The Emergency Room Secret Chapter 7

Morning sunlight streamed through the hospital room window. Lily Martinez lay in bed, her face still pale. I had just finished changing her dressing and was about to leave when Nurse Kelly suddenly rushed in, flustered.

"Dr. Foster, Professor Carter is here!" She lowered her voice. "He's outside, insisting on seeing the patient."

I glanced at Lily—her body instantly tensed, her eyes filled with fear. I gently patted her hand. "Don't be afraid. I'm here."

Walking out of the room, Nathan was pacing in front of the nurses' station. Seeing me, he quickly approached. "Claire, let me see Lily. I'm her advisor. I'm very worried about her."

His tone was gentle, his expression concerned. If I hadn't seen those videos with my own eyes, I might have been fooled by his performance.

"I'm sorry," I maintained a professional tone, "the patient is in critical care. No visitors allowed."

"But..."

"Professor Carter," I interrupted him, deliberately emphasizing his title, "as a doctor, I must be responsible for my patient's safety."

Nathan's eyes flickered. "Claire, what are you implying? I'm just concerned about my student..."

"Really?" I looked directly into his eyes. "Then why are you her emergency contact? Why would an advisor be a student's emergency contact?"

"Well..." He seemed momentarily flustered but quickly regained composure. "Lily's family is out of state. She's here alone studying. As her advisor, naturally I need to look after her."

"Look after?" I laughed coldly. "Like how you 'look after' other female students?"

Nathan's expression instantly stiffened. "What are you trying to say?"

"Nothing." I turned to leave. "In any case, no one can visit until the patient recovers. Hospital rules."

"Wait!" He grabbed my wrist. "Claire, have you heard something? Is someone spreading rumors about me?"

I pulled my hand away. "Professor Carter, this is a hospital. If you continue, I'll have to call security."

His gaze turned cold but quickly returned to gentleness. "I'm sorry, I got too worked up. It's just..." He sighed. "I'm really worried about Lily. This hospitalization—is it because..."

"Patient privacy. Can't disclose." I stepped back. "If there's nothing else, please leave."

Watching Nathan's departing figure, I pulled out my phone and messaged my old classmate Ryan Chen: "Got time? I need your help with something."

Ryan quickly replied: "What's up?"

"About a campus crime." I briefly described the situation. "Need your help as a police officer."

"I'll be right there."

Half an hour later, Ryan appeared in my office. Still wearing his characteristic stern expression, after hearing my account, his face became unusually grave.

"You're saying your husband..."

"I have evidence." I produced the USB drive. "There are videos on here. Not just Lily Martinez—other female students too. They're using the tutoring center as cover. And they set all the victims as emergency contacts so they could track their movements immediately. If I hadn't happened to swap shifts with a colleague who was going on a blind date, and this girl ended up in my care..."

"Wait," Ryan interrupted me. "You mentioned a tutoring center?"

"Yes, Virtue Education. Run by Nathan's buddy."

Ryan shot to his feet. "We've been watching this case for a long time! We never had a breakthrough. So that's how it is!..." He paused. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"It's fine." I smiled bitterly. "Compared to those girls, my feelings don't matter."

Just then, Jake rushed in anxiously. "Dr. Foster! Professor Carter was downstairs just now. I saw him on the phone, saying something about 'situation's changed,' telling his buddy to 'handle things'..."

Ryan immediately pulled out his radio. "Station, arrange surveillance on Virtue Education. Watch for suspicious persons entering or leaving."

I looked at the overcast sky outside, a complex feeling welling up inside. Five years of marriage suddenly seemed so foreign in this moment. But I knew that compared to my pain, the harm those girls had suffered ran far deeper.

"Detective Chen," I turned to Ryan, "what do we do next?"

"First, help us collect evidence." His voice was firm. "In cases like this, we need to catch everyone."

Just then, Nurse Kelly came in again. "Dr. Foster, Professor Carter had someone deliver a package. Says it's for you."

I opened the package—it was a designer handbag. Inside was a card: "Claire, sorry I've been too busy and neglected you lately. I picked this out especially for you. Limited edition, only one in the whole city. Love, Nathan."

Ryan and I exchanged glances, both seeing the anger in each other's eyes. This "limited edition" was the same gift he'd used to deceive those girls, wasn't it?

"I understand." I picked up the bag. "Let him continue his performance."

Ryan nodded. "We'll keep you and Lily Martinez safe. Old friend, what's most important for you now is..."

"I know." I interrupted him. "I need to file for divorce."