Circle 30

Chapter 30 

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The nurse smiled. “Dr. Pierce, I didn’t expect you to be here too.” 

Humbert was pretty well–known in this hospital. 

 

The nurse glanced at the beautiful woman next to him, who was dressed in a Chanel sweater and a beige plaid cashmere coat. She looked rich. 

Sylvia turned to Winifred, frowning. “Winifred?” 

Winifred pulled back her hood. “Hi, Ms. Linton.” 

Hearing Winifred’s hoarse voice made Sylvia chuckle. “Winifred, what happened to your voice? I didn’t even recognize you.” 

“Humbert, she’s from my department. We had dinner together last time at a seafood restaurant. Do you remember?” Sylvia asked. 

Sylvia knew Humbert probably wouldn’t remember something so trivial; she just mentioned it casually. She didn’t have a personal relationship with Winifred–after all, their social circles were different. 

But Winifred’s design work was impressive, and Nathan had high hopes for her. Still, she was a divorced single mom from a regular background. 

Sylvia just wanted to appear friendly in front of Humbert. 

Winifred smiled but didn’t say anything more. She looked down at her shoes, the floor, and her hand with the IV needle on. Using the corner of her eye, she glanced at Humbert sitting 

next to her. 

The nurse walked away to the nurse’s station and gossiped a little about seeing Humbert with his girlfriend. 

Winifred closed her eyes to rest a bit. She could feel someone’s gaze on her, and it made her 

uneasy. 

She listened to Sylvia’s soft voice chatting with Humbert about everyday topics. 

She heard Sylvia’s phone ring–Margaret was calling, asking if Humbert was with her and reminding her to take care of herself. 

Sylvia replied sweetly, “He’s right here keeping me company while I get my IV.” 

Winifred lifted her head to watch the IV bag, counting the drops. 

 

 

As the fluid dripped through the tube into her arm, she felt relieved that she was almost done. Half an hour later, she finally finished her IV and got ready to leave. 

Humbert watched her as she left. 

“She’s an employee in my department. Don’t let her young looks fool you; her daughter is already this tall,” Sylvia said, wanting to keep the conversation going with Humbert. 

Of course, she didn’t think Humbert showing any interest in Winifred meant anything serious. 

Winifred had a past and a daughter. In their social circle, there were plenty of other beautiful young ladies. 

Besides, Humbert was known for being cold and distant with everyone; he wouldn’t be interested in a woman like her. 

Sylvia smiled. “I know you probably don’t remember her. We had dinner at the seafood restaurant not long ago. Those people you saw were all employees from my department.” 

Humbert casually asked, “Which college did she graduate from?” 

“Oh, she…” Sylvia thought for a moment and said, “She was hired by Mr. Ford. She has a pretty poor academic background, just a vocational design school. 

“When she first came to the company, people said she was having an affair with Mr. Ford, and that her daughter is his illegitimate child; otherwise, why would he hire her?” 

Humbert frowned. He often felt a familiar sensation coming from Winifred. 

It was this familiarity that had led him to notice her in the bustling room right away. 

He knew he should stop this line of thinking about her, even though he kept reminding himself that Winifred and Claire were two different people. 

One attended a vocational school, and the other graduated from Sonisburg University with honors. Claire was in the architecture department at Sonisburg University. 

It felt ridiculous, but Claire had become a sort of mental block for him, slowly consuming him and influencing his thoughts. He even absurdly searched for her qualities in others, and nothing seemed to alleviate it. 

At six in the evening, he was getting ready to head to the inpatient department for his night 

shift. 

He agreed to go watch a movie with Sylvia next week, thinking maybe he should try to accept other women and gradually let go of his whimsical feelings toward Winifred that reminded 

 

… 

him so much of Claire. 

His life needed to move forward. 

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But on Monday, he didn’t end up going to the movies with Sylvia. When he was getting off work, two patients came in through the emergency room, and he didn’t walk out of the hospital until around eight that night. 

***** 

Winifred had a really busy day. 

The client was in a hurry, and the first draft had been sent back. The contact person for the brand “Simple Attire,” James, had asked her to come out to a clothing factory in the suburbs. 

They received a batch of new fabric, and the previous design scraps needed to be recut. 

The first sample piece was finally made. The brand mainly sold through live streams, so they needed the latest styles. 

The noise from the sewing machines in the factory drowned out the vibrations of her phone, and by the time she finished, it was already getting dark outside. 

James had originally planned to drive her home, but he couldn’t leave the factory due to overtime, so he called a car for Winifred. 

The factory was even farther north than the northern district of Sonisburg. This area was filled with various light industrial factories, with wide roads and fewer vehicles, unlike the bustling city center. 

Winifred didn’t enjoy being in a stuffy space. In the car, she liked to crack the window a bit, especially when the driver was a man. 

The mix of leather, cheap cologne, and the smell of tobacco and sweat made her head spin after a long day. 

But the windows wouldn’t open. 

So she asked the driver, “Could you please roll down the window? Thanks.” 

“You sound like a local,” the middle–aged driver replied, still not opening the window and instead chatting with her. 

“Yes,” Winifred responded. The cramped silence was broken by the faint click of a lighter, followed by the smell of cheap smoke filling the car. 

Winifred held her breath and frowned. 

 

Feeling helpless, she just wanted to get home quickly. She pulled a mask out of her bag and put it on. 

“It’s pretty late. You must be busy. Doesn’t your husband worry about you? A pretty girl like you should have her man picking her up,” the driver said. 

Looking in the rearview mirror, he glanced at Winifred, who was wearing a mask that only showed her eyes, making her appear intriguing. 

Winifred felt a sense of caution. Her hand instinctively moved toward her bag, where she had a can of personal safety spray.