Blake’s POV
Alarms suddenly blared throughout the room. Every medical monitor lit up with warning signals. Scarlett jumped, her composure shattering as she rushed to check the equipment.
“What’s happening?” She examined the screens, panic evident her voice.
I let go of Laurel and stepped toward the monitors. Each display showed the same message: [DISCONNECTED] or [CONNECTION LOST]. Red warning indicators flashed continuously.
I checked the wires and tubes connected to Laurel. The IV line, heart monitor leads, oxygen sensor – everything seemed properly attached, yet the system claimed otherwise.
“How is this possible?” I frowned, looking back at Laurel. “Everything’s still connected.”
Laurel hesitated, biting her lower lip. “It’s probably just a system malfunction.”
She reached for my hand. “Blake darling, could you find Dr. Evans? She’ll know what to do.”
After studying her face briefly, I nodded and left the room. A nurse directed me to Dr. Evans‘ office. When I entered, she was reviewing patient files.
“Mr. Parker,” she said, looking up.
“Laurel’s monitoring equipment has malfunctioned. All machines disconnected at once, though everything’s still physically
attached.”
The transformation in Dr. Evans was immediate. She went pale and stood so abruptly her chair slammed against the wall.
“They’ve disconnected?” Her voice pitched higher than normal.
She froze for a moment, visibly shaken, then attempted to recover. “Probably just a system error. I’ll check right away,
She seems unusually worried about a routine technical issue.
She grabbed a tablet from her desk. “I’ll go to Miss Rose’s room now. Would you mind waiting here? I’ll be back once I’ve assessed the situation.”
With that, she left. My phone chimed with a notification. I pulled it out and saw a message from Victoria Sinclair.
The screen showed Victoria holding Audrey’s white ragdoll cat, $now. Her text read: “Blake, I stole this cat from Astrid Wilson’s place. My sister loved it so much should I bring it to her funeral?”
The image triggered a flood of memories. I gave it to Audrey for our anniversary.
How many times had I walked in to find her passed out on the couch, that white ball of fur curled against her chest? Waiting up for me again.
I knew how much she loved that cat.
1/4
Chapter 262
When we divorced, Audrey walked away from millions without inking, Jewelry, property, assets she wanted none of it. But Snow? Non–negotiable. The only thing she refused to leave behind.
Now Audrey might be dead, and Victoria clearly hadn’t been taking care of the cat either.
I dialed Victoria’s number, pushing aside the unwelcome emotion those memories stirred.
“Where have you taken Snow?” Lasked the moment she answer.
“Blake!” Victoria’s voice came through. “You finally called! I’ve been messaging you for days!”
“Where’s the cat, Victoria?”
“Is a cat really that important right now? Lthought you’d want to-
“You have two choices,” I cut her off. “Bring Snow to Mayo Clinic immediately, or I’ll have people find you and turn you over to the police for theft.”
I didn’t let her respond. “And if you choose option two, after you leave the police station, you won’t just find New York uninhabitable – you’ll have nowhere to go. Destroying you and the Sinclairs would require minimal effort on my part.”
I hung up without another word.
Victoria’s POV
I stared at my phone, stunned. Blake’s threat had been crystal clear.
I pouted as I glanced at the designer bag beside me, Snow meowed inside, clearly distressed.
“Useless,” I muttered.
This wasn’t how things were supposed to work. I’d taken the cat thinking it would impress Blake, show him I cared about Audrey’s things. Maybe he’d invite me over, we’d get closer.
Instead, he’d threatened my entire family
over
a
stupid pet.
I weighed my options. Blake Parker wasn’t known for empty threats. When the Parkers destroyed someone, they erased them completely from New York society.
The Sinclairs barely had the connections to maintain our lifestyle. If Blake turned against us, we’d be finished within days.
“Fine,” I grabbed the bag, ignoring the cat’s protests.
Outside, I hailed a taxi.
Where to?” the driver asked.
“Mayo Clinic,” I answered, resignation heavy in my voice.
Blake’s POV
Victoria arrived looking distinctly unhappy. She thrust the bag containing Snow toward me without meeting my eyes.
2/
Chapter 262
“Since I took care of Snow, maybe we could she started.
“No.” I took the bag, not bothering to look at her as Snow leapt but.
*But
“Goodbye, Victoria.”
I picked up Snow and walked away, leaving her standing alone. The cat settled against my chest as I carried it to my car and placed it on the backseat.
My phone rang as I got behind the wheel. Laurel’s name appeared on the screen.
“Blake darling? Dr. Evans said you left her office. Did you go somewhere?”
“Yes,” I answered simply.
A brief pause followed. “The equipment needs recalibration. Don’t worry about me – go handle whatever you need to.”
I frowned. Normally, Laurel would have demanded I return immediately, perhaps even claimed she was feeling worse. This easy acceptance was completely out of character.
Il check on you later,” I said, still puzzled.
“Take care,” she replied before hanging up.
I sat there, suddenly aware of how exhausted I felt. I closed my eyes for a moment, trying to make sense of everything.
Something soft landed on my lap. Snow had jumped to the front seat and was now kneading my thighs, purring steadily.
I found myself stroking the cat’s fur. “Did you do this for her too? When she was alone?”
The cat looked up with bright blue eyes, almost as if understanding.
“You were a good friend to her,” I said quietly. “More loyal than ever was.”
“Can you tell me where she is?” I whispered.
Snow just purred and kneaded my lap. No answers there.
I laughed under my breath. Pathetic.
I’d spent years telling myself I didn’t give a damn about Audrey. That whatever decent things I did for her were just payback for when she took care of me, or just going through the motions of being married.
Now she’s gone, and I can barely function.
And here I am, getting comfort from her stupid cat.
–
I grabbed my phone and called the river search team. Same update as before – nothing.
Three days now. I wasn’t shocked.
3/4
Chapter 262
I kept the search going for one reason: If they found nothing, it meant she wasn’t in that river.
It meant she was alive somewhere.
I suddenly remembered her sneaking off to Pinehaven Village that night.
“That’s it,” I muttered, scratching Snow’s head one last time before moving her to the back seat.
I fired up the engine and headed for Pinchaven.
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