Chapter 43
Michael cleated his throat awkwardly, deing his voice Mrs Parker, are you absolutely sure you have no other injuries?
“Thank you for your concern,” I replied, loud enough to be heard inside the room. I’m the
The scene that grested us could have been lifted straight from a daytime soap opera. Laurel reclined against a mountain of pillows, er designer hospital gown arranged just so, while Blake sat beside her, peeling an apple with devoted concentration. Their clothing was subtly disheveled not enough to be improper, but just enough to suggest intimate comfort.
“Well, well. Laurel’s eyes found me immediately, her smile razor–sharp. Mr. Chen took quite a while to fetch you, Mise Sinclair. You’re rather difficult to reach these days.”
Once again, she called me “Miss Sinclair the implications couldn’t have been clearer. In her mind, she was already Mrs. Parker.
The distance between floors accounted for the delay. I kept my voice calm, refusing to engage with her performance.
Her expression shifted instantly, vulnerability showing up. “Blake darling… Her lower lip trembled as she turned to him. What is she implying? That you re playing favorites with the hospital rooms?”
“I never said that,” I replied evenly.
“You didn’t have to.” Her voice sounded sweet but was full of spite. “Blake darling, I told you I didn’t need the VIP suite. I’m not some princess… you insisted. She cast a pointed look at me. “And now Miss Sinclair comes in here, making snide remarks…”
I watched as Blake tensed, his hand tightening around the half–peeled apple. “Stop making a fuss,” he said to me, his voice cold. “Laurel’s injuries are more severe. That’s why she’s here. If you were actually ill, I would arrange that too.”
Looking at him, I felt a wave of coldness wash over me. The man I had once loved was taciturn, sharp–witted, calm, and unruly. Even when he was blind, he could judge a person’s character and qualities based on just a few words. But now, with his clear eyes, he seemed worse off than if he were blind and deaf, believing every word Laurel said.
Some people, I thought with bitter clarity, regain their sight only to become truly blind.
“Is that why you had Mr. Chen threaten me with the divorce?” I asked quietly. “To bring me here for this performance?*
“I’ve heard enough.” I straightened my spine, ignoring the pain that shot through my body. “If there’s nothing else, I’ll return to my rest. Remember to transfer the fifty million from our bet to my account, and I hope to see you tomorrow at the court.”
“Audrey Sinclair!” Blake’s voice cracked like a whip. “After what you did to Laurel on the track, don’t you think you owe her an apology?”
“Blake darling, let it go.” Laurel’s voice softened with practiced vulnerability. “Miss Sinclair won’t apologize. She won’t admit that she deliberately slowed down to make me crash…”
–
I stared at her, momentarily stunned by the sheer audacity of her lie. The truth that she had deliberately rammed my car when I slowed to give her space felt suddenly irrelevant. Blake would believe whatever version of reality Laurel chose to present.
“I won’t force her to apologize,” Laurel continued, her voice thick with unshed tears. “My feelings don’t matter… I’ll just cry it out…”
The apple slipped from her perfectly manicured fingers, hitting the floor with a soft thud. She burst into tears, her body trembling as she pressed one hand to her chest, nearly swooning against the headboard in an impeccably executed display of distress.
‘Laurel! Blake hugged her instantly while comforting her.
His
eyes,
when they turned to me, blazed with fury. “Apologize to her. Now!”
1/2
Divorce Me Before Death Takes Me, GEO
