Chapter 503

Jamison moved quickly. As soon as he confirmed Katrina’s mother’s condition, he arranged for the hospital to send an ambulance to bring her in.

Ivy had just finished lunch and was returning to her dorm room when her phone buzzed with a message from Katrina: she was already in the ambulance with her mom.

Katrina’s gratitude was overwhelming–she kept thanking Ivy again and again, tears streaming down her face.

Staring at her phone, Ivy let out a soft sigh, her heart aching for her friend.

The truth was, the Lester family had always been wealthier than the Windsors, but Waller Lester made Adkins Windsor look like a saint by comparison.

Adkins treated his children like bargaining chips–never a good father, but at least he kept Rosetta as his only wife, even if no one could say for sure what he did outside the home.

Waller, on the other hand, had built his fortune from scratch with Katrina’s mother at his side, only to cheat on her once he’d made it big. The other woman gave him twins just three years after Katrina was born.

Katrina’s mom had thrown herself into their business in the early years, sacrificing her health. After Katrina was born, she never had time to recover, and when she discovered Waller’s endless affairs, the shock shattered her. Her body soon followed.

When they divorced, Waller used every trick in the book to hide his assets, making it look like their finances were in shambles.

Katrina’s mother ended up not only penniless, but saddled with debt.

To keep her quiet, Waller used Katrina as leverage–he told her that if she left with nothing, he’d let Katrina stay with the Lesters and keep her comfortable.

By then, Katrina’s mom was already suffering from severe depression and had no way to support her daughter on her own.

In the end, she swallowed her pride and agreed.

Katrina might have grown up in the Lester household, but her heart was always with her mother.

Ivy couldn’t bear to imagine how devastated her friend would be if anything happened to Katrina’s mom.

She understood why Katrina had chosen to study law, why she was determined to become a lawyer–so that one day, she could fight for her mother in court and reclaim what was rightfully hers.

But if her mother died before that day ever came, Ivy knew the fragile hope Katrina clung to would crumble in an instant.

A heavy sense of worry settled in Ivy’s chest.

Just then, the dorm room door opened and Roberta walked in.

She looked surprised to see Ivy. “Wow, you’re back early today?”

Normally, Ivy was out all day and only used the dorm to sleep.

“Yeah, I’ve got something to do later. Just stopped by to drop off my things,” Ivy replied.

Roberta set her bag down and sat in her chair, quiet for a moment before turning to Ivy. “I’ve seen a lot about you online… They say you took a break from school because you were kidnapped. Is that true?”

Ivy’s expression froze, unsure what Roberta was getting at.

Noticing Ivy’s guarded look, Roberta hurried to explain, “Oh, I didn’t mean anything by it! I just think it’s incredible that you managed to escape and make it back.”

Ivy gave a faint, wry smile. “Guess I got lucky. Death just wasn’t ready to collect me yet.”

She headed over to the water dispenser to fill her cup.

Roberta suddenly jumped up. “Wait! Don’t drink that water!”

Ivy blinked in confusion. “Why not?”

Roberta walked over and removed the half–empty bottle from the dispenser. “This morning I found a bug inside. It was disgusting, but I was rushing to class and forgot to take care of it. Let’s dump this out, and I’ll clean the dispenser too.”

Before she’d even finished talking, she carried the bottle off to the bathroom and poured it out, then took the dispenser to wash as well.

Sharing a room made Ivy feel awkward just standing by, so she offered, “Need a hand?”

“It’s fine, I’ll be done in a minute.”

Just then, Ivy’s phone rang. It was Jamison. She excused herself and answered “Hello?”

“Katrina’s mother is prepped for surgery now. Did you know what she was suffering from?” Jamison’s tone was low and serious.

Ivy’s heart skipped. “Katrina said she fell… Wasn’t it an accident?”

Jamison sighed. “She was diagnosed with breast cancer. She probably didn’t want to be a burden, so she tried to end her life… Jumped from the sixth floor, but landed on some bedding hung out to dry on the second floor. She survived, but she’s badly injured.”

Ivy felt her whole body go cold; her mind buzzed with shock.

“Does Katrina know all this?”

“She just found out. She thought it was just another depressive episode.”

Ivy couldn’t sit still any longer. “I’m coming to the hospital. She shouldn’t be alone right now.”

“Alright. I’ve got surgery this afternoon–once I’m done, I’ll give you a call.”

“Okay.”

She quickly gathered her things.

Roberta came out of the bathroom carrying the water dispenser. Ivy tossed out, “I have to go–something urgent came up,” and rushed out the door before Roberta could reply.

Roberta barely had time to react before Ivy disappeared. But as soon as she left, Roberta visibly relaxed, setting the dispenser down with a relieved sigh.

Ivy was still on her way to the hospital when Katrina called.

“Ivy, Dr. Ludwig said you’re coming?”

“Yeah, I’m on my way. He already told me about your mom. Don’t worry, the staff will do everything they can.”

Katrina was trying to hold it together, but the sound of Ivy’s voice broke the dam–she started sobbing.

“If it weren’t for you and Dr. Ludwig, my mom wouldn’t have made it…”

“Don’t be afraid. I know your mom just lost hope for a moment. Once she remembers you and how much you mean to her, she won’t want to leave.”

“I hope you’re right… Just drive safe, okay? We’ll talk when you get here.”