Circle 18

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Chapter 18 

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55 vouchers 

Winifred rushed over and helped Ruby onto the couch, gently patting her back to help her catch her breath. 

Ruby was a bit heavy, and her old health issues, like asthma and high blood pressure, were flaring up again. It took her a while to finally calm down. She grabbed Winifred’s hand, her hand shaking as she gasped for air. “I’m… I’m fine.” 

Rosalind was on the verge of tears. Ruby gently brushed her cheek and said, “It’s okay. Were you scared?” 

Even though Ruby had settled a little, her face was still pale as she leaned back on the couch, struggling to breathe. 

Winifred grabbed her phone from the table, ready to call for emergency help and get Ruby checked out at the hospital. 

Ruby was as stubborn as ever. With her son away and her husband gone, she’d been living alone here for over ten years. She avoided hospitals at all costs. 

She’d always been the type to avoid doctors, and she immediately stopped Winifred, putting on a serious face. “I’m not going to the hospital. I’m fine, really. It’s just the same thing as always. Once I take my meds, I’ll be okay.” 

“No, you need to go to the hospital,” Winifred insisted, her voice firm. She knew how serious it was. Earlier, she didn’t have her phone with her, and she couldn’t get back fast enough. 

The only person with Ruby was a six–year–old girl. It was only lucky that nothing worse had happened to her. 

But even if she’d had her phone, it might not have made a difference. 

If she were at work, it would’ve taken her at least an hour on the subway from Lumina Studio to get back. If the roads were jammed, it could have taken more time in a car. 

Winifred was usually calm and collected, and she never raised her voice in anger, but this time, she wasn’t backing down. 

Ruby was just as stubborn, waving her hand dismissively. “No, I’m not going to the hospital. It’s not like you’re really family, so don’t make a big deal out of it.” 

Then she tried to shoo Winifred and Rosalind away. “You two should go back to your room and rest. I’m fine. Nothing’s going to happen to me.” 

Winifred grabbed Ruby’s arm firmly. “I’ll go with you to the hospital. Tomorrow is Sunday. 

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Chapter 18 

We can get you checked out from head to toe.” 

“Well, you’re even more stubborn than I am,” Ruby said with a sigh. 

***** 

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Just then, there were footsteps at the door, followed by a knock. 

Ruby looked up and saw a tall, slender young man walk in, looking ridiculously handsome. The door was already open, so he walked straight into the living room, wearing a slate–blue shirt and a square silver watch on his wrist. 

Ruby immediately recognized him as a well–groomed rich kid. 

Winifred knelt down and started rummaging through the drawer, where Ruby kept her regular medications. 

Ruby lived alone, and her meds were scattered everywhere, some long past their expiration date. Winifred was determined to take Ruby to the hospital the next day, no matter what. 

Suddenly, she caught a faint, crisp whiff of men’s cologne in the air. It was expensive, sophisticated, and totally out of place here, like it had just drifted into the room out of nowhere. 

Winifred couldn’t shake the feeling that her senses were deceiving her. But then, she sensed a gaze lingering on her back–not a direct stare, but the cool, almost indifferent glance of a man that skimmed over her. 

Then Winifred heard Rosalind shout, “Doctor!” 

Winifred’s fingers clenched around a box of medicine, her body going rigid as that gaze lingered on her back. 

Humbert watched as Winifred crouched on the floor with her back to him. She wore a simple gray cotton dress, but it did nothing to hide her 

presence. 

Her long, brown hair slipped over one shoulder as she bent down, exposing the flawless nape of her neck to his gaze. 

That hair veiled half of her pretty face. Even in such drab colors, she was the kind of woman one couldn’t help but notice at first glance. 

Ruby didn’t notice anything unusual with Winifred. Her attention went straight to the unfamiliar man at the door. “Who are you? What brings you to my place?” 

“Your granddaughter called me,” Humbert said, walking over to Winifred. He crouched down 

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beside her, catching a hint of her natural, gentle scent in the air. For a moment, he watched as she stiffened. 

His figure cast a shadow over her as he reached past and opened the drawer, pulling out the box of medicine. “These are either expired, or your body’s gotten so used to them that they don’t work anymore. Taking these won’t help.” 

Winifred was taken aback that Rosalind had actually called Humbert, and she certainly hadn’t expected him to show up. 

Rosalind clung to Ruby’s arm. “Grandma, this is an amazing doctor. When my heart was acting up and we went to the hospital, he was the one who checked on me.” 

Ruby glanced at Winifred and then at Humbert, thinking to herself how well–matched they looked. “Oh, a doctor? So young.” 

Humbert asked, “Do you have a blood pressure monitor?” 

“Yeah,” Winifred replied, snapping back to the moment as she grabbed the monitor from the drawer. 

Humbert took it, helped Ruby check her blood pressure, and then started asking, “Any chest tightness? Headaches? Dizziness? Any discomfort?” 

Ruby said, “It’s just my asthma acting up, same old thing. My blood pressure isn’t that high.” 

He glanced at the numbers. “168? That’s not high? Does it have to be off the charts before you 

admit it?” 

Hearing that, Ruby fell silent. 

Winifred shot Humbert a look. He crouched down, his short hair falling over his forehead. He looked nothing like the cold, buttoned–up professional during the day. With the top two buttons of his slate–blue shirt undone, he seemed much more laid–back and casual now. 

He could be brutally honest with his words. Despite his icy, distant exterior, when he went for the jugular, he didn’t hold back. 

Rosalind didn’t fully understand what high blood pressure meant, but she was still shaken from seeing Ruby almost faint and struggle for air earlier. “You have to listen to the doctor, Grandma,” she said. 

Ruby reached out and gently ruffled Rosalind’s hair. “Okay, sweetheart, I will listen to the doctor.” 

Humbert glanced at Rosalind, feeling like he was losing his mind. Just earlier, he’d received a call from Winifred’s phone, but then Rosalind’s voice came through, asking if he could help 

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save her grandmother, who had fainted. 

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As luck would have it, Humbert had been in the northern district of Sonisburg that evening, visiting an old medical professor. He’d been driving nearby, so it was no trouble at all to swing by. 

It took Humbert about ten minutes to check on Ruby. As he was about to leave, Ruby glanced at Winifred and said, “Would you mind seeing Dr. Pierce out for me?” 

Winifred nodded. Even though she’d tried to avoid getting involved with Humbert, he had come all this way to help Ruby. She owed him at least a thank you. 

** 

As they walked downstairs, the motion–activated lights flickered on, one after another. 

Humbert stole a glance at Winifred. Her long, brown hair was loosely tied back with an elastic band, and a few strands slipped out, brushing the back of her neck. 

Her forehead was smooth and clear. Ever since their first meeting, Humbert had been trying to figure out why Winifred felt both familiar and distant at the same time. It was like she was both a stranger and someone he’d met before. 

It felt as though there was a thin veil between them, cloaking her in an air of mystery. 

She followed him downstairs in silence, always just a step behind. 

Humbert barely needed to look to take in her gentle face, marked by a quiet, bookish elegance. He was certain he had never seen her before. 

He pulled a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one up. The flick of the lighter made the hallway lights flash on, lighting up the quiet space. Smoke drifted lazily from his lips, trailing behind him. 

Winifred held her breath and glanced up to see the chiseled features of his face. 

When they reached the bottom of the stairs, Humbert suddenly stopped, making Winifred pull up short to avoid bumping into him. 

He spun around, and without warning, he blew a smoke ring straight at her calm face. 

Winifred coughed twice, choking on the smoke, and she glared at him as the haze faded. 

Humbert’s lips curled into a playful smile. He’d done it on purpose. He couldn’t stand her silence. 

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Chapter 19