Chapter 33 A Quack Doctor
How could Caroline possibly miss a scene like that?
“I’m coming home now!” Caroline said before hanging up.
Waterford Gardens.
Finished
Whether it was because the walls were thin or Helen was just that loud, Caroline could already hear her sobbing from outside the front door.
A faint smile crept onto Caroline’s face..
She wondered just how much Helen had gone through.
Pushing the door open, she stepped inside, and every pair of eyes turned to her.
The living room felt unusually tense,
“What’s the occasion? None of you went to work today?” Caroline asked casually as she bent down to change her shoes.
Liam snapped, “Not all of us are as cold as you! Helen was mistreated at the psychiatric hospital- how could we go to work like nothing happened?” He stared her down. “Now start talking. Why did the hospital think she was you? And where were you last night?”
Helen hadn’t come home by midnight, and her phone had been off the whole time.
With no other choice, he and Miguel drove to the psychiatric hospital–but the gates were locked tight.
The entrance was empty, not a soul in sight.
They waited there all night, and when the doors finally opened at sunrise, they went in and found. Helen.
The poor girl had been mistaken for a psychiatric patient … and had even been beaten up.
“I don’t really know what happened,” Caroline said, her voice shaking slightly, laced with just the right amount of hurt. “I dozed off in the car not long after I left last night. When I woke up, I was already at the psychiatric hospital. They took my phone and kept hitting me… I only managed to slip away this morning when no one was looking.”
“After I got out, I went straight to the hospital to get checked, Caroline continued. “Turns out, I’m completely fine.”
She placed the evaluation report on the coffee table, sliding it toward Liam.
Miguel picked it up instead, carefully going over the details with a serious look on his face.
The report covered a wide range of tests and clearly showed that Caroline had no signs of any
833 PM ct c
Chapter 33 A Quack Doctor
Finished
Perfect.
And with yesterday’s engagement talk going smoothly, everything was falling into place.
Teresa had agreed to accept Caroline as their future daughter–in–law.
He had been anxious about the possibility of Caroline really being ill, but now that the results. were normal, all that worry turned out to be pointless.
Fabian and Liam each took a look at the report, flipping through it with cautious eyes.
Wren, however, expressed doubt. “I’ve heard that for something like this, only psychiatric hospitals with proper equipment can run accurate tests. Regular hospitals might not be reliable.”
Caroline shot her a cold glare, her voice laced with anger. “Was that so–called doctor from last night your idea? He showed up with nothing but a stethoscope and called me mentally ill. By your standards, he wasn’t just unqualified he was a joke.”
She had mulled it over all night, and the more she replayed it in her head, the more suspicious it seemed.
That doctor barely glanced at her eyes, pressed the stethoscope to her chest a few times, and then. announced she had a mental illness.
Wasn’t that just a bit too ridiculous?
Caroline could tell right away that something was off about that so–called doctor.
Thinking back to what Helen had said in the car yesterday, she was now almost completely sure- it had to be Wren who brought him in.
“Y–yeah… “Wren stuttered for a while before scrambling for an excuse. “It’s just… he’s really experienced! He doesn’t need fancy equipment. One look, and he can diagnose someone on the spol.
Caroline could hardly contain her laughter.
“A highly skilled doctor who doesn’t use any equipment? That’s hilarious. I guess from now on, we can throw out all the ultrasounds and ECG machines–just let the doctor look at you and call it a day. Think how much money hospitals would save! Too bad that kind of fairytale might work on people with no common sense… but anyone with half a brain wouldn’t buy it.”
She wasn’t just mocking Wren–her words also subtly called Liam and Fabian gullible.
To think they actually took that quack’s word seriously last night.
The two men sitting stiffly on the couch looked anything but pleased.
Their faces were dark with frustration, but they had nothing to say in their own defense.
Back then, they’d only focused on how strange Caroline had been acting–they never stopped to
Chapter 33 A Quack Doctor
Finished
Miguel turned to Wren. “Didn’t I tell you yesterday to have that doctor come back today? Why didn’t you follow through?”
If he had been present, maybe Helen wouldn’t have ended up so traumatized from being mistaken for someone else.
Wren looked flustered. “I suppose I’m getting old, and my memory’s not what it used to be.”
As if brushing it off with a half–hearted excuse could erase the damage.
Caroline didn’t let it go. “If your memory’s already slipping, maybe it’s time to admit this job isn’t a good fit anymore. Why not start packing and retire early?”
Wren instantly panicked. “No, no! I’m not that old–I can still manage just fine!”
She wasn’t ready to give up that cushy position. Edwin paid her nearly double what an average. housekeeper earned.
Had she not been so reluctant to leave, she would have walked out the next day after Caroline threatened her with a knife.
