The Night I Left, He Turned Grey

Sean Sinclair gripped Leila Jennings’s shoulders, making her face scrunch up in pain.

"What do you think you’re doing?" Madam Dalton, who was bringing over the medicine, couldn’t stand to watch any longer. She whacked Sean Sinclair’s arm with her cane. "Even if you’re her husband, you can’t treat my patient like that!"

"Can’t you see she’s still weak? Honestly, you rush over here and the first thing you do isn’t to worry about your wife, but to bully her. I’ve never seen a husband act like you."

"You’re not even as good as that young man from before. At least he knew to help, handing her water and a towel."

"She’s still in pain from all those needles. Now, let her go!" Madam Dalton glared at him indignantly.

Sean Sinclair immediately let go.

"You had acupuncture?"

"I already told you it was a medicinal bath and acupuncture." ’Sean Sinclair was always so inattentive when it came to her, yet he still put on a jealous act.’

’In truth, it wasn’t jealousy. It was merely the possessiveness one feels for private property.’

’Sean Sinclair didn’t see her as a person.’

"Come on, dear child, drink this medicine." Madam Dalton had just set the medicine on the table, but she’d momentarily forgotten where, and she turned in a circle looking for it.

"It’s here, Grandma." Caleb Dalton walked in, picked up the bowl and handed it to Leila Jennings, intentionally nudging Sean Sinclair and Sarah Lynch aside. "Don’t crowd her so much. It’s not good for the patient’s recovery."

"Thank you, Dr. Dalton. Thank you, Madam Dalton."

"Good girl, drink up. It’s a shame we were in such a rush. Otherwise, I could have had someone make this herbal medicine into a jelly or something so it wouldn’t be bitter. You young people all like that sort of thing now."

"It’s alright, Madam Dalton. Thank you." Leila Jennings forced a smile. She was so exhausted that the smile looked wan.

The sight of her made Madam Dalton’s heart ache even more.

Especially during the acupuncture, when Leila Jennings had chosen to bite down on a towel, her fingers gripping the edge of the wooden tub tightly, without uttering a single sound.

Once Leila Jennings finished her medicine, Sean Sinclair said, "Thank you, Dr. Dalton and Madam Dalton. Can I take Leila Jennings home now?"

Madam Dalton was about to open her mouth, but her grandson gently tugged her sleeve.

"She probably can’t leave yet, right, Grandma?"

Madam Dalton glanced at her grandson. She hadn’t wanted to meddle in other people’s family affairs, but when she recalled how Sean Sinclair showed no concern for his wife’s condition, she pretty much understood the situation.

"Yes, she needs to stay for observation overnight."

Caleb Dalton looked at Sean Sinclair. "President Sinclair, Ms. Lynch, I’m very sorry, but this is just a small clinic. Unlike a hospital, we don’t have space for people to stay overnight with a patient. I’m afraid you’ll both have to come back tomorrow."

Madam Dalton asked Leila Jennings, "Would you mind sharing a room with an old woman like me tonight?"

Leila Jennings shook her head. "Thank you, Madam Dalton."

"Good girl." Madam Dalton patted her head. "Come with me, then."

Leila Jennings got up, her body swaying slightly. Sean Sinclair immediately stepped forward to support her, but Leila had already steadied herself by placing a hand on the chair.

He hadn’t been fast enough.

Watching Sean Sinclair’s reflexive action, Sarah Lynch’s grip on her purse was so tight she nearly ruined it.

’Sean still cares too much about Leila Jennings.’

’This plan failed. What now?’

’The longer this drags on, the more complicated it will get.’

"Sean, in that case, let’s just go home for now. We can come back for Leila Jennings tomorrow."

Sean Sinclair seemed reluctant to leave.

Leila Jennings said, "You two should go. And you don’t need to pick me up tomorrow; I have to get up early for work."

"You’re in this state and you still want to go to work? Are you really going to work, or are you going to meet someone?" The seeds of suspicion had long been planted in Sean’s mind.

Leila Jennings couldn’t be bothered to argue with him.

"You don’t even want to talk to me now?" Annoyed, Sean Sinclair reached out and grabbed her wrist. "Leila Jennings, how have you become like this?"

Leila Jennings glanced at Sarah Lynch.

Sarah Lynch gave a shameless smile.

Sean Sinclair’s phone rang.

"It’s a call from Cecilia, Sean," Sarah Lynch reminded him eagerly.

Sean Sinclair answered his phone and immediately rushed off.

"Leila Jennings, I’ll come get you tomorrow. Don’t go wandering off."

"Sarah, let’s go."

"Okay, Sean."

The two of them left.

Caleb Dalton closed the main door of the clinic. He returned and handed Leila Jennings her phone. "President Cole told me to give this to you."

Leila Jennings looked at her phone and whispered, "So that’s how President Cole found me."

"Jennings, President Sinclair is still your husband, not your ex, right?" Caleb Dalton had overheard what Sean Sinclair said earlier.

Leila Jennings shook her head.

"Then the woman with him is his secretary? They’re inseparable, and she calls him so intimately."

"Not his secretary." Leila Jennings lowered her eyes. "She’s the one he loves."

Caleb Dalton wasn’t surprised; it was to be expected.

"Dr. Dalton, thank you for letting me stay."

"It was President Cole’s idea. I’m just following orders." Caleb Dalton looked her up and down. ’So this is President Cole’s type: cool and broken.’

"It’s already two in the morning. Get some rest," Caleb Dalton said as he texted Nathaniel Cole.

Matter’s handled.

Jennings wasn’t taken away.

Nathaniel Cole, who received the message, secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He didn’t reply.

His phone lit up again with a message from Leila Jennings.

[President Cole, thank you for tonight. When you have time, please allow me to treat you to a meal.]

Nathaniel Cole typed: [Mm.]

Leila Jennings: [Get some rest, President Cole.]

Nathaniel Cole: [I have your suitcase.]

Leila Jennings: [Could I trouble you to hold onto it for me for now, President Cole? The suitcase is very important to me.]

This time, Nathaniel Cole didn’t reply.

Because his phone had died.

Leila Jennings waited for a while, but she was so tired she drifted off to sleep.

...

「The Cole Crest Hotel.」

When Sean Sinclair arrived, he found his sister on the floor, throwing a tantrum, with police officers standing nearby.

"I already said I don’t know what’s going on! It has nothing to do with me! You can’t just arrest me like this!"

"Someone filed a police report, so we’re here to verify the facts. You just need to come to the station and cooperate with our investigation. If you’re cleared, you can go home. Sitting here refusing to move is just wasting everyone’s time."

Cecilia Sinclair was just stalling.

She was waiting for her brother to arrive.

The moment she saw Sean Sinclair, Cecilia Sinclair stopped crying. She got up, ran to her brother’s side, and said pitifully, "They’re framing me."

The police officer recognized President Sinclair from his appearance in a financial magazine last year. "President Sinclair, we’re just following procedure," he said.

"I know." Sean Sinclair shielded his sister behind him, then explained to the officer, "This is all just a misunderstanding."

"Whether it’s a misunderstanding or not is something we’ll find out after questioning and an investigation. It’s not just The Cole Crest Hotel now; a Ms. Jennings also just called to file a report. Endangering public safety by releasing a hazardous substance and intentional injury are both criminal offenses."

"Instead of making things difficult for us here, President Sinclair, you’d be better off talking to Lyle Cole and Ms. Jennings, or finding a defense lawyer." The lead officer turned his head and said sternly, "Take her away."

Cecilia Sinclair was forcibly taken away.

"Brother! Brother! Sarah! I don’t want to go to the police station! Save me, save me! This really has nothing to do with me, Leila Jennings is framing me! I’m going to sue Leila Jennings for slander!"

Sean Sinclair could only watch helplessly as his sister was put into the police car.

"What do we do, Sean?" Sarah Lynch said with a worried expression. "Leila Jennings is so cruel. How could she do this to Cecilia?"

"Leila Jennings never considered you family, Sean."

"Not only does she not see you as family, she even ganged up with another man to bully Cecilia. How could she do this to you?"