her eyes. No plea for pity. Just a calm, detached statement of fact. It hit him like a physical blow.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He turned back to the nurses, his voice freezing over. \"Get to HR. Hand in your resignation. And tell the head nurse that there will be a full investigation of this wing. If I hear of anyone being mistreated again, every single person on this floor is out of a job.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The nurses fled in tears.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The doctor arrived shortly after to dress her hand and confirm her ribs were intact. Once he left, they were alone again.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Callahan sat on the edge of the bed. He watched her, his gaze dark and unreadable. He reached out to brush a lock of hair from her face, but his hand hung in the air for a moment, trembling, before he pulled back and simply tucked the blanket around her.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Have they been doing this... the whole time?\" he asked, his voice raspy. \"Why didn't you tell me? I was right in the next room... with Alexandria. I know I haven't been here for you, but you could have called for me.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Maya closed her eyes.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"There was no point.\"\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272930203]