Shattered Longings Novel

Chapter 27 The Wickedness of People

It was over half an hour before the man reappeared.

By then, the child had already stopped breathing, and his small body was gradually losing warmth, bringing an end to his suffering in this world.

The man rushed straight to Bella, snatched the child from her arms, and began to cry out fiercely, “My child was fine when I brought him to your hospital! How could he die like this? You need to compensate me!”

Bella clenched her fists, cold sweat breaking out on her forehead. It was exactly as she had suspected. The child was already on the brink of death, and the man was trying to squeeze some money out of the situation in his last moments.

Her anger was uncontrollable. “The child had congenital biliary atresia. He was already on his last breath! Did you say he was fine when you brought him here? You knew full well that he couldn’t be saved!”

The old doctor adjusted his glasses and said, “We’re just a small town hospital. We don’t have the money for you to extort. Show some decency. Besides, we didn’t give the child any medication or treatment. You have no proof that his death is related to the hospital. Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

The seemingly honest and simple man ignored the old doctor and glared at Bella with a menacing look. You didn’t give my child any treatment, but he died in the hands of the doctor here! Who knows what you did to him while I was away?”

The old doctor was at a loss for words and looked at Bella with a complex expression.

Bella’s heart sank. The old doctor’s look meant that he was out of options.

Since she was the one who admitted the patient, the responsibility now fell entirely on her. The patient’s family wasn’t going to let this go, and she’d have to deal with it herself.

As she grappled with the thought of how some people could be so wicked, she felt utterly disgusted. She never imagined she’d encounter something like this in a small town when she had never faced such situations back in Joville.

Before long, the man called in a group of people. They didn’t make a big scene in the hospital, but they surrounded Bella, blocking her in.

By 10:00 pm, the situation hadn’t changed. The other doctors had all gone home, leaving just a few on night duty. No one dared to approach Bella’s besieged office as everyone was too afraid of getting involved.

The man, who had initially seemed so honest and simple, now acted like a thug. The group of men not only blocked the door but also forced Bella to pay for their food and drink. As a woman, even when they robbed her of her wallet, she could only grit her teeth in silence.

The hospital’s stance was that the child’s death had nothing to do with them, so they told her to handle it herself. If she couldn’t resolve it, she was advised not to return to work for the time being.

The message was clear.

Small towns operated like this, with no proper procedures and everyone eager to wash their hands of any Tesponsibility.

At nearly 11.00 pm, Bella’s phone rang. She was about to answer it when the man snatched it from her. He arrogantly yelled into the phone, “If you’re coming, bring money! She owes me my son’s life!”

Chapter 27 The Wickedness of People

Then he hung up.

A while later, Bella couldn’t take it anymore. There was no point in dragging this out.

She tried to reason with the man. “All you want is money, right? Keeping me trapped here won’t magically make money appear. Let me go home. I don’t carry my bank cards or anything on me.”

The man gave her a sideways glance and spat on the ground. “You’ve got money? I’ll go with you to get it. Don’t try any tricks. In this crappy little place, I’ve got people everywhere. You try to run, and it won’t end well for you.”

A cold voice suddenly echoed from the hallway outside. “Since when do scum like you call the shots around here?”

Chapter 28 Bet You’ll Die