Chapter 5 Heart Attack
But Kenneth didn’t have his nitroglycerin on him; it was at home.
With great difficulty, he pushed open the car door, intent on getting the medicine himself. But as soon as his feet touched the
ground, his strength fled. A splitting pain in his chest made it hard
to breathe. Kenneth’s vision darkened, and he couldn’t move a
step.
Crouching on the ground, his hand clutching his heart, he wanted
to ask Eleanor to fetch the medicine for him..
But then, Lucas‘ surprised voice came from behind him. “What’s wrong with Kenneth…”
Eleanor also asked, “What happened to you?”
“My dad always breaks out in a cold sweat before a heart attack. He’s never just suddenly squatted down, frowning like this.
Kenneth…”
Lucas‘ tone was hesitant, but his implication was clear–Kenneth
was faking it.
“Pfft! Still acting? We’re not the idiots who were easily deceived
by you before!” Victoria sneered and then headed towards the
house.
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(+) 18 min fot
But Eleanor stayed beside Kenneth, bending down, still worried. “You…”
Seeing that she was still concerned about Kenneth, Lucas picked up his phone and suddenly let out a startled cry.
Like a professional actor, tears welled up in his eyes. “My dad… My dad’s having a heart attack! He’s in the hospital! I…”
“So suddenly?” Eleanor immediately forgot about Kenneth, and Victoria rushed back in a hurry.
“Come on, I’ll take you to the hospital!”
The three of them got back into the car without a second look at
Kenneth, and the car sped away in a flash.
Listening to the sound of the car fading away, Kenneth felt a
growing sense of suffocation and was on the verge of fainting.
Am I really going to die here today?
I’ve given everything to Lucas, and yet he wants me dead?!
Just as he was despairingly resigning himself to the approaching
darkness, the sound of a car engine came from behind again.
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“Kenneth?!”
It was Harriet, his godmother, who had just returned home.
“Where’s your medicine?” She knew well about Kenneth’s
condition. Seeing him tremblingly point in the direction of the villa, she immediately understood. Harriet dashed into the living room at full speed and quickly came out with the nitroglycerin.
“Put it under your tongue.”
Kenneth could hardly move. Harriet pried open his mouth, stuffed
the medicine in, and then helped him into the car, driving him to
the hospital as fast as she could.
As they neared the hospital, the nitroglycerin finally took effect,
and Kenneth felt a bit better.
“I’m okay.” He managed a weak smile..
But Harriet took one glance at him and shrieked in terror, “Look
at your face! It’s a sight for sore eyes! We gotta get you to the hospital right away! Your condition’s been stable. What on earth triggered this sudden flare–up?
“Lord have mercy! Ambulances abroad are so slow. What if…” Her
voice quivered as she floored the gas pedal. In no time at all, they
pulled up at the emergency department.
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After a quick examination by the doctor and a couple of injections, Kenneth finally started to regain his stability.
16 min left
“Thank goodness you’re okay. You nearly gave me a heart attack,” Harriet said, heaving a sigh of relief. Her forehead was beaded with sweat. “Where are those two? How could they just leave your alone when you were having an attack?”
Kenneth forced a wry smile and was about to play it down when a familiar voice rang out from not far behind them.
“Glad he’s okay! It’s better to be over–cautious than too late.”
“We won’t hold it against you. After all, if you were wrong, it means your dad’s fine. That’s the best news ever.”
Victoria and Eleanor chimed in, their voices light–hearted, clearly
trying to console Lucas.
As it turned out, he’d made an error. His father wasn’t suffering a
heart attack and wasn’t in the hospital whatsoever.
They’d made a fruitless journey, yet Eleanor and Victoria weren’t the least bit angry. Instead, they were busy comforting him.
Kenneth was on the verge of saying something to divert Harriet’s
attention when she spotted them right away, and her expression
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Chapter 5 Heart Attack
clouded over.
16 min left
“What are you doing here?”
All three of them spun around simultaneously.
“Mom, you’re back?” Eleanor was startled. She promptly walked over, slipped her arm through Harriet’s, and smiled. “Why didn’t you tell us you were coming back early?”
“Thank God I came back early! Otherwise, Kenneth would have…”
Harriet was still in a state of shock.
If something had happened to Kenneth while she was in charge,
how could she have faced her best friend? Kenneth’s mother had
trusted her and left her son in her care. She’d have carried the
guilt for the rest of her life!
Right now, she was seething with anger. She glared at Eleanor
and said, “Why didn’t you take Kenneth to the hospital? What did
I tell you before? You and I survived because of Kenneth’s mom.
Without her, there’d be no you!”
Her chest heaved with rage as she continued, “I told you to treat
Kenneth like your own brother, but you…”
Eleanor’s face paled at the scolding but didn’t offer an
explanation.
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Instead, Victoria stepped forward and sald, “Harriet, you’ve got It all wrong. Kenneth is fine! We rushed Lucas to the hospital
because of his dad…”
“Where is his dad?” Harriet squinted her eyes.
“His dad is okay. It was just a mistake, but…”
Victoria didn’t get to finish before Harriet interrupted her, “His dad
is okay, but Kenneth isn’t! If I’d been five minutes later, he might
have… I can’t even bear to say it.” Her eyes welled up with tears.
Eleanor couldn’t stand it anymore. “Mom, Kenneth is really okay.”
Kenneth felt a chill in his heart.
Maybe for Eleanor, it’s easier to believe I’m okay. Otherwise,
leaving a heart–patient behind would be a heavy moral burden on
her.
“Exactly! He’s just faking it!” Victoria raised her voice.
Then she walked up and gave Kenneth, who was sitting on the
bench, a hard shove. “You knew Harriet was coming back, so
you’re acting all pitiful to get attention. Aren’t you ashamed? Just because we cared about Lucas a bit more, you’re doing this. Is it fun to play these mind–games?”
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After that, she pointed at the IV bag hanging on the stand next to Kenneth. “Look at the label. It’s just saline. You’re not sick at all!”
Kenneth forced a sarcastic smile.
The iron ions and several other medications were dissolved in the
saline and injected into his body.
Even so, due to the high concentration of the medicine, his entire
left arm was now cold and throbbing with pain.
Victoria used to accompany him to the hospital all the time. She
wasn’t that stupid; she just chose to turn a blind eye.
“Faking it? Do you think I can’t tell if he’s faking?” Harriet was shaking with anger.
As a formidable businesswoman, she’d encountered every type of
person imaginable.
Kenneth has been on the brink of death due to a heart attack.
There’s no way that could be faked! I’m not some naive kid.
“You guys…”
She was so furious that she just didn’t have the energy left to scold them. All of a sudden, she glanced at Lucas and seemed to
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Chapter 5 Heart Attack
have an epiphany.
Then, she sat down next to Kenneth and whispered, “Kenneth, is there some other reason behind your desire to study abroad?”
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