Saving me wouldn’t have prevented Stephen from treating anyone else. That left only two possibilities: either Stephen lied to Ronald, or the two of them had conspired to deceive me.
Testing the waters, I asked Ronald, “Dr. Thomas, what urgent matter came up that day?”
He hesitated, stumbling over his words. “It was to help save an old friend…”
Disappointment washed over me.
Ronald wasn’t being entirely honest.
There was definitely something off here.
“Compared to me, of course, your friend must have been more important,” I replied calmly, not wanting to push the matter further.
Ronald looked guilty but didn’t want me to feel hurt either. He added awkwardly, “Teresa, that old friend of mine happens to be someone very close to you.”
Panic rose in me. “Are you saying my grandfather was ill?”
In this world, aside from my daughter, my grandfather was the closest person to me. My parents had died early in an accident, leaving my grandfather to raise me. Though he lived in a retirement home now, his health had always been robust. How could he have fallen ill so suddenly?
Ronald sighed, regret flickering in his eyes. “I didn’t want to tell you and worry you, but I was afraid you’d misunderstand.”
“He’s fine now, isn’t he?” I asked anxiously, unsure whether to believe him.
“He’s fine,” Ronald assured me. “Luckily, your husband informed me in time. If I’d arrived any later, the outcome might not have been good.”
Once again, Ronald brought up Stephen, showing how much he trusted him.
If he knew the things Stephen said about him, calling him lecherous, petty, and manipulative, how devastated he would be.
I deliberately reminded him, “Dr. Thomas, it’s wise to be cautious of others. Even those closest to us can’t always be trusted, let alone subordinates.”
Ronald looked at me with surprise, clearly taken aback by my comment.
Ronald seemed to have pieced something together and hesitated before asking, “Teresa, I’ve heard some rumors. Is it true that your relationship with Stephen isn’t going well?”
I nodded. “Not just ‘not well‘–it’s utterly terrible!”
