What Separates Me and You

After a while, Seth left with Sophia.

They arrived at Josephine's ward, and Seth hesitated at the door.

Moments later, he pushed open the door and entered the room. "You can leave first."

Sophia looked at his back with a hint of confusion in her eyes. Once the door closed, she decided to leave the hospital.

Inside the room, Mrs. Larson was busy tending to Josephine's wounds.

Hearing the footsteps approaching, she mistook Seth for Lewis and greeted him before realizing it was Seth. Then, she continued with her work. Wearing a respiratory mask, Josephine had shorter hair now. She had a few burns on her face, but they were not as severe as Sierra's.

"Has she regained consciousness?" Seth asked.

Mrs. Larson shook her head. "I just arrived not long ago. I'm not sure."

Seth took a seat nearby. He was lost in thought as he observed Josephine's delicate figure for a while.

He wondered what Lewis was thinking now and what he would do next. After all, he now owed Sierra a life.

Just the thought of it felt intriguing.

After Mrs. Larson wiped Josephine's arm and tucked her in with a blanket, she turned to Seth and said, "Mr. Fairchild, if you have something to attend to, you can go ahead. I can manage here alone." Assuming that Lewis had sent him here, Mrs. Larson made the suggestion.

Seth smiled and replied, "I'm quite free today, so I'll stay for a bit."

"Alright then." Mrs. Larson nodded awkwardly. With nothing else to do, she sat with Seth.

They sat there for five hours, but Josephine showed no signs of waking up. Meanwhile, the lights in the operating room were turned off.

Sierra was wheeled out.

The doctors informed Lewis, "She's temporarily out of danger, but it might take a while for her to regain consciousness. As for her burns, she'll likely need cosmetic surgery later to recover. The fracture in her right leg will require at least a year in a wheelchair to fully heal."

Lewis nodded slightly and thanked them for their hard work.

The doctors did not move Sierra to a regular ward. Instead, they sent her to the ICU until she was completely out of danger.

The next day, Sierra's parents arrived.

To everyone's surprise, her parents were not young. White-haired, they appeared to be at least seventy years old. Even their steps were unsteady.

When the elderly couple approached the ward and saw Lewis, the old lady nervously asked, "Are you Sierra's boyfriend?"

Lewis didn't answer their question directly. Instead, he asked, "Are you Sierra's parents?"

"Yes, yes. I'm Sierra's mother. How is she now?" the old lady asked anxiously.

"She's temporarily out of danger, but we need to observe her condition further," Lewis responded.

The elderly couple tried to enter the room, but Lewis stopped them. "This is the intensive care unit. You can't go in. Let me arrange a place for you to stay, and I'll inform you when her situation stabilizes." The couple hesitated for a moment. Then, they stood on tiptoes, straightened their hunched backs, and tried to get a glimpse inside.

However, Sierra was wrapped up like a dumpling, and they couldn't see anything. With tears in their eyes, they reluctantly gave up.

Lewis then called Sophia over to arrange accommodations for them.

Not long after, Conrad returned with the DNA test results for Sierra and Sophia.

Lewis opened the file, took out the report, and flipped to the last page.

They were 30% genetically similar to each other.

Conrad glanced at Sierra in the ICU and couldn't help but exclaim, "Are they really sisters?" "Their parents are here."

Conrad immediately understood what Lewis meant and said, "I'll take care of it right away."

If Sierra and her parents were confirmed to be unrelated, it would mean that Sierra and Sophia were indeed sisters. Then, there was a high possibility that Sophia's parents were Sierra's parents.

Yet what did it have to do with Lewis?

Conrad asked hesitantly, "Chairman Alvarez, are you trying to help Miss Woods find her biological parents?"

Lewis glanced at Conrad, making him tremble.

Lewis said, "Have you read Sophia's documents?"

"Yes, I did, but there was nothing particularly noteworthy."

"Did you investigate it?"

"Uh..." Conrad smiled awkwardly, "Why would I investigate her for no reason?"

Lewis responded, "Her documents are fake, and her real identity has been hidden, just like Seth."

Conrad's eyes gradually widened. Something flashed across his mind, but it happened in a split second, and he couldn't catch it in time. "Chairman Alvarez, you mean..."

Lewis smirked, his gaze fixed at the end of the corridor and his expression uncertain.

"Let's see how long Seth can hide."

Realization dawned on Conrad when he heard that. He finally understood Lewis' intention.

If they could find Sierra's biological parents, they would discover Sophia's true identity, and Sophia was close to Seth.

That meant Seth's identity might also come to light.

Feeling excited, Seth quickly said, "I understand. I will immediately do a background check on Miss Wood's parents!"

Josephine had yet to regain consciousness in the other ward. Suddenly, she started hyperventilating. Looking at her trembling body, Mrs. Larson hurriedly called the doctor.

The doctor rushed into the room and examined Josephine. Then, he administered a sedative injection.

"She must have had a nightmare. It seems she's about to wake up," the doctor said.

Mrs. Larson sighed with relief upon hearing that it was just a nightmare. "Thank you, doctor. You've been a great help."

"No problem. If anything goes wrong, call us immediately."

"Of course."

After the sedative injection, Josephine gradually calmed down, but the nightmare continued.

In her dream, flames raged, and someone held her tightly as they moved through the raging fire.

Agonizing screams and the pungent smell of blood filled the air.

A woman's anxious yet tender voice echoed in her ears. "Josie, don't be afraid. Mom will make sure nothing happens to you."

Josephine tightly clutched the woman's clothes. Unsure whether it was because of the thick smoke or the tears in her eyes, Josephine's vision was blurred. Everything around her seemed grotesque and twisted.

The figures of the people in her dream appeared like elusive shadows, flickering and vanishing in the flames.

Suddenly, a scorching liquid splashed onto her face, staining her vision red.

She slowly lifted her head and saw the gruesome wound on the woman's chest. Blood dyed the woman's shirt red.

A sense of weightlessness engulfed her as she and the woman fell to the ground together.

The woman held her tightly, and the warmth of the blood seeped into her skin. Looking up, she saw the woman's eyes filled with despair and pain through her blurred vision.

The woman gently caressed her cheek. She looked desperate and reluctant.

The warmth of the blood dripped onto Josephine's face, scalding her skin.

The woman seemed to have so much to say, yet in the end, she could only convey a few words. "Don't make a sound."

"Please, don't speak."

"Josie, Mom loves you."

These were the woman's final words, her voice weak yet unwavering in determination.

The woman confessed to Josephine. It was her last words before she died.

Using her last bit of strength, the woman held Josephine tightly, sealing her off completely, blocking her sight.

Then, everything fell silent.

All Josephine could see was darkness, accompanied by cries of despair.

The sentences echoed in her mind.

"Don't speak."

"Don't make a sound ..."

Josephine pushed the woman, but there was no response.

Tears streamed down Josephine's face incessantly, coupled with the woman's warm blood.

"Don't speak."

"Don't make a sound..."

Like a curse, the woman's words etched into her soul.