Chapter 332
Audrey’s POV
‘Mommy, why are you sleeping on the couch?”
Emma’s voice yanked me from sleep. My neck ached from a night on the hotel couch.
‘Daddy made breakfast! And Dr. Clarke is waiting to say goodbye. Grandpa and Grandma want us back in Sydney!”
I ruffled her hair, trying to focus. “You’re up early.”
‘No I’m not! The handsome uncle and pretty auntie already visited!”
I frowned. “What uncle and auntie?”
‘I wanted to wake you, but the uncle said you were too tired and needed sleep!*
Ethan and Astrid. They must have stopped by before heading back to New York.
Emma thrust a small box at me like she was offering the crown jewels. “They left this for you.”
I opened it, and my breath caught. Inside wasn’t just jewelry it was my collection. Not samples, but finished pieces with actual retail tags.
A card in Ethan’s handwriting sat among them:
–
“We bought these from a Long Island boutique. Your designs are in every Original Studio partner store now. Your greatest wish came true. Since you’ve been given a second chance, don’t chain yourself to the past. We can’t wait to see what Q-elegant’s director creates next!”
–
I bit my lip, fighting tears. They’d left without goodbyes of course they had to rush back to their careers in New York. But this gift said everything.
Emma touched a necklace. “Can I have this? It’s so pretty!”
I pinched her chubby cheek. “It’s all yours.”
‘Food’s ready,” Adrian called from the table. “After breakfast, we should visit the hospital.”
I paused.
‘Blake Parker’s wound is infected,” he added, setting down plates. “Since he was hurt protecting you, we should check on him.”
I realized with a jolt that I’d completely forgotten about Blake’s condition. Last night I’d been too caught up in seeing my friends, then distracted by Ella’s message about Blake stepping back from our collaboration.
I’ve changed. The old me would have worried all night about Blake’s slightest discomfort. Now I’d barely thought about his serious injury.
Maybe I really was moving on.
After breakfast, I played with Emma and Snow on the floor. The cat pounced at our toy, no longer hiding from Emma. Watching them made my chest tighten.
Poor Snow had bounced between so many homes in the past months from me to Ethan, to Blake, almost to Dr. Clarke, and now back to me. Too much change for a cat who just wanted stability.
Adrian finished cleaning up and touched my shoulder.
“Snow’s staying with you for good,” he said quietly. “When we go back to Sydney, keep her home or take her when you travel. She’ll be happy anywhere as long as she’s with you.”
Chapter 332
This simple scene hit me unexpectedly this peaceful moment with a child and pet was what I’d always wanted. What Blake never gave me.
‘You said Blake’s wound is infected,” I found myself saying. “How is he?”
Adrian’s hand paused on Snow’s fur. “Don’t know details. Dr. Clarke’s student just mentioned it. We’ll find out when we visit.”
I stood up. “When do we leave?”
Adrian’s POV
“We can go now,” I said, watching her face.
She didn’t know that the urgency in her eyes when asked about Parker was too unmistakable. Had he really never left her heart? Despite her claims she was over him?
I smiled bitterly, turning away for my coat. Who was I to judge? Evelyn was dead, yet I couldn’t let her go, still wanting Audrey as her replacement. How could I expect Audrey to break ties with a man who was still alive?
Even understanding this, I still had to try. I missed Evelyn too much.
I drove us to the hospital after leaving Emma with Dr. Clarke’s students. The arrangement made sense – Emma cried whenever she saw Blake, and we didn’t know his condition. A child’s crying might disturb his recovery.
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