\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
11 288 Nouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
I remained in the hospital for three more days.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Upon discharge, my first concern was my grandmother. I rushed directly to the care facility.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When I arrived, however, her bed was empty.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The head nurse looked at me with evident discomfort. \u201cMs. Sherwood, we didn\u2019t want to discharge her, but Mrs. Pennington halted all payments.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo facility is willing to admit your grandmother now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A dread washed over me, my blood seeming to freeze in my veins.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I asked the head nurse for Ophelia\u2019s contact number.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMrs. Pennington, whatever issue you have, take it up with me. Leave my grandmother out of\u00a0<\/p>\n
this.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ophelia\u2019s laugh was arrogant.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMagnolia, if you want to help that old woman, be at the Eclipse Lounge tonight.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDress nicely. Don\u2019t keep me waiting-the elderly are delicate, you know.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
The call ended.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I gripped the phone until my knuckles turned white.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My parents had died when I was young. My grandmother had raised me, sacrificing everything.\u00a0<\/p>\n
During my senior year of college, she fell seriously ill and was hospitalized.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I abandoned my postgraduate plans to work and pay her medical bills.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She was my only family left. I couldn\u2019t let anything happen to her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Eclipse Lounge was the most notorious upscale club in the city. I had no choice but to go.\u00a0<\/p>\n
At eight p.m., wearing a simple dress, I arrived at the private booth Ophelia had specified.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dominic was seated on the central sofa. He looked momentarily stunned to see me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
0.00%\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:24\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ophelia was nestled against him, seemingly expecting my arrival.\u00a0<\/p>\n
288 \u00a1Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
A few other men and women lounged around, their gazes landing on me with open amusement.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, well, if it isn\u2019t Mr. Pennington\u2019s lover, the one who just lost the baby?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is pretty. No wonder he kept her around for three years.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHeard she\u2019s a designer, too? How intellectual.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Laughter followed. Ophelia sat up straight, disentangling herself from Dominic. She pointed to a long row of shot glasses filled with dark liquor lined up on the table.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Sherwood, now that you\u2019re here, don\u2019t just stand there.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t provide for free. You want your grandmother back in that facility? Then you need to make it worth my while. Entertain me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cFinish these, and I\u2019ll make the call to the care home.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
There were at least twenty glasses of strong liquor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It had been less than a week since the procedure. Drinking that much could be fatal, or at the very least, land me back in the hospital.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My eyes flicked instinctively toward Dominic.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His grip tightened on his own glass, his brow furrowed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ophelia pouted, shaking his arm playfully. \u201cNick, I just want to see her drink.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was so eager to throw herself at you before. A few drinks now shouldn\u2019t be a problem unless you\u2019re actually feeling sorry for her.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dominic\u2019s gaze lingered on my pale face for a split second before he looked away.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His voice was flat, devoid of emotion.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t be ridiculous. If you want to see it, let her drink.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDo whatever amuses you, honey.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Swallowing my humiliation, I said, \u201cI\u2019ll drink.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
A flicker of something crossed Dominic\u2019s face.\u00a0<\/p>\n
11\u00a0<\/p>\n
40.26%\u00a0<\/p>\n
10:24\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
17 288 Vouchers\u00a0<\/p>\n
Without hesitation, I started, one shot after another, the fiery liquid burning my throat and scalding my stomach.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Ophelia clapped gleefully beside me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Dominic didn\u2019t look at me once, just kept spinning his lighter in his hand.\u00a0<\/p>\n
By the tenth shot, my vision began to darken at the edges, and a sharp, crippling pain seized my gut.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The glass slipped from my hand and landed on the floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My legs gave way. I fell backward.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the final moment before darkness claimed me, I faintly saw the man who had been coldly observing it all surge to his feet.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1024<\/p>\n
Joseph King is an editor and storyteller who ensures every chapter is clear, polished, and engaging for readers.<\/p>\n
Celebration Cut Short by Mark Twain 3 \u00a0 Chapter 3\u00a0 11 288 Nouchers\u00a0 Chapter 3\u00a0 I remained in the hospital […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[58],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-his-secret-vow-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23440\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}