Chapter 9 Shelby Is Dead

• The plane touched down, and Donovan disembarked. Callum took his luggage and placed it in the car.
• “Head to the hospital,” Donovan instructed as he bent to slide into the car. The seven-hour flight had left him weary, and he pinched the bridge of his nose in fatigue.
• He glanced outside, observing the sun as it began its ascent from the horizon. He then pulled out his phone and dialed Shelby's number.
• He had promised to call her, and he wouldn't break his word.
• His phone emitted a ringtone he'd never heard before. As time passed, Shelby still didn't answer the call.
• She's still not awake? Donovan gave his tie a tug.
• The car arrived at Threestone Hospital, and Donovan made his way through the outpatient building to take the elevator up to the sky bridge on the third floor of the inpatient department. Just as he stepped into the elevator, the adjacent one opened. There were people pushing a stretcher out, carrying a person who had just passed away.
• Donovan took a glance. The figure was covered with a white cloth, and the hand hanging outside the cloth was unmistakably a woman's.
• His heart suddenly clenched. Just as he was about to catch a glimpse of the family member pushing the stretcher bed, the elevator doors were closing.
• He reached out to halt for a moment, about to step out, when a family of three walked in.
• “Thank you.” The woman expressed her gratitude to Donovan. She had thought she would have to catch the next elevator.
• To her surprise, the person inside had held the elevator door open.
• Donovan rushed out of the elevator, looking all around, but there was no one to be found.
• “Sir, are you coming?” The woman in the elevator called out to him.
• At that moment, Donovan felt a bit lost. He walked back to the elevator, chuckling to himself. He thought must be going crazy because, for a fleeting moment, he had felt that the woman's hand he saw belonged to Shelby.
• He assumed he was mistaken because Shelby's left hand was always adorned with a wedding ring. She wore it every day, never once taking it off.
• Lila had just undergone surgery and was still unconscious. Donovan had waited for her outside for a while.
• He dialed Shelby's number again, but still, no one answered.
• Donovan rose to his feet, instructing Callum, “Head to the Ross residence.”
• The front door of the Ross residence was tightly shut, with no one in sight.
• Donovan sat in the car, chain-smoking. Three hours later, the Ross family's car arrived.
• Maggie stepped out of the car, holding a bag in her hand.
• She was trailed by Nina, cradling something in her arms. Her eyes were rimmed with red.
• Donovan peered into the car, seeing no one else got out.
• As Maggie was walking, she heard the sound of Nina's sobbing. She furrowed her brows and turned around. “What's there to cry about!”
• Shelby had finally managed to marry Donovan, yet she died without receiving any money from the Mayer family fortune.
• The Mayer family had paid for Maggie's husband's medical expenses, but the money never reached her. Thus, the Ross family was basically bankrupt, with nothing to spend.
• “Ms. Ross is truly pitiful,” Nina couldn't help but express her sorrow. She was so devastated that Shelby didn't even leave behind an intact body in death.
• Shelby was someone she had watched grow up, so she couldn't help but lament how young the former, a cheerful young woman, died.
• “She's not pitiful. I'm the unfortunate one. I only had one daughter and I haven't even had the chance to enjoy her company fully. She just had to die first and even donated her heart. Tell me, isn't that absurd?” spat Maggie. If only I had known, I would have had two more children.
• “Who did you say has passed away?” questioned Donovan.
• Upon hearing the voice, Maggie was startled, pausing in her tracks to look in the direction of the speaking man. Her knees went weak when she saw Donovan.
• To be honest, she had always been somewhat intimidated by Donovan.
• “Shelby is dead,” Maggie reluctantly admitted, feeling somewhat annoyed.
• Even if Shelby and Donovan had divorced, at least a substantial portion of Donovan's wealth could have been divided into the Ross family. However, with Shelby's death, that might not happen anymore.
• “I'm asking you who died!” Donovan walked over.
• Maggie said, “Shelby...”