From Mob Princess to Mugshot Photographer novel Chapter 128

**Storm Behind Sleeps by George Orwell**

**Chapter 5**

The operating table was a gruesome sight, drenched in a pool of crimson.

Garrett felt a wave of panic wash over him as he recalled the unsettling words exchanged by the medical students moments earlier. A nameless dread twisted in his chest, tightening like a vice.

Who could the unfortunate soul on that table be?

A name flickered in his mind, but he hastily dismissed it, pushing the thought away like a bothersome fly.

It had to be mere coincidence, he convinced himself.

Without wasting a moment, Garrett reached for his phone, his fingers trembling slightly as he dialed his assistant.

“Find out where my wife was actually taken,” he ordered, his voice steady despite the turmoil inside him.

In that moment, Garrett couldn’t shake the feeling that he should not have been at the hospital.

He had promised Melody a teaching model, a simple gesture meant to soothe her worries, but he had never actually put that plan into motion.

He had merely said it to placate her, to keep her fears at bay.

No matter the circumstances, he reminded himself, I am her protector. With the fierce pride that coursed through him, he wouldn’t allow any man—no matter who they were—to lay a finger on her.

Yet the haunting words of those students echoed relentlessly in his mind.

Garrett’s brows knitted together in a tight frown, frustration bubbling within him like a boiling pot.

His voice, filled with urgency, stirred Melody from her slumber. She groggily rose and approached him, her eyes still heavy with sleep.

Upon seeing the blood-stained table, a flicker of something dark and triumphant crossed her features, but it was quickly replaced by fear as she instinctively recoiled, seeking refuge in Garrett’s embrace.

“Ah! What happened? Why is there so much blood?” she gasped, her voice trembling.

Garrett’s lips pressed into a thin, controlled line as he gently patted her back, trying to soothe her rising panic.

“It’s okay, love. Don’t be scared,” he murmured, his voice a low whisper meant to comfort.

“I’ll have someone come in to clean this up,” he added, though he knew that the mess was far more than physical.

Moments later, his assistant’s call broke through the haze of his thoughts.

Garrett stepped away, needing a moment of privacy to gather himself before answering.

“Mr. Hale, our team didn’t pick up Mrs. Hale, but someone reported seeing her enter the hospital,” the assistant informed him, his tone clipped.

“What’s she doing at the hospital?” Garrett asked, the question slipping out before he could stop himself.

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