Chapter 44
Audrey’s POV
Looking at the couple before me, I knew I should be feeling heartbroken, upset, or even furious right note-
But perhaps because I no longer held any expectations for Blake Parker, my heart had grown completely numb, desold of any emotion.
Blake darling… After crying for a while, Laurel seemed to notice I had no intention of apologizing. She shifted in Blake’s arms, pretending to hem recovered somewhat, and buried herself deeper into his chest with practiced vulnerability. ‘Don’t be too hard on Sisa Sinclair.
“Miss Sinclait,” she turned to me with perfectly calculated distress in her voice. “I know you’ve always had something against me
“Blake and 1. there’s really nothing between us… As she spoke these words, she deliberately pressed herself closer to Blake, her body language completely contradicting her statement.
A cold smile touched my lips. Miss Rose, you’re clinging to my husband while we’re still legally married, yet you claim there’s nothing between you?”
Her face turned pale instantly. She quickly released Blake, but tears had already started flowing down her cheeks. ‘Miss Sinclair, please don’t think that way, Blake and I…
1 only see her as a sister,” Blake cut in, his voice hard and cold. ‘Stop making things so complicated.”
“Whatever is between you two,” I said, surprised by the steadiness in my voice, ‘I stopped caring long ago.” I met his gaze directly. “Blake, just sign the papers, okay? That’s the best thing you can do. See you at the court tomorrow.”
I could see his jaw tightened – a tell I’d learned to recognize during our marriage. He was angry, but more than that, he was caught off guard. Good.
“And don’t forget,” I added as I turned to leave, “the racetrack’s security footage will show exactly what happened today. You might want to review it before demanding any more apologies.” I paused at the door. “Oh, and the fifty million dollars from our bet – I’ll expect that in my account before the divorce proceedings.”
I made it halfway down the corridor before the pain hit. My stomach cramped violently, forcing me to lean against the wall. Through the partially open door of the suite, I could hear Laurel’s voice, perfectly pitched to carry:
“Blake darling, how dare she speak to us that way!”
“Why would I deliberately crash into her? I have no reason!”
“She just couldn’t afford to lose, deliberately slowing down to make me crash!”
“Blake darling, I’m so upset, my stomach hurts…”
The last complaint made me want to laugh, though the pain in my own stomach made that impossible. Here she was, pretending to have stomach pains, while I was fighting my cancer.
I pushed myself off the wall, forcing my legs to carry me back to my own room. A few minutes later, when I returned to my room on the second floor, only Astrid remained.
‘Felix had to leave urgent family business,” she said, crossing the room to grasp my hand. Her eyes searched my face. “Blake and that bitch, they didn’t give
you
too much trouble, did they?”
I shook my head slightly. “Blake just wanted me to apologize to Laurel.”
“Apologize?!” Astrid’s eyes widened in disbelief/“When that woman deliberately tried to kill you? God, is Blake completely blind?” She gripped my hand tighter. “The nerve of him, demanding you apologize!”
I closed the door quietly, trading my hospital gown for the clothes Astrid had brought. A faint smile touched my lips. “Well, I’ve always been an easy ta
for him, haven’t I?”
1/3
Chapter 44
Three years of mamas had taught me wen / always take romansinity Khengi
vale. No wonder Blake thonight day apakeldi tàm chest. I’d given them away in frate barn i il
Prell for you dibox actustig apotegies to her, Astrid said, watching one with cancerk
No Imouthed down my fresh clothes, my voice steady. Tar not that paren
Astrid let out a breath I hadn’t realized she was holding. Good. That’s more like N??
Before she could say more, my phone rang – Dr. Evans.
My heart skipped. She usually only sent messages, knowing I wanted to keep my condition private. A call meant urgency.
I gestured to Astrid and stepped into the stairwell, my hand trembling slightly as 1 answered. “Dr. Evans? What’s wrong?
“Miss Sinclan. Her voice carried an unmistakable strain. The gentleman who wants to buy your medication just called. He needs the drises the his girlfriend immediately.”
She paused briefly. “He’s asking about the fifty million. And he wants to meet with you.”
My fingers turned white around the phone. They had only made their offer through Dr. Evans this afternoon. Now, just hours later…
“There have been… complications,” Dr. Evans continued carefully. “His girlfriend apparently suffered some severe emotional trauma….
Her voice carried both apology and helplessness. “The pressure from the hospital board is immense. I can’t hold them off any longer.”
“I’ve been with your case from the start. If there was any other way…”
“I understand,” I said softly. I knew she was just following orders from above.
“The hospital’s handling of this has been completely inappropriate,” she continued, guilt coloring her words. “For someone of his wealth, fifty million might be nothing, but for you…”
“Dr. Evans, I gently interrupted her, “this patient… how severe is her condition?”
The silence stretched on the other end. When she finally spoke, her voice was hoarse: “Why are you asking about that?”
I watched the darkening sky through the stairwell’s dusty window. “We’re both cancer patients. We should be helping each other.”
“Though my condition is progressing faster and more severe…” I took a slow breath. “If her situation is truly critical, I’m willing to share one dose.”
“This medication requires all five doses for a complete course,” Dr. Evans reminded me, her voice gentle but urgent. “Missing any would significantly reduce your chances of recovery.”
My lips curved slightly. “The odds were never great to begin with.”
‘I won’t go to the hospital or meet them,” I said, my voice growing firmer. “Tell them I’m still working on their fifty million. But if their situation is truly desperate, they can have one dose.”
“Just one condition,” I added. “They need to donate one million to the International Cancer Research Foundation.”
After a long silence, Dr. Evans sighed deeply. “Alright.”
‘Audrey… you’re a remarkable woman.”
“Thanks.” I ended the call and turned back toward my room.
