Chapter 85
Audrey’s POV
For a moment, I just stared at the basin, unable to process what had just happened. Water cascaded over the edge, forming a widening puddle on the pristine hospital floor.
‘I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” Laurel cried out, horror painted across her face.
A stared at my submerged phone as it sparked and went dark. White smoke curled from the case. When I fished it out, water dripped from every crack and
seam.
I crouched down, picking up the broken pieces, my throat tight. This wasn’t just any phone. Rachel had given it to me four years ago, right before her accident – before she became unresponsive, before her family vanished to Europe with her. The last gift from my best friend.
Looking at the scattered components on the floor, my heart felt sliced open. Four years of messages and photos… and the recording that could have shown Blake who Laurel really was.
“Miss Sinclair, I’m so sorry…” Laurel’s voice cut through my thoughts. She leaned back against her pillows, hand pressed to her chest. ‘When you raised your voice, I got scared and my hand shook… then I knocked over the basin trying to help… I didn’t mean to.”
I gathered the fragments, each piece a lost connection to Rachel. The memory card was ruined too – all our shared moments gone.
“What model is your phone?” Laurel asked. “I’ll replace it for you, okay?”
Something in her tone made me look up with ultimate anger. For just a second, I caught a flash of satisfaction in her eyes before she covered it with more fake concern.
I stood slowly. “You planned this all along, didn’t you? Made me stay just so you could destroy my phone.”
Laurel blinked rapidly. “Miss Sinclair, I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
‘No one knows better than you,” I said.
I took a deep breath, fighting to stay calm. I carefully picked up the remaining pieces and dropped them in my purse.
“Do you think destroying my phone means you’re safe now?” I asked, forcing a cold smile. “What if I have a backup?”
I could see her face paled instantly, and her hand froze mid–gesture.
“You’re lying,” she said, voice tight. Her teeth sank into her lower lip, eyes now filled with undisguised panic.
“You don’t have any backup,” she added, studying my face. “You’re bluffing.”
closed my purse with a snap. “Whether I do or don’t, you’ll find out soon. Try to stay this calm when that happens.”
As I turned to leave, Blake blocked my path, his expression dark.
“What did you back up? Photos of Laurel?” he demanded.
I stared at him, confused until I remembered Laurel’s earlier accusation about unflattering photos.
“Didn’t you say you hadn’t taken any pictures of her?” His eyes narrowed to cold slits.
*I have zero interest in taking her photo,” I said flatly. “As for what my backup contains… ask your precious Miss Rose. I’m done explaining myself to you.
Blake’s forehead creased with confusion as i pushed past him.
Each step toward the exit sent pain shooting through my legs. The bruises from my tumble down the stairs throbbed in protest. Still, I forced myself to walk
Chapter 85
normally, refusing to show weakness.
The hallway stretched endlessly ahead. 1 gritted my teeth, focusing only on putting one foot in front of the other
I was so focused that I didn’t notice when my balance failed. My right leg buckled, throwing me off–center. I tried to recher but only hide it wor
Too late. By the time I realized I was falling, I couldn’t stop it. I closed my eyes, bracing for impart with the hard floor.
Instead, strong hands caught me around the waist, pulling me against a solid chest. The familiar cedar scent crashed me – a smell that once meant safety. home, and lazy Sunday mornings.
