Never Failed, But I Chased Him Relentlessly

Chapter 5

Valeria opened her mouth, but no sound came out. She watched Dominic's lips open and close, but she couldn't understand a single word he was saying. The father who always smiled and called her "Valeria," who would apologize on her behalf when she got into fights, who would secretly slip her pocket money, and who had even resorted to the wrong methods just to secure her happiness... was dead?

He had died while locked up after being reported, while his daughter lay gravely injured in a hospital bed, and right after she had almost been used to provoke him with a filthy video?

"Impossible!" she finally squeezed the broken syllables from her throat, her entire body trembling violently and uncontrollably. The movement aggravated her wounds, sending waves of severe pain, but it was nothing compared to the devastating, suffocating agony tearing her heart apart. "You're lying to me. Dominic, you're lying! Was it Celeste? Was it her?! My dad was always in perfect health! How could he..."

"Valeria! Calm down!" Dominic tried to hold her down to prevent her from hurting herself. "The forensic doctor has already conducted a preliminary examination. It was sudden cardiac death! It has nothing to do with Celeste! I know you're grieving, but you can't just hurl baseless accusations at her!"

"Get out!" Valeria shrieked with every ounce of her remaining strength, her voice so agonized it barely sounded human. "Get out! Dominic! Get the hell out! I don't want to see you! Get out!" She grabbed anything she could reach—the water cup, medicine bottles, the tissue box—and hurled them madly at him.

Dominic dodged awkwardly, his face full of pain and helplessness. "Okay, I'm leaving! I'll go! Just calm down! I'll come see you later!" He backed out of the ward and closed the door.

Valeria's strength was instantly drained, and she collapsed limply onto the bed. Tears finally surged out in a delayed reaction, flowing silently and frantically. She curled up like a wounded young beast, letting out a fractured, agonizingly suppressed whimper.

The news that Gerald had committed suicide under investigation spread through their circles. Even though there was no official conclusion yet, the rumors were already boiling over.

Fewer people came to the hospital to visit Valeria. When familiar aunts and uncles occasionally dropped by, their eyes were evasive, filled with a complex pity. The nurses' whispers and the probing gazes of other patients pricked Valeria like fine needles.

"Did you hear? That's the daughter from the Winslow family. Her dad abused his power, and when things came to light, he ended it himself."

"Tsk, tsk. They used to be so glorious, and now..."

"Isn't her husband that guy from the Langston family? Looks like he doesn't really care. His wife is so badly injured and her dad just died, but you hardly see him around keeping her company."

"Maybe he's been wanting to draw a line in the sand for a while now..."

Valeria lay in bed, listening expressionlessly. She had become an object of sympathy and pity, and perhaps the target of behind-the-back pointing and gossiping. Her father had spent his entire life in military service, only to bear such a stigma after his death.

Celeste arrived right around this time. Wearing a plain, muted dress and still looking somewhat pale, she carried a bouquet of white chrysanthemums and gently placed it by Valeria's bedside.

"My condolences," Celeste said softly. Her gaze landed on Valeria's heavily casted leg, and a fleeting gleam of satisfaction flashed in her eyes, so fast it was almost imperceptible. "Gerald passed away so suddenly. It's truly heartbreaking."

Valeria kept her eyes closed, refusing to look at her.

Celeste bent down, leaning close to her ear, and whispered in a breathy voice that only the two of them could hear, "Do you know why he suddenly 'decided to end it all'?"

Valeria's eyes snapped open, glaring fixedly at her.

Celeste smiled, sweet yet utterly venomous. "I showed him a little something. That i***t from last night didn't succeed, but he managed to take a few really nice photos. The angles were perfect; it looked quite convincing. I sent them anonymously to Gerald, and it seems he got quite agitated after seeing them..."

Valeria's breath hitched to an abrupt stop. Her pupils dilated as the blood in her veins froze entirely.