Chapter 85: Chapter 85: I Can’t Repay What I Owe You

Wyatt Shaw drove Yvonne Sutton to the hospital. By the time they arrived, Claire Lawrence had already been moved from the emergency room to a regular ward.

Looking at Claire Lawrence’s pale face and the thick gauze wrapped around her wrist, tears instantly sprang to Yvonne Sutton’s eyes.

"Claire, you still have me. Have you forgotten? I told you I’d always be your rock."

Yvonne Sutton reached out and gently stroked Claire Lawrence’s cheek. Her cheek was cold, her gaze was cold, and even when she turned her head to give Yvonne a small smile, the smile was cold, devoid of any warmth.

"Yvonne, I... I just wanted to be free," she said.

Yvonne Sutton shook her head. "No, I won’t allow it. You have to live, and live well. You have to be my best friend for life, through thick and thin."

Claire Lawrence closed her eyes. "But I’m so tired."

Yvonne Sutton didn’t leave the hospital room until dawn. She told Joshua Hale to go back to the small pub; she would stay at the hospital and watch over Claire Lawrence.

"Will you be okay on your own?" Joshua Hale asked, worried.

Yvonne Sutton nodded. "You should head back to the pub. Rest for a bit while there aren’t many customers."

"I’ll bring you guys lunch."

"Okay."

After seeing Joshua Hale off, Yvonne Sutton saw Wyatt Shaw getting out of the elevator. He had gone home to get her a down jacket and had also made a bowl of wontons to bring over.

Yvonne Sutton took the items and told him to head to the office.

Wyatt Shaw put his arm around her and gave her a kiss. "I’ll come pick you up tonight."

"Uh, I might have to stay at the hospital for a few days, until Claire is discharged."

"We can hire a caregiver."

"But I’m her friend."

Wyatt Shaw’s heart ached for her. He gently kissed both of her eyes, then teased, "Miss Panda."

Yvonne Sutton huffed and playfully bit his chin. It was only because it was early in the morning and the elevator lobby was empty that the two of them could be a little affectionate.

After seeing Wyatt Shaw off, Yvonne Sutton carried the wontons into the hospital room. Seeing Claire Lawrence’s head turned toward the window, she thought she was still asleep. She put down the wontons and went to pull the blanket over her, only then discovering that Claire Lawrence had her eyes open.

"Claire, you didn’t sleep all night?" Yvonne Sutton asked worriedly.

"I’m... hungry," she said.

Yvonne Sutton quickly said, "I have wontons here."

Yvonne Sutton helped Claire Lawrence sit up, then poured some wontons into the lid of the thermos and fed her with a spoon.

Claire Lawrence ate one and said around the mouthful, "Delicious."

"It’s good, right? Wyatt Shaw’s a great cook," she said, feeding her another spoonful.

Claire Lawrence took a big bite. "He cooks, too?"

"Mhm, he usually does the cooking at home."

"Yvonne."

"What is it?"

"You smile more now."

Yvonne Sutton paused for a moment, then nodded. It was true. Whenever she was with Wyatt Shaw, she always wanted to smile. Sometimes it was because he made her laugh, and other times it was simply because the time spent with him felt so wonderful.

"That’s wonderful." Claire Lawrence looked at Yvonne Sutton, relieved. "Yvonne, you deserve it."

Yvonne Sutton squeezed Claire Lawrence’s hand. "You deserve it too, but first you have to pull yourself together. You have to love yourself first."

"I..." Claire Lawrence gave a bitter smile. "That night... you must have guessed."

’The night they were kidnapped?’

Remembering the image of the man with the cigarette coming out of the room while pulling up his pants, Yvonne Sutton couldn’t help but grip Claire Lawrence’s hand tighter.

"I know, I know."

Yvonne Sutton put down the wontons and hugged Claire Lawrence.

"I know it’s not easy to let this go, but you have to. You have to forget, and you have to move forward. You can hate them, but you can’t hate yourself. You didn’t do anything wrong. Claire, let’s call the police."

"No!" Claire Lawrence shook her head.

"If it’s because you’re scared or don’t want to bring up that night, I can understand, but..."

"I was willing."

Yvonne Sutton was stunned. "How is that possible?"

Claire Lawrence covered her face with both hands, tears seeping through the gaps between her fingers. "That was the interest."

After her shock, Yvonne Sutton hugged Claire Lawrence tightly again. She didn’t know what kind of life Claire Lawrence had been living. This kind of threat and intimidation was surely not the first time, yet whenever Claire faced her, she was always smiling and full of life.

"They won’t bother you again, Claire. It’s all really over now. I’ll walk forward with you."

"Walk forward?"

"Yes, walk forward."

Claire Lawrence gave a bitter smile. "Is there still a road for me?"

"There is. I’ll pave it for you."

"What if I can’t walk?"

"I’ll pull you along."

Yvonne Sutton wrung out a wet towel to wipe Claire Lawrence’s face, then fed her a few more wontons. When she said she was full, Yvonne told her to lie down and get some sleep.

While she was sleeping, Yvonne Sutton finished the remaining wontons and took Claire Lawrence’s clothes from the day before to wash them.

Coming out of the restroom, she saw that Claire Lawrence was sleeping peacefully and finally breathed a small sigh of relief.

She didn’t dare leave the hospital room. Even to use the restroom, she only slipped out for a moment when the nurse came to change the IV drip.

At noon, Joshua Hale brought lunch over, but Claire Lawrence was still asleep, so Yvonne didn’t wake her.

"It’s my fault I didn’t watch her closely enough last night," Joshua Hale said, full of regret.

Yvonne Sutton patted Joshua Hale’s shoulder. "Who could have predicted she would do something so foolish?"

"No, actually, didn’t she leave some last words?"

"What last words?"

"She said she was sorry to you, that she’d gotten you mixed up in her troubles, and that she couldn’t pay back the money she owed you."

Yvonne Sutton frowned. Claire Lawrence had always been proud and hated owing anyone anything, even Yvonne. Her suicide attempt wasn’t just because of that night, but also because of the guilt she felt toward her.

In the afternoon, Yvonne Sutton was still by Claire Lawrence’s bedside when she woke up. She fed her a little something to eat and then spent what felt like an eternity telling her she didn’t need to feel guilty, because they were best friends.

Claire Lawrence seemed to take it to heart, nodding continuously and reassuring Yvonne that she wouldn’t do anything foolish again.

Joshua Hale returned to the pub to make some arrangements and then came back. He said he would watch over Claire Lawrence and told Yvonne Sutton to go home and get some sleep.

Yvonne Sutton was still worried and said she would just take a nap in the empty bed in the room.

She hadn’t closed her eyes since last night, so she fell asleep the moment she lay down. But because she was worried about Claire Lawrence, she didn’t sleep soundly, waking up from time to time to check on Claire in her hospital bed.

But on one of the times she woke up, Claire Lawrence was no longer in her bed. She shot up, first checking the restroom—no one—then quickly ran out of the hospital room.

Just then, Joshua Hale came out of the elevator, holding a box of fruit.

"Where’s Claire?" she asked him hurriedly.

Joshua Hale froze. "She’s not in the room?"

"No."

Joshua Hale exclaimed, "Oh no!"

"Didn’t I tell you not to leave her side for a second?"

"She said her mouth was dry and she wanted some fruit, so I went to buy some for her."

Yvonne Sutton took a deep breath, forcing herself to calm down. 𝓯𝓻𝒆𝙚𝒘𝓮𝙗𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝒍.𝙘𝓸𝙢

"You search downstairs, I’ll search upstairs!"

With that, the two of them quickly split up.

Yvonne Sutton searched floor by floor, finally reaching the rooftop, where she saw Claire Lawrence sitting on the railing. Claire Lawrence also saw her at the same moment and held up a hand to stop her from coming closer.

"Yvonne, I’m sorry. I can’t pay you back for what I owe, but I’m too tired. Just let me be free."