Belated Moonlight: He Regretted Only After I Left-Chapter 12: She Doesn’t Want Him Anymore

City Central Hospital.

Jasper Hawthorne stormed into the emergency hall like a whirlwind, his face pale and his gaze terrifying. His expensive suit jacket was somewhat disheveled from his previous sprint, starkly contrasting his usual cold and noble demeanor. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

He directly grabbed the arm of a passing nurse, his voice hoarse and harsh: "A week ago, a patient named Stella had appendicitis perforation surgery. Who performed her surgery?!"

The nurse was startled by him, struggling to free her arm: "Sir, please calm down! We can’t provide patient information..."

"Tell me!" Jasper roared, his eyes a desperate, fiery red, "How was she then? Was it serious?!"

His intimidating presence prompted an older head nurse to rush over: "Sir, please let go! We can’t help you check like this!"

Jasper took a deep breath, struggling to control his near-chaotic emotions, releasing his grip but still keeping his gaze fixed on her: "Please, help me find out about Stella’s appendicitis surgery from about a week ago."

Moved by the urgency in his eyes, the head nurse hesitated for a moment but then moved to the computer to check.

"Stella... Found it. Indeed, she was admitted last Wednesday night for an emergency laparoscopic appendectomy and abscess drainage. The chief surgeon was Director Miller. She’s already been discharged."

"Her condition back then... how was it?" Jasper’s voice carried a barely noticeable tremor.

"The diagnosis noted gangrenous perforation with localized peritonitis, which is quite a severe appendicitis case. The surgery was timely, and her postoperative recovery was relatively stable, but..." The head nurse paused, glancing at him, "It seemed nobody visited her during her hospitalization. Who are you to her?"

Nobody visited her...

Each word struck Jasper’s heart like a hammer.

"I am..." He opened his mouth, but the phrase "I am her fiancé" simply wouldn’t come out.

A fiancé who was nowhere to be found, indifferent and neglectful during his fiancée’s emergency surgery?

What kind of fiancé was he?

"Where is Dr. Miller now?" he asked roughly.

"At this time, Dr. Miller should be doing rounds in the inpatient department."

Jasper turned and rushed towards the inpatient department.

He couldn’t wait for the elevator to slowly descend from the high floors, so he pushed open the safety door and dashed up the stairs, taking steps two or three at a time.

He looked from room to room, ignoring the astonished stares from patients and their families around, until he saw at the end of the surgical ward hallway a doctor surrounded by several young doctors, his name tag clearly reading: "Chief Physician Adam Miller."

"Dr. Miller!" Jasper quickly approached.

Director Miller was talking to a patient, suddenly interrupted, he raised his head with slight annoyance, but upon seeing Jasper’s condition, he frowned: "Who are you?"

"A week ago, did you perform an appendectomy on a patient named Stella?" Jasper asked urgently, handing over a crumpled report, "How was she then exactly?"

Director Miller glanced at the report, then carefully scrutinized Jasper, as if recalling something, a subtle hint of displeasure appeared in his gaze.

"Oh, Stella, yes, I remember. A very beautiful and quiet girl." Director Miller’s tone was very calm, even a bit cold, "She was brought in by ambulance very late at night, suffering severe abdominal pain, a high fever, and poor hematology indicators. Any delay could have led to systemic infection, which would’ve been very dangerous. During surgery, we found her appendix had gangrenous perforation, and the abdominal cavity had quite a bit of pus, cleaning and rinsing took quite some time."

Director Miller adjusted his glasses, his sharp gaze behind the lenses locking onto Jasper, his tone intensified as he continued, "Her condition was due to chronic appendicitis leading to gangrenous perforation. The pain from this condition is intolerable even for men, and it’s unimaginable how she, a young girl, could have endured until then."

Jasper’s face turned even paler.

"How... how did this happen?"

"The patient described it as initially being stomach damage from drinking with clients, but later due to being busy with work, it got worse."

Drinking with clients...

Jasper suddenly recalled, in the early days of Clearstone Law Firm, his aversion even to shaking hands, his constant bungling during client communications, Stella was tirelessly cleaning up behind him.

Once he insisted on principle, completely angering an important client who vowed never to cooperate again.

Though he felt it was a pity, he didn’t put much emphasis on it.

Unexpectedly, after some time, this client returned to them, and cooperation was even smoother than before.

He thought it was because the client recognized their professional abilities...

Only later did he learn Stella had brought them back by drinking with them.

At that time, he was very angry, accusing her of disregarding her dignity...

Saying she was unscrupulous...

Jasper’s fingers clenched tight, veins visible on the back of his hand.

Who knows how long it took, before he spoke hoarsely, "The surgery... was smooth, right?"

"The surgery was smooth, but after coming out of anesthesia, the patient was quite low-spirited."

Director Miller paused, "She was constantly looking at her phone, as if waiting for a call or message from someone? But it seemed she never got it. She’s a pretty strong girl, didn’t complain much, though seeing her like that was quite heartbreaking."

Jasper felt dizzy, though his face showed little expression, his fingers trembled slightly at his sides.

She was waiting for his call...

But all she received was his indifference and neglect.

"Did she say anything else?"

The attending doctor pursed his lips, hesitated slightly, but still spoke, "Before she was discharged, she did say something. She said, if someone comes looking for her, to pass on a message."

"What message?"

"She said, once the appendix is removed, it won’t hurt anymore, so tell that person not to look for her."

Tell that person not to look for her...

Don’t look for her...

These words were meant for him.

Jasper felt his heart being torn apart.

He thought of Stella’s discarded ring, the sold house, the resignation letter...

Those weren’t attempts to provoke him into submission.

It was the deepest despair leading to a necessary end.

With each moment of neglect and coldness and misunderstanding, he personally pushed her away during her most vulnerable moments, completely crushing every bit of love and expectation she had for him.

Overwhelmed by anger and anxiety, Jasper blacked out, dizzy with spinning sensations—

"Ah!" Director Miller’s face changed, stepping forward: "Are you... are you okay?"

Jasper seemed to hear nothing, suddenly thrusting aside Director Miller who tried to support him, usually a calm person, he lost control, clutching his chest, gasping as he crouched down, his mind filled with only one thought—

He had really angered Stella.

She didn’t want him anymore.

The emotional pain nearly suffocated him.

The emotional pain like a tsunami almost swallowed him whole.

No!

It can’t be this way!

He must find her!

Now!

Immediately!

At once!

Jasper gripped the velvet box in his hand, slowly standing up, staggering towards the hospital exit, his face showing unprecedented humility and hope—

She was just angry with him, as long as he properly apologized and admitted his mistakes, she would forgive him, and they could return to how they were before...

Thinking this, he suddenly found motivation, quickening his pace.

Just as he was about to open the car door and start the engine, Jude Kensington’s call came through.

He answered almost immediately, "Hello..."

On the other end, Jude’s voice was urgent and flustered, "Old Hawthorne, something terrible has happened! I just asked a friend to check, Stella... she booked the earliest flight to Meridia, a one-way ticket, the flight... has already taken off..."

Jasper’s back instantly stiffened, as if all the blood in his body froze, a buzzing filled his ears, Jude’s words on the phone became inaudible.

Stella went abroad...

She—

really didn’t want him anymore...