Shattered Illusions Love Lies and Redemption (Lizetta and Remington) novel Chapter 1304

Kimberley breathed a sigh of relief, deliberately trailing behind.

Watching Jerome's retreating back, she figured he was finally leaving. All she had to do was wait for him to disappear, and then she could head upstairs.

But a second later, Jerome turned his head to look at her.

"Weren't you going to buy something? Let's walk together."

"Ah? Oh, sure."

Kimberley braced herself and followed him. Walking beside Jerome, her mind was swirling with confusion.

Based on her limited understanding of the man, Jerome might have appeared gentle, but he was certainly not an overly enthusiastic person.

He was acting incredibly strange today, leaving her feeling anxious and guilty.

She couldn't shake the worry that he had somehow discovered her secret.

The two of them walked out of the inpatient building. Jerome headed toward the parking lot, but when he realized Kimberley hadn't followed, he paused.

"Mr. Madden, I was planning to grab some fruit from the hospital cafeteria. It's in this direction, so we're not going the same way. So..."

She gave a small nod, just about to say her goodbyes, when Jerome interrupted her with a question.

"How is your mother's condition?"

Kimberley froze. Once again, Jerome's reaction was entirely outside her expectations.

"What? Aren't you here at the hospital to take care of your mother?"

Jerome naturally remembered that the last time Kimberley had sought his help, it was to ask him for a doctor recommendation to treat her ailing mother.

Hearing this, Kimberley knew Jerome had misunderstood. She wasn't at the hospital to visit her mother at all.

Her mother had passed away from her illness two years ago.

But since she had a secret she desperately needed to hide, and since Jerome had already drawn his own conclusions, she decided to play along and nodded.

"My mom is doing much better. The weather has just been a bit unpredictable lately, so she caught a minor cold and is resting here for a couple of days. There's really no need for a visit. You have a very busy schedule, Mr. Madden; I couldn't possibly take up your time. Besides, she always takes a nap right around now, so she's fast asleep. I deeply appreciate the thought, but it's really not necessary. You're far too kind."

Jerome's eyes darkened as he stared profoundly at the woman in front of him, who clearly wanted absolutely nothing to do with him.

"Weren't you heading to the pediatric ward earlier?"

Kimberley's eyelids twitched violently, and her chest tightened in panic.

Clenching her hands tightly, she summoned the performance of a lifetime and forced a bright smile.

"Oh, yes. My mom made a little friend with a patient here during her last stay, and they really hit it off. She asked me to go check on the little girl. Why do you ask, Mr. Madden?"

Kimberley's expression was a perfect mix of confusion, surprise, and a touch of unease, as if she genuinely had no idea why he was interrogating her.

It was as if she were racking her brain to figure out what she had done wrong to warrant such an unusual reaction from him.

Jerome himself didn't even know what was wrong with him today.