Loving DAD 1047

When Johanna arrived at the hospital, everywhere she walked–through corridors, past waiting rooms–patients, nurses, and visitors alike were all talking about the same thing 

From a nurse’s chatter, she learned which ward Victoria was in. 

At that moment, Johanna looked a mess. Her hair was disheveled, her clothes wrinkled, and her entire bearing radiated exhaustion and humiliation. Anyone could tell she’d been through something unspeakable. 

Yet not a single person noticed her. 

The entire hospital staff was occupied with Victoria. Every doctor, every nurse, every aide was attending to her needs. Even patients in critical condition were being asked to wait–the great Victoria Kalen took precedence. 

Once, Johanna had thought nothing of it. She had always believed that women like her and Victoria–privileged, superior, born under brighter stars–naturally deserved special treatment, deserved to stand above the rest. (1) 

But now… 

Something dark twisted inside her chest. 

Why? 

Why was she the one left behind? 

Why did Victoria always come first? 

When Johanna reached the ward, she peered through the glass window. Inside, the room was crowded–doctors, the Kalen men, Samantha… and her beloved brother, Jamie. 

The cold, expressionless face she knew so well was filled with worry. 

She had been missing for an entire day and night, and Jamie hadn’t looked half as frantic as he did now. 

Johanna couldn’t describe what she felt–pain, disbelief, maybe something worse. 

Memories flashed before her eyes: the years she and Jamie had clung to each other for survival, how they’d protected one another through every storm. 

She had always believed she was the person he cherished most. 

Even after Victoria appeared and her place in his heart began to waver, she’d told herself it didn’t matter. Blood ties couldn’t be replaced. 

Even when he’d chosen Victoria’s interests over hers, she had felt angry, yes–but never resentful. Never toward him. 

Then, from down the corridor, she heard footsteps and voices approaching. 

Her body went rigid. 

She recognized one of the voices immediately–Thomas’s. 

No. He couldn’t see her like this. If he did, he’d despise her. 

Panicking, Johanna slipped into a nearby room and pressed herself against the wall. 

The footsteps passed by. Through the thin door, she heard Thomas speaking with Sharon. 

“How bad are Victoria’s injuries?” Sharon asked. 

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Chapter 1047 

+25 BONUS 

“Not too serious,” Thomas replied. “Mostly psychological torment. Physically, just some minor wounds. As for Samantha, she wasn’t hurt at all.” 

Johanna bit down hard on her lip, tasting the metallic tang of blood. 

So that was it. Her brother had let her be defiled by strange men, just to save Victoria from a few superficial cuts? 

She had nearly died for Jamie once. And he had left her to rot. 

A harsh, broken laugh escaped her throat, drowned quickly by tears streaming down her face. 

They traced warm paths down her cold skin, while her lips curved into a faint, twisted smile. 

Something wild and poisonous bloomed within her–spreading, consuming, unstoppable. 

Inside the ward, Jamie was on the phone with his assistant. 

“Sir,” the assistant reported, “the man was too clever. The villa we traced wasn’t where Miss Walton was being held. And the one who negotiated with me wasn’t the kidnapper himself, just one of his subordinates.” 

The man hesitated before lowering his voice. “Mr. Walton… I think we were played.” 

Julliard had worn a mask and used a voice changer. No one could recognize his face or voice. He could easily send a decoy- someone of similar build–to impersonate him during the exchange. 

Johanna barely knew him; she’d never notice the difference. 

Even if Jamie had gone in person, Johanna would never have walked away unscathed. 

Julliard had backup plans prepared–ones he hadn’t even needed to use.