The Second Life of a Discarded Heiress novel Chapter 613

He had no idea Manley and Citrine had known each other for so long.

Raymond pressed his lips together, his face tight with pain.

How could he blame Manley for anything? As Citrine’s own father, he’d failed to find his daughter when she needed him most, absent from every important moment of her life. He should have been the one to protect her, but when the crisis came, it was his daughter who ended up protecting him. He felt like a complete failure.

Raymond’s face was ashen as he slumped in the hospital waiting room, his brow furrowed in agony. Pain contorted his features, sweat beading on his forehead. But even as the discomfort became unbearable, not a sound escaped him.

Manley waited, expecting Raymond to lash out at him, but the reprimand never came.

When Manley glanced over again, he saw just how frail Raymond looked.

“What’s wrong with you?” Manley frowned.

Raymond barely managed to lift his eyelids, forcing out a low, “It’s nothing.”

But before he could finish, a violent cough wracked his body. Suddenly, blood burst from his mouth, splattering across the gleaming, polished floor.

His strength gave out completely.

“Raymond!” Manley’s eyes widened in shock as he lunged forward to catch him.

The rest of the Carmichaels scrambled to call for a doctor.

After a hurried examination, the doctor finally let out a relieved sigh, his tense expression easing a little.

“Don’t worry,” he reassured them. “Mr. Carmichael’s collapsed from acute distress and emotional shock. He’ll come around after a little rest and an IV drip.”

With that, Raymond was moved to a hospital room.

That night, his dreams kept looping back and forth—one moment he saw Citrine living with the Iversons, the next he saw her lying pale and motionless in a hospital bed.

He thought he’d wake up in a cold sweat, just as he always did with these nightmares. But this time, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t wake up.