"How do you know her name?"
Aaron Song, the patient who had just awakened a few minutes ago, smiled bitterly when that question was tossed in his direction.
The three men standing around him frowned instinctively as there was only one person who was capable of bringing such a distraught expression on their playful friend's face.
Just as they had assumed, his next words confirmed their speculation that this matter was indeed related to the very person who had come to their mind.
"Did you forget that her grandparents lived next to the Lins?" Aaron revealed a fact that the others seemed to have forgotten.
Despite his vague words, Lance and the others weren't confused in the least bit.
They knew exactly what he was talking about, especially when he had mentioned the most striking clue which made everything else easy for them to decipher.
The 'her' he was referring to was the very same person they held responsible for their friend's current state as he sat on this hospital bed.
A total of five best friends were a tight-knit group where they knew each other very well.
Therefore, it wasn't difficult for them to sense the fluctuations within Aaron's voice as he uttered those words.
"I saw the Lin siblings when I went to visit her one summer." The patient added, pretending not to have noticed the complicated looks on the faces of his friends which were darkening with each passing second.
No one here needed any further explanation as they were well aware of how Aaron had spent his summers in the past.
The 'her' he was constantly mentioning was none other than his first love and the only person he had truly loved until now.
During their teen years, each summer vacation, she would visit her grandparents and Aaron would try to sneak in so that he might get to meet her.
Since her grandparents resided next to the Lin family's home, Aaron, who often jumped over walls to meet his beloved, had come across the members of this mysterious family on numerous occasions.
The other boys in his group were busy studying for their steady future even during vacations but Aaron was having the time of his life with the one he loved.
He didn't follow the same strict schedule nor was he subjected to harsh training as he had older siblings who were being put through the same treatment.
This allowed him to spend his free time as he pleased and the young boy had chosen to use this time to get closer to the one he liked just as any hot-blooded teen in love would.
On a few occasions when he snuck into her grandparents' yard to meet her, he accidentally caught sight of the siblings who lived next door.
Thus he had witnessed firsthand how the two children of the Lin family interacted with each other.
Of course, he had been careful not to get caught by either side, the Lin family members and his first love's grandparents, so as to not get in trouble.
Therefore, no one else knew of what he had witnessed whenever he visited her.
Once he snuck in, the afternoons he spent with her often consisted of them having conversations of various kinds.
One such topic they spoke about was the family that lived next door and their circumstances.
He had also personally witnessed the relationship between the siblings back when he was still in middle school so he was quite confident about the information he possessed, unlike the rumors that were often heard in their social circles.
Therefore, having been aware of these facts from a young age, he never believed in those rumors.
However, it seemed that his good friends had fallen prey to the rumors, treating those unfounded pieces of gossip as the truth.
For this reason, soon after he had regained consciousness, he decided to help his gullible friends realize the truth which they couldn't discern until now.
Just as Aaron was about to speak up in this regard, he heard someone else's voice interrupting him.
"Do you even realize just how worried we were!?" Lance let out a low growl, doing his best to maintain his composure.
This time, his two friends did not object as they too had similar looks of disapproval on their faces while they leered at the man on the bed.
He had been unconscious for a major part of the night and the first thing he did after waking up was to mention that troublesome woman.
This made them realize that Aaron was incorrigible and would never give up his rotten ways.
They were worried for him and had dropped everything to stay by his side.
However, he spoke so fondly of the very person who was the reason he landed himself in the hospital.
Therefore, when they noticed the reminiscent look on his face, the other three could not help but scoff at him.
While his three friends were looking down on him with such intensity as though they would bore holes into his face, Aaron felt wronged.
The only reason he had brought her name up was to rectify the misconception they seemed to have regarding Chansey, the second child of the Lin family.
However, they did not appreciate his efforts but were now glaring at him unblinkingly.
He knew he was wrong to drink until he passed out and had to be taken to the hospital but this was not something he could control.
The only time he was able to fall asleep properly was when he had numbed his senses to the extent that he did not have any awareness of his surroundings.
In this way, he could lessen the ache that filled his chest at all times.
He had done the same today and that was how he had landed himself in the hospital with his friends now leering at him.
These thoughts made him lower his head as he had nothing to say in his defense especially when they brought her name up.
Unaware of his thoughts, Lance continued his grumbling complaints but halted when the door of the hospital room was pushed open and a man dressed in a long white coat walked in.
"I see you've woken up." The newcomer scanned the men who were present inside and nodded as he stepped towards the bed.
As though he was struck by lightning, Lance leaped away from the bed as the doctor, who had arrived, moved in its direction.
This sight caused Boston to roll his eyes while Jacob sneered inwardly.
'Coward!' They both mocked him but did not let their thoughts be known.
"How are you feeling?" The doctor questioned his recently awakened patient and heard a soft mutter coming from the man seated on the bed.
"Better." Aaron smiled as he disclosed his current condition.
This reply brought another nod from the doctor who finally looked into the patient's bloodshot purple eyes.
"You do realize that she is living her best life while you are wasting away your youth here?" The doctor's lips curved into a mocking smirk as he reminded his patient about something vital that he had been missing all along.
"Big Brother!" Lance gasped at the crude words his elder brother had uttered but froze when he was shot a stern glance from the same man.
The three best friends had brought Aaron to this hospital not only because it was the closest one they could find but also due to the excellent treatment given here.
If that wasn't all, this hospital belonged to the Yao family and was run by Preston Yao, a talented surgeon who also happened to be Lance's elder brother.
With Preston in the room and after facing his narrowed eyes, Lance did not have the courage to let out another word and hence stood stiffly in the same place with his lips sealed.
Seeing this obedient attitude, the newcomer was satisfied and soon turned in the direction of the one for whom he had arrived here.
"She got married last week." Doctor Preston's next words resounded in the silent room, startling everyone present as they all stared at him with their jaws dropped.