Chapter 357-Now You Know

Verity:

I immediately placed my phone facedown on the table.

But when I looked up, Bruno was staring at me.

The second our eyes met, he smiled and lowered his gaze, pretending he hadn’t been watching me at all.

But that look had been different.

It wasn’t the kind of stare someone gave because they were fascinated by you or thought you were beautiful.

It was the kind of look someone gave when they were trying to figure you out.

After that awkward lunch was finally over, Bruno insisted on dropping me home, but I refused and told him I would go on my own.

I had barely arrived home and stepped out of the cab when I saw Ragnar getting out of his car as well.

He had definitely come back earlier than the others. Or maybe they were already inside. I wasn’t sure.

The moment he noticed me, he snapped his fingers and pointed in my direction without even looking at me properly.

He did it while walking away, clearly expecting me to follow him toward the garden instead of going inside.

So I did.

"You didn’t tell me what you’ve decided. Do you want to see him?" Ragnar asked.

He remained standing even after I sat down on the bench. When I realized he had no intention of joining me, I got back to my feet.

Ragnar removed his glasses and tilted his head slightly.

"I’d like to see him today, if he’s awake," I said, making it clear that I understood how critical his condition was.

That was why no one had been allowed to meet him yet, why he hadn’t been transferred to prison, and why there hadn’t been any real progress in his case.

"Sure. Then do it now," Ragnar muttered.

I wrinkled my nose at him.

"Now? Is it that urgent?"

He only shrugged before turning and walking away again.

Of course.

"Him and his constant walking off."

I followed after him, muttering under my breath, but I didn’t expect him to stop so suddenly.

I nearly crashed into his back.

I quickly stepped away as Ragnar turned and gave me a questioning look.

"Did you say something?"

I immediately shook my head.

"No, I didn’t," I replied, lying through my teeth.

He looked me up and down, clearly unconvinced, before putting his glasses back on and continuing walking toward the car.

Knowing Ragnar, he never did anything without a reason.

So I followed him and slipped into the car.

The moment we were both seated in the back, something in me tightened.

I shifted into the far corner with my back almost turned toward him, pressing myself against the door as though I might jump out at any second.

"Are you going to wait for the car to stop, or should I expect you to jump out the window?" Ragnar taunted.

I glanced at him, noticing how casually he had said it.

But the tension in his body told a different story.

Of course he was tense. His beloved Gigi was still missing.

When we reached the hospital, Ragnar led me toward the desk before taking me to Oliver’s room.

Not that he needed to.

I already knew exactly where Oliver was.

After all, O had been newly appointed here as a male nurse for one very specific reason: to keep an eye on him.

Oliver was still in bad condition, so I was a little surprised that Ragnar had even allowed me to see him.

He led me through the quiet hospital corridor to Oliver’s room but didn’t step inside. The faint hum of medical equipment drifted through the closed door, mingling with the sterile smell of disinfectant that seemed to cling to everything around us.

Ragnar simply opened the door and gestured for me to go in.

The moment I entered the room, nausea twisted through my stomach.

It wasn’t because of the antiseptic smell or the hospital itself.

It was the déjà vu.

The white walls. The muted beeping of the heart monitor. The IV line running beside the bed. Oliver lying there beneath the thin hospital blanket, pale and weak.

It brought back too much.

But I swallowed every emotion threatening to rise inside me.

A man dressed in a male nurse’s uniform stood beside Oliver’s bed. A surgical mask covered most of his face, but I knew exactly who he was.

He acknowledged me instantly.

He glanced at me before lowering his attention to Oliver and slowly administering medication through his IV line.

That brief look was enough.

He knew I was here.

Once he was finished, he moved toward the door, preparing to leave us alone.

Of course.

Alpha King Ragnar’s orders.

Apparently, I needed privacy so I could speak my heart to the man who had tried to make me one of his victims.

Jenna had refused the opportunity, but I had agreed to see Oliver because I had already expressed that wish to Ragnar before.

As the nurse passed me, he leaned just close enough for his voice to reach only my ears.

"There are no cameras. No microphones."

The words came out in barely more than a whisper.

He knew Alpha King Ragnar was standing right outside.

And I knew exactly what he was telling me.

I didn’t have to pretend in here.

A second later, the door opened, and O slipped out, leaving me alone in the room.

Just me and the scumbag who, together with his sister, had destroyed my entire family.

My entire world.

I watched Oliver’s eyes slowly open behind the oxygen mask.

He really was in terrible condition.

Dark bruises covered his face, and the swelling had changed his appearance almost completely. After I had passed out, Ragnar had clearly beaten him badly.

It showed.

The moment Oliver noticed me, his eyes widened before confusion settled across his face.

"What happened?" I asked, clicking my tongue as I approached the bed. "Why do you look so confused to see me? No one else came to visit you, did they?"

I gave him a cold smile.

"They won’t."

When I reached the bedside, I placed my purse directly on his chest without caring whether it hurt him.

Oliver whimpered behind the oxygen mask.

"You know, someone as disgusting as you deserves to end up like this," I remarked.

I unzipped my purse, pulled out my compact, and began fixing my makeup as though nothing about the situation bothered me.

The expression in Oliver’s eyes made it obvious that he was shocked by the way I was speaking to him.

"Well, I’m sure I don’t need to pretend in front of you," I said with a smile.