Meanwhile…
Jasmine stood outside the ward, peeking through the glass window where she could see Melissa. Inside, the doctors moved briskly, transferring blood to Lawrence as the monitor's faint beeping filled the air. Melissa sat beside the bed, holding her father's hand tightly, whispering something Jasmine couldn't hear.
Her heart pounded hard against her ribs, each beat louder than the last. Her fingers trembled around the phone she'd been holding for the past ten minutes. The mere thought that Lola—not Melissa—could be her daughter made her chest tighten with emotions she couldn't even begin to name.
Her throat went dry. She wanted to breathe, but even air seemed unwilling to stay.
She didn't even know what she was hoping for anymore.
A part of her wanted to believe Doctor Tyler had lied, that he was just trying to shake her. But another part of her—one that never forgot Loren's face—remembered that mocking smile before she took her last breath.
That look, that voice.
