Lopez sat alone in the kitchen, her mind still reeling from the unexpected phone call with Adrian. His words kept echoing in her head, leaving her confused and conflicted.

Just then, her phone rang.

"Jeez," Lopez muttered under her breath. "I forgot to call."

She answered immediately.

"Sam, I—"

"Dad came back," Samantha said hurriedly.

"He was discharged already?" Lopez asked in surprise.

"Doesn't look like it," Samantha replied. "I think he left on his own, and he's furious. He said you abandoned him at the hospital."

"What?" Lopez snapped. "What an entitled old man! He didn't have to worry about the hospital bills because I emptied my entire savings...