Chapter 258 A Debt She Couldn’t Pay

Chapter 258: Chapter 258 A Debt She Couldn’t Pay

After Ethan left, Robert and Jennifer stayed only long enough to argue in low voices about attorneys, settlement offers, and the growing cost of cleaning up Serena’s mess.

Serena barely listened.

She nodded whenever one of them looked her way.

The moment the door closed behind them, a nurse entered with a tablet and a sealed folder.

"Ms. Winthrop, I wanted to follow up on your syphilis diagnosis. Have you contacted your partner about getting tested?"

Serena’s fingers tightened around the hospital blanket.

"Not yet."

"You’ll need to inform anyone you’ve had sexual contact with. They should be tested, and if necessary, treated as well. Otherwise, there’s a risk of reinfection."

Serena glanced at the closed door.

"Please don’t tell my parents."

"Your medical information is confidential. We won’t share it with them without your authorization."

The nurse paused before adding, "But I strongly recommend you tell your partner as soon as possible."

"No." Serena’s voice sharpened.

The word came out too quickly, too sharply.

The nurse paused. "Ms. Winthrop, I understand this may be difficult, but your partner needs to be evaluated and may need treatment. Delaying care could put his health at risk."

Serena turned toward the window. "I’m exhausted. Can we talk about this later?"

The nurse studied her for a moment, then nodded. She couldn’t force Serena to notify her partner, but she could make sure Serena understood the risks.

"I’ll leave the treatment information here. If you change your mind or have any questions, press the call button."

After the nurse left, Serena waited until the door clicked shut.

Then she covered her mouth with a shaking hand.

Syphilis.

She’d contracted it from Ryan Sullivan months ago, before returning to California.

And after she’d come back, she’d slept with Alpha Sebastian.

She had kissed him. Shared a bed with him. Carried his child.

Alpha Sebastian might already be infected.

Would Alpha Sebastian hate her?

Would he come after her?

Serena pressed her teeth into her finger until the sharp pain brought her back to the room.

Tears spilled down her swollen cheeks.

"I’m sorry," she whispered, though she did not know whether she meant it for Alpha Sebastian, the baby, or herself.

She would not tell him about the infection.

She would not tell anyone that the fall had been staged.

A knock sounded at the door.

Serena quickly wiped her face and forced her breathing to slow.

"Who is it?" she called.

"It’s me."The door opened, and Lainey stepped inside.

Vincent followed close behind in a charcoal suit, his tie loosened and his hair slightly out of place. He looked as if he had come straight from the airport.

Serena forced a weak smile. "Lainey. Vincent. What are you doing here? I thought you said he was tied up with a case."

"Lainey told me you were in the hospital." Vincent crossed the room, his expression tightening when he saw her pale face. "What happened?"

"I practically dragged him onto the first flight," Lainey said, closing the door behind them. "Serena, you look awful. Are you in pain?"

Serena’s carefully built composure broke.

"The baby," she sobbed. "I lost the baby."

Both of them froze.

Vincent’s face hardened. "Who did this?"

His eyes flashed with anger.

"Was it Eira?"

Serena shook her head quickly. "No."

"Then who?" Lainey asked.

Serena did not answer. She only cried, her shoulders shaking as she covered her face with both hands.

Lainey studied her through lowered lashes. Some of the grief looked real. Some of it did not.

Vincent reached his own conclusion.

"It was Sebastian," he said. "He never wanted the baby."

Serena looked up at him, eyes wide with shock. She did not confirm it, but she did not deny it either.

Vincent turned toward the door. "I’m going to find him."

"Don’t."

Serena grabbed his sleeve. "Please, Vincent. He didn’t mean to hurt me. It was an accident. I slipped on the escalator, and then the baby..."

Her voice broke.

Vincent looked down at her trembling hand. "You’re defending him?"

"I’m not defending him. I just don’t want more people getting hurt."

Lainey watched Vincent’s anger rise. That was exactly what she wanted. The more fiercely he defended Serena, the harder it would be for him to walk away.

"I’ll get some water," she said.

She stepped into the hall and stopped at the nurses’ station.

"Is Serena Winthrop allowed anything to eat or drink yet?"

The nurse checked the chart. "Clear liquids only. We can send water and tea. If she tolerates that, she may try a sealed fruit cup later."

"Thank you."

When Lainey returned, she carried bottled water, chamomile tea, and a small cup of grapes and melon.

"I checked with the nurse," she said, placing them on the tray. "Try the water first. You can have the fruit later."

Serena glanced at the tray, then at Lainey. "You didn’t have to."

"I know."

Lainey pulled a chair beside the bed and sat down. Her kindness was careful, practical, and impossible to criticize. Serena trusted it even less because of that.

Across the room, Vincent checked his phone.

"I’m going to talk to Sebastian."

"Vincent, don’t." Serena caught his sleeve. "It was an accident. I don’t want another fight."

"He still needs to answer for what happened."

Her voice trembled, but every word pushed him closer to the role she wanted him to play, the angry protector ready to defend her.

Lainey stayed silent.

Vincent picked up Serena’s phone and found Alpha Sebastian’s number.

"I’ll only talk to him."

Before Serena could stop him, he stepped into the hall and called.

Isabella answered. Assuming he was one of Alpha Sebastian’s colleagues, she gave him the room number before asking who he was.

"Vincent Crawford."

By the time he reached Alpha Sebastian’s room, Isabella was waiting outside. She recognized him from Serena’s social media posts and stepped in front of the door.

"You’re not Sebastian’s friend."

"Where is he?"

"He’s having more tests. He’ll be back soon."

Her eyes moved over his expensive suit.

"You’re with that Winthrop snake, aren’t you? Did Serena send you to harass my brother?"

"Is name-calling the Hale family’s standard greeting?"

Isabella’s temper snapped.

"Whether you’re her boyfriend or one of her little lapdogs, pay up. Serena can’t cover what she owes, so you can do it for her."

Vincent’s expression hardened.

"Owes what, exactly?"