Chapter 32

Evelyn hurried toward the parking lot for her uneasy journey with Mr. Polo, exchanging a quick, tight hug with Kannika. Once Evelyn was gone, a sudden, unfamiliar quiet settled over Kannika. She found herself standing alone with the lawyer, Ms. Yada, and seized the opportunity to question her decision.

“Why did you steer Evelyn in that direction?” Kannika asked, her voice low and edged with concern.

The lawyer tilted her head slightly. “What direction?”

“You encouraged her not to abort. You complicated the matter.”

Yada’s smile widened slightly, an expression of confident calm. “May I ask you a question, Miss Kannika?”

“Yes.”

“If your friend was faced with a massive problem, split between two possibilities, and you clearly saw that she was conflicted between both, tell me,” Yada paused before adding, “would you choose for her?”

Kannika looked at the lawyer, taking in her impeccable composure and the tailored suit that spoke of quiet authority. Yada’s question had just illuminated her actions, revealing a level of moral concern Kannika had not anticipated from a lawyer. “No, I… I would tell her to do the right thing,” she replied in a hushed voice, as if receiving a revelation.

“Exactly,” Yada confirmed, standing to gather her belongings. The sudden movement brought her closer to Kannika, their proximity charged with an unspoken understanding. “As a lawyer, my job is to explain to my clients the possible solutions to their problems. I also explain the risks involved with each decision.”

Kannika rose as well. They were close now, closer than she had meant for them to be. Something calm and warm pressed between them, the kind of nearness that felt almost intimate, as if it asked for nothing and revealed everything.

“When I look at my clients,” Yada continued, her eyes holding Kannika’s, “I perceive what they really want, and I help them make that choice with full responsibility.” She tilted her head slightly. “When Miss Evelyn told you she was going to have an abortion, was she sure of herself? Or did you tell her to do what’s right?”

Kannika smiled, a genuine, appreciative response to Yada’s astute observation.

“I think you have your answer now,” the lawyer said, retrieving her phone and heading for the door.

Kannika couldn’t help but linger on the image of the lawyer’s beautiful, confident smile. Despite the chaotic flow of the meeting, Yada had maintained an unflappable grace. What a woman, Kannika thought. She realized that Yada’s sudden procedural shift was not about legal leverage, but about protecting her client from bitter, irreversible regret.

Suddenly, the spell was broken by a jarring ring. Kannika’s phone displayed a message that instantly wiped the calm from her face. She stomped her foot on the marble floor in frustration before rushing away at full speed.

Meanwhile, in the hospital corridors, Dr. Emilio hurried toward Williams’ private office for an unprecedented confrontation.

“Williams, please!” He pushed the door open, only to freeze. Standing by Williams’ sleek black desk, tidying documents, was Malaya Montira.

“Malaya! You’re back?”

His voice cracked in astonishment.

She turned and offered him a radiant, calculated smile. “Of course, Dr. Emilio. After resting, it’s best to start again with good spirits.”

“You…” He barely had time to form a thought before Williams burst in from an adjoining room, holding a handkerchief to her nose.

“Malaya, please,” Williams commanded, her voice strained but firm. “Bring me some coffee.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Malaya passed by them, a soft floral perfume lingering behind her. Something in her presence was different today. A quiet glow. A renewed confidence. She walked away, leaving Williams and Emilio in a suddenly tense silence.

“Williams, we need to talk.”

He closed the door behind him.

She didn’t bother sitting. “I hope you are here to tell me the matter is over.”

“How’s your nose?”

“I asked a question.”

“They took Evelyn to meet the Mayeurs.”

A storm flashed across Williams’s face. She straightened sharply. “What game are you playing? Who authorized this?”

“Calm down. Polo knows what he’s doing.”

“You don’t get to decide that. How about respecting hierarchy?”

“She came with her lawyer. And you threatened her client in front of everyone.”

“Tell Polo to return immediately.”

She reached for the phone, trembling with impatience.

“And do you want this handled in court instead?” Emilio said quietly. “The media outside would love to hear about your outburst.”

That one sentence pierced exactly where it hurt, the hospital’s carefully manicured public image. Williams’ hand froze an inch above the phone. She slowly pulled back and sat down, utterly defeated and visibly frustrated.

“Williams, we’ll find a solution.”

She let out a cold, humorless breath. “No, you won’t. You said so, and in the end, you did nothing. I trusted you, Emilio. I raised you to a level that many fight for years to achieve. And now you’re going to drag me through the mud.”

Outside the door, Malaya stopped in her tracks. She heard everything.

Emilio felt something inside him twist at Williams’s words. The chilling phrase, I raised you to a level, was hard to swallow, confirming the pure, transactional nature of their relationship. He managed to maintain his composure. “If Evelyn and the parents decide to keep this child, just sign the papers and lower your profile.”

Williams offered no response, staring blankly ahead. As Emilio walked toward the exit, he paused. “Take care of yourself. A nosebleed triggered by stress can mean something serious.”

He left the office, his eyes red and raw with humiliation, abruptly passing Malaya, who stood right at the entrance.

Once inside, Malaya, seemingly panicked, hurried toward Williams and handed her the mug of coffee. Williams took it, and for a brief, electric moment, their hands brushed. Williams recoiled violently as if burned, her eyes widening, caught in Malaya’s gaze in a flash of terror before she regained control. With an abrupt gesture, she almost dropped the glass.

“Put that on the table,” she commanded, her tone sharp and firm.

“Yes, Madam.”

Malaya obeyed, her movement careful. But the moment of contact, and Williams’ subsequent repulsion, cemented a deep-seated suspicion. She replayed a hundred moments in her mind. Never once had Williams touched anyone if she could help it. Not a comforting hand. Not a guiding gesture. Not even the simplest closeness.

This gesture, Malaya knew it well. When one avoids all human contact, there should be a hidden problem.

Upon leaving the office, Malaya headed toward Rosa’s desk. “Rosa… can I ask you an indiscreet question?”

“Go on.”

“You worked with Dr. Williams. Do you know if she dislikes being touched?”

Rosa blinked. “I mean… I’ve never tried. Who would dare?”

Then she gasped. “Wait. You mean you tried to—”

“Lower your voice!” Malaya hissed. “I didn’t try anything.”

Rosa leaned closer. “Do you like the Doctor? Are you attracted to her?”

“No. I’m not attracted to….”

“You don’t find Williams interesting?”

“Rosa,” Malaya said, flustered, “forget about it.”

Rosa chuckled. “Hmm, you know, she’s a doctor. She touches people every day, so…”

Malaya looked away.

Touching and being touched are not the same.

“Malaya!”

“Yes?” She looked at Rosa.

“I’m happy you’re back with us.”

Malaya offered a measured smile. She was back, but this was an extraordinary return, driven by a precise idea. She stood up, adjusted her outfit, and headed toward Dr. Emilio’s office. On her way, she greeted staff members who warmly welcomed her back.

With slow and deliberate steps, she finally arrived at Emilio’s office. She noted the quiet calm and the absent secretary. Emilio was tidying his desk, his movements heavy. She knocked once and opened the door. Emilio looked up, startled.

“Malaya.”

“Emilio, are you alright?”

He thought of the last time she cared for him and how it ended. So even if Williams’ words were hurting him and he hardly found the courage to tell her what he did, he would not dare expose that to Malaya again. Friendship has limits to what it can bear, he learned that the hard way.

“I doubt that interests you.”

He continued arranging his desk. Then, “Are you better?” he added his voice laced with concern.

“Yes, I’m fine. I just needed—”

“To stay away from me,” he completed her sentence, his tone flat.

“No, but… You understand that I wanted to think.”

“Yes, perfectly.”

A fragile silence followed. Malaya added, her voice soft and inviting vulnerability, “It was a lot to take in, you know.”

“Hmm,” Emilio nodded. He looked up, his defenses crumbling. “You know, that night, you asked me a few questions. I’m going to answer you.”

“Emilio, you don’t have to.”

“No, let me finish.” He placed a small wooden box on the table. “You asked me if they had a choice. No, they didn’t, because they were in need. They used the last resorts they could, and I had the choice to help them. Instead, I gave in to temptation. I took advantage of their vulnerability.” He sat down, a portrait of ruin.

“You asked if their grades were a reflection of their work? Well, for some, yes; for others, no. The more satisfied I was, the more satisfactory their grades were.”

“Emilio…”

“It happened so many times that I couldn’t count,” he continued. “At some point, I stopped seeing the difference between desire and duty. Yes, I caused harm, Malaya.”

Emilio’s eyes were vacant, his face devoid of expression. “They were all different. All unique. Like exotic fruits. Each one with its own taste. That’s how much of a pervert I became.”

A profound silence ensued. He picked up a document, signed it, then looked at Malaya, and there, his expression took on a desperately human form. He stood and walked toward her.

“Then you asked me if you were the next name on the list.”

Malaya’s heart suddenly stalled in her chest. She had monstrously dreaded this final, crucial question. He added, “Well…”

But before he could say more, A sharp, abrupt knock on the door cut him off. “Dr. Emilio, we have an emergency!” a nurse cried out breathless.

He looked at Malaya for a desperate moment, something unreadable flickering in his expression, then he rushed out.

Once alone, Malaya looked around the room, the silence now ringing with Emilio’s confession. She approached his desk and, after rummaging through a few files, reached into her pocket. She took out her phone and stopped the recording.

Yes, she had decided not to let this act go unpunished, and yes, she was going to expose Emilio, and as quickly as possible, to pressure him into denouncing his colleagues. Despite the pitiful, broken state of the doctor who was once her faithful ally, she was not at all affected, as she knew that perversity had no pity. If that had been the case, then her own tears and supplications would have prevented the predator who destroyed her life from snatching all her dignity on that dreary office table.

She slipped her phone away and walked out with a paper in hand, already planning her next move.

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