StartNovelI'm so sorry, | didn’t mean to... The words felt hollow even as they left my mouth. “I never intended...
It's fine, she said softly. “Just an accident. | know that no matter how much you hate me, you'd never
intentionally hurt me,
The candid look in her eyes made my chest tighten inexplicably.
I sighed, helping the nurse wheel her bed out of the emergency room.
Audrey, how are you feeling?” James rushed forward the moment we emerged, his face full of concern.
“It's my fault,” he continued, shootingan angry look. ‘I shouldn't have gotten you involved in all this...”
“What are you doing?” | frowned, seeing his movements. “It was an accident. Stop trying to cause trouble.”
“Accident?” James stood his ground. His voice rose with barely contained fury. “It was fucking deliberate! You just
love bullying her, just like your family!”
| felt my hands clench at my sides, jaw tightening at his presumption. Who was he to judge my family? To stand
there playing protector to my wife?
James. Audrey's voice was barely above a whisper. “Please stop. Get checked out and go home.”
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James hesitated for a moment before letting out a resigned sigh. “Fine, Audrey, I'm leaving now. Take care of
yourself. Callif you need anything.”
Before walking away, he turned towith a threatening glare. “If you hurt her again, | won't let you off!”
| pushed Audrey’s bed toward her ward. “If he had stayed any longer, | might have hit him again.”
Audrey closed her eyes wearily. “I knew it, and that’s why | asked him to leave.”
| narrowed my eyes at her. “So you were worried about him? Are you protecting him?”
She kept her eyes closed, offering no response to my question, which felt like
an answer in itself. It made something dark twist in my chest.
Back in her ward, | found myself drawn to the collection of medications lined up on her bedside table. Picking up
one of the bottles, | studied the label. “What kind of illness makes you cough up blood like this?”
*Just stomach problems.” She moved quickly, almost defensively, taking the bottle from my hand and replacing
it. “An old condition that’s been acting up lately. Nothing serious - just need a few days’ rest. Sometimes certain
foods trigger it.”
“Seriously?” | couldn't keep the skepticism from my voice. “And | suppose you just happen to have bleeding
gums too?”
Her slight nod only fueled my suspicion. The bleeding gums would explain the blood - a clever trick, really. After
all, this was the swoman who had single-handedly managed my care when | was in a coma. | remembered
her strength then, carrying my much larger frto the bathroom, her constant chatter filling the silence of my
unresponsive state. She had been the picture of health and vitality.
“So the blood you coughed up - is it from your bleeding gums?” Everything clicked into place. “If this were really
serious, like gastric cancer, you wouldn't be faking symptoms so tically.”
The smile she gavewas strange almost pitying. “You're right. | didn’t think you'd see through it.”
Her easy admission seemed to confirm my suspicions, but | felt no relief. Her pale face, her trembling hands, the
way she’d snatched that medication bottle from- everything suggested there was more to this than she was
letting on.
But | couldn't bring myself to dig deeper. Was/it fear holdingback? Or guilt? It was easier to convince myself
that yes, she was just acting, as she always
did...
My phone's sudden ring cut through the moment
it was my grandpa.
1/2
Chapter 22
| stared
at it for a long
moment. Finally, with
more reluctance than I cared to admit, | answered
the
calf
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