CHAPTER 5: HOME AT LAST

Lauretta gritted her teeth in sheer frustration. Nothing she suggested was good enough, apparently. "Then what the hell do you want from me?" she bit out. "You drive!" George barked as he gently lifted Katarina and made for the door at top speed. Lauretta stood frozen for a moment before his mother shoved her from behind. "What are you still standing around for? If anything happens, I'd like to see you explain yourself!" she hissed spitefully. "It's just awful luck whenever you're involved." Studying her sour expression, Lauretta deduced his dear mother didn't actually care much for Katarina at all to be cursing her misfortune right now. Why else make such tactless remarks when the woman was injured? Morbidity curious to see how this drama would unfold, Lauretta snatched up the car keys and slid into the driver's seat. As he goes to the hospital, George is on the phone arranging for the best doctors to prioritize Katarina's care. Lauretta had to bite back an incredulous laugh. Such VIP treatment for that tiny wound? If they had arrived any later, it would likely have healed on its own already. But she held her sarcastic comments and soon pulled up at the hospital. Clearly forewarned, medical staff immediately swarmed their vehicle with a stretcher to whisk Katarina straight into emergency surgery as if her life hung by a thread. Seeing them steer towards the operating rooms made Lauretta raise a brow. Oh, they were certainly going all out with the scripts. After two hours, Katarina emerged...with the doctor looking rather awkward. Fretting only over her condition, George didn't notice his odd expression at all. "How is she, doctor? Will she fully recover?" The doctor's eye twitched slightly, but he maintained a professional bedside manner. "The wounds were not actually that grievous. I believe you panicked unnecessarily. We have stitched up the gashes and are running scans for possible concussions. The results will be out within three hours, so please be patient. As a precaution, she should remain under observation for now." Lauretta had to smother her snort of dark amusement. Just as she expected, if they had brought Katarina in even later, her scratch likely would have already closed up on its own. Clearly, the medical staff also had no idea how to face George with such a minor injury after two hours of emergency surgery. So, they deliberately dragged out the procedure instead. Profoundly relieved, George hurried after Katarina's stretcher towards the ward without so much as a glance back at Lauretta. Though she couldn't deny the jagged pain from being disregarded by the man she had loved for years, Lauretta remained silent as she watched them leave. Her grief threatened to overwhelm her. Just then, her phone rang, the caller ID making her breath catch in turmoil. The call eventually went to voicemail as Lauretta struggled internally on whether to answer it. When it immediately rang again, she took a deep breath and picked up. "Big brother..." she whispered hoarsely. "It's time for you to come home," his long unheard voice echoed firmly. At the sound of her beloved brother reaching out after three bitter years of estrangement from her family, tears flooded Lauretta's eyes. She had assumed that the divide could never be bridged. But blood bonds ran deeper than anything else in this world. Hearing her brother's voice left Lauretta choking back emotions. She finally felt happy she was going to a place where they actually loved her. "Okay..." she managed tremulously. ~~~~~~~ George kept vigil outside Katarina's room until she finally stirred awake. The first thing Katarina did was ask about Lauretta's whereabouts. "This clearly had nothing to do with Lauretta. Please talk to her properly. I swear she wasn't involved." She began in mock honesty. George bristled in annoyance. "Even now you're still defending her? What nonsense has she filled your head with? If she's really innocent, why did she run off right after your accident?" His temper worsened when Lauretta was reported to have already left the premises while he was preoccupied with Katarina's injuries. The more damning scandal surrounding Katarina popped up on his phone then. The relentless media leaks seemed aimed at destroying her hard-won career. There was no way George could stand by and let that happen. In his mind, the culprit behind Katarina's downfall could only be Lauretta. But now he had no idea where even to find her. Katarina gazed beseechingly at George. "I still believe Lauretta had nothing to do with this. But even if she was responsible, I'm willing to forgive her. This is really all because of me - if I had kept my distance from you, none of this would have happened. We're both women after all. It's only natural she would be unhappy to see me appearing in your life again." George shook his head stubbornly. "Stop making excuses for her. She's clearly in the wrong here." He refused to listen to anything that might absolve Lauretta of guilt in his eyes. Katarina opened her mouth but said nothing more, secretly delighted at this outcome. Seeing her downcast expression, George gentled his voice. "Just focus on resting for now. The doctor wants you under observation for any potential complications. I'll handle everything else so don't you worry. I definitely won't let your career take this kind of hit." Katarina's eyes lit up at his reassurance, mingled with unmistakable love. But George looked away, unable to directly meet her gaze. Some matters were better left unspoken. Murmuring some excuse about urgent business, he quickly took his leave. The moment he was gone, Katarina's facade of weakness vanished, replaced by a vicious glint. Thinking of those online scandals, fury simmered within her. If George ever discovered her involvement, she would be finished. Her only recourse was to find some way to clear her name from this mess.