Chapter 27 - PANIC ATTACK

Alice Lacroix left the hospital after visiting her friend's daughter. When the driver opened the car, she got in and instructed him to drive her back to her family's ancestral home. After that, she took out her phone and dialed her husband's number.

When the man answered, "Yes dear? How did your visit go?"

The woman was happy to relay the news about her friend's first grandchild. Then, she mentioned Luo Jingyi's matters, "I saw Jingyi too. Would you believe that she has a fiance?"

The man was obviously startled that his voice was higher than usual when he asked, "Really?"

"Yes. I even met her fiance today."

"How come we never heard of this?" The man expressed his doubt.

"I thought so too. I know that Jingyi doesn't divulge much of what's happening in her life with us, but I find this really strange. Hence, I invited the two of them. I want to see for myself if they are just acting or not. How does tomorrow night sound to you? At the same time, we can discuss the matters of her inheritance."

"I'll clear my schedule from 7 onwards then."

After talking for a few more minutes, Alice Lacroix ended the call. As the car passed the tall buildings, Alice Lacroix wasn't looking at the streetscape. She was thinking of what happened in the hospital earlier. She trusts Jingyi a hundred percent. Although she has uneasiness about her being engaged to Yun Jinghan, she was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt.

…...

At the hospital, Luo Jingyi rubbed her throbbing temples. Her breathing returned to normal but the effects of what just happened still lingered. Her head hurts like hell and she was trembling. The moment he grasped her hand, she had a panic attack that led to hyperventilating. Touching her suddenly is her trigger. She has no problems with women but with men, her body reacts badly. If it happens, instantaneous fright overwhelms her and before she can think out of it, a signal has already been sent to her amygdala, the emotional part of the brain. It will then send a signal to another region in her midbrain that will provoke her body's defensive responses. As a doctor, she knows that she has no mental illness. What she has are irrational fears that are causing her panic attack. Perhaps, it stemmed out from what she experienced in her past life. She tried seeking help. But counseling didn't help. In the end, avoiding what stimulates her was the course of action she decided on.

Luo Jingyi puffed out air in frustration. She has indeed escaped but her past left her too much emotional trauma. The thumping at the door aggravated her headache. At the same time, it reminded her there's a guy outside she needed to deal with.

"In a minute." She yelled as she uprooted herself from the floor. The heard the knocking stopped. She stepped closer to the crash cart and rummaged for an aspirin. Finding one, she grabbed a clean cup and filled it with water from the dispenser before placing the medicine in her mouth and flushing it down.

Luo Jingyi opened the door. If she didn't come out in another minute, the man would have opened the door as the head nurse was standing next to him with the keys in her hands.

"Are you alright, Dr. Luo?" The head nurse asked and stepped forward, blocking Yun Jinghan. She was one of the audience earlier and she was aware of Dr. Luo having panic attacks if in contact with men. That's why no male was ever allowed in the OR if Dr. Luo was performing surgery. She saw her nod and she felt relief. She eyed the man who introduced himself as Dr. Luo's fiance with dislike. If he hadn't put his arm on her idol, Dr. Luo wouldn't feel that way.

Yun Jinghan wondered why the nurse was looking at him like he was some kind of pest. He moved in front of Luo Jingyi but the woman strode away.

"Follow me." he heard her order him. He was taken aback that his brows snapped together. However, it disappeared at an instant. He quietly went after her, putting a distance so he can study her profile. There were all sorts of noise around them; the calming voice of a nurse as she spoke to the patient, the rustle of paperwork, the drawers being opened and etc. But that didn't distract Yun Jinghan to take off his eyes on her back. She was tall and thin. Even if she was wearing a hospital coat over a casual dress, it didn't hide her shapely figure beneath. His eyes went downwards but before he could get a glimpse of what he wanted to see, the door hindered him so. He got inside the office and noticed she was standing next to the table with hands on her hips. Her almond-shaped eyes which were framed by long, thick lashes were directed at him with annoyance written on them. Feeling like a spell had been cast on him, he studied her face. She had dark brown hair that was coiled into a ponytail. Some strands had fallen on the side but it added contrast to her pastel white skin. Her lips were pouting at the moment yet it was alluring that it would be perfect for a lipstick commercial. Albeit the unhappy expression she has now, she was really a beauty through and through.

"Weren't you taught manners? It's rude to stare."

Her question prompted him to divert his gaze to the boxes on the floor.

"Are you leaving?" He asked her immediately. She looked at him coldly with her brows waggled with an are-you-seriously-asking-me expression.

Yun Jinghan pointed to the boxes. He heard her ask, "What does it have to do with you, Mister?"

Yun Jinghan didn't know why he found her blank expression amusing. A handsome smile slipped out of his lips. He patiently reminded her, "It's not Mister. My name is Yun Jinghan. Remember, I'm your fiance."

This is the third time Luo Jingyi met this guy but she felt weirded by this familiarity. Brushing it off her head, she returned to the matter at hand.

"Why are you always butting in my business?" Her voice was as frosty as winter mornings. She detested the idea of depending on another person to solve her personal business.