Chapter 6 Room Key

• Aileen hurriedly flagged down a cab as she ran towards the main road.
• "Sunrise Hotel, please. And please hurry," she requested.
• The considerate cab driver noticed a group of thugs approaching and asked, "Do you need me to take you to the police station?"
• "No," Aileen replied, knowing that the police wouldn't be able to help her.
• Upon reaching the hotel, Aileen realized that she had misplaced the key somewhere.
• She thought about asking the front desk, but considering the secretive nature of her relationship with Alvin, she decided to wait by the door instead.
• She sent him a text message, saying, "I'm at the hotel. Where are you?"
• However, Alvin did not reply.
• Aileen assumed that something urgent must have come up at the hospital and stopped asking.
• She considered getting a room to rest, but then her mother called, complaining of an itch. Aileen suggested that she ask a nurse for help, but her mother insisted on returning to the hospital.
• As Aileen arrived at the hospital, she saw a familiar car speeding past her towards the emergency drop-off.
• Out of curiosity, she decided to follow the car.
• She witnessed Alvin pulling a woman out of the car. The silk negligee she was wearing was stained with blood. Aileen stood too far away to see his expression, but his urgency was evident in his movements.
• Aileen reminded herself not to pry into his life.
• Their connection existed solely in the bedroom and only during the night.
• Realizing that she shouldn't embarrass herself, Aileen turned and entered the hospital through a side door.
• Brenda's mind was playing tricks on her. Nothing had actually happened.
• Aileen decided to spend the night with her.
• She prepared the sleeper chair and lay down to sleep.
• However, she found herself unable to sleep. To pass the time, she turned on the TV.
• Brenda also had trouble sleeping, waking up at the slightest noise.
• Aileen had no choice but to step outside. The hospital was quiet at night, and she sat alone on one of the benches in the corridors. With no one around, she eventually lay down.
• The movie seemed to drag on for too long.
• Halfway through, Alvin sent her a text.
• Her fingers tensed, but she resisted the urge to open it. She had lost interest in the movie and couldn't recall what happened in the second half.
• She sat up, sighed, and finally opened his message.
• Alvin's response was brief. "Something came up."
• Aileen started typing a long message but then deleted it. Silencing her phone, she returned to the room and went to sleep.
• ...
• The next day at 9 a.m.
• Brenda was wheeled into the operating theatre, accompanied by Cole.
• He didn't look well, his eyes filled with barely concealed anger when he saw Aileen.
• Aileen couldn't be bothered with him. She crossed her arms and waited in front of the operating theatre.
• "Did you spend the night at Sunrise Hotel?" Cole asked.
• Aileen's chest tightened, and she clenched her fists. She pursed her lips and ignored him.
• "Is this yours?" Cole showed her the room key.
• Aileen glanced at it briefly before quickly looking away. Anxiety overwhelmed her, making it difficult to breathe. "No."
• "I went to your house last night and found this outside your door."
• Aileen frowned. "What time were you there?"
• "Around nine."
• "Did you see anyone?"
• Cole softened and asked with concern, "Are they after you?"
• Aileen was about to tell him what had happened but thought twice. They had broken up. "It's not your concern." She glanced at the key again. That card would be a problem if left in Cole's hands.
• "You're just trying to blame me for everything. You picked this up from the ground, and suddenly it's my problem?" she said coldly. "Cole, is that the only way you'll accept our breakup? By convincing yourself that I cheated on you?"
• "Stop pretending to be innocent. I can still see those hickeys on you."
• Cole shoved the card into his pocket.
• Aileen turned away from him and bit her lip.
• Cole stared at the back of her head. Noticing that her ears had turned red, he grunted, "I'm leaving."
• As she heard his footsteps fade away, Aileen quickly pulled out her phone and texted Alvin.
• Just as she was about to send him a second text, a red exclamation point appeared next to her message.
• She froze. He had blocked her.