Chapter 446
Audrey’s POV
Finding Thalia turned out to be a real headache. Blake asked me to track her down, but with Rebecca having her breakdown and Elizabeth seizing control of the Parker empire, Thalia had practically vanished. Blake’s entire network was under surveillance, leaving me to figure this out with my limited connections.
After days of getting nowhere, I finally got somewhere with one of Thalia’s old high school classmates.
“Word is she signed up for some nursing program,” she told me. ‘She’s volunteering at a psychiatric place now. Apparently her mom lost it, and she’s there looking after her.”
–
She smirked. “Imagine that – Miss High-and-Mighty scrubbing floors at a mental hospital.”
Finding her room in the volunteer housing was easy enough. After knocking, I heard movement inside. The door cracked open just enough for Thalia to see who was there.
The second she recognized me, she jumped back, then lurched forward to shove me away.
*Get out! You’re not welcome here!” she snapped, slamming the door in my face.
Standing there staring at the closed door, listening to her angry movements inside, I couldn’t help feeling weirdly reflective. Through the years, Thalia and I had butted heads countless times. She’d always been smug and aggressive, knowing William and Blake would clean up whatever mess she made.
This was different. For the first time, I was seeing her scared – afraid to show her face, her voice shaky with fear.
I took a breath and knocked again.
“Thalia, I came looking for you specifically.”
“What do you want?” Her voice trembled. “Yeah, I was awful to you and Victoria before, but haven’t I paid enough?”
She paused, voice rising. “Look at me now! Isn’t this punishment enough? Why can’t you leave me alone?”
“Evelyn,” she added, “Audrey never came after me even with all the crap I pulled. She was better than that. You’re nothing like your sister!”
–
I almost laughed at the irony. “When you were terrorizing me, I always thought she’s Blake’s sister, he loves her, so I should too. I should let things slide.”
I leaned closer to the door. “But my constant forgiveness just made you worse. You became part of the reason I ended up with terminal cancer.”
“After dying once, I got clarity. I don’t have to accept every part of someone I love. You were his family, not mine. I never needed to take your bullying for
his sake.”
‘So since coming back to New York, every time you’ve tried something, I’ve hit back immediately.”
The silence from the other side was deafening.
“What are you saying?” Thalia finally whispered. “You’re… Audrey?”
“Yeah. No point hiding it anymore.”
The door flew open. Thalia stood there with her eyes bulging, mouth hanging open. After staring for a long moment, her expression shifted to a bitter smile.
“I should’ve known,” she muttered. “Of course.”
She sagged against the doorframe. So you hunted me down to rub it in? To show off how you won?”
1/3
She forced a laugh. “Fine, Audrey. You win. Mom and I couldn’t beat you.”
“That’s not why I’m here, I said flatly. “Blake wants to see you.”
Her head snapped up. “Blake? Isn’t he brain-dead?*
Come with me and find out yourself.”
“Why should I believe you now? You’ve got nothing to gain by lying anymore.”
Before she could say more, rapid footsteps echoed down the hall. A winded orderly appeared, panic written all over his face.
“Thalia! Your mom’s freaking out again! She bit someone’s arm – hurry!”
Without hesitation, Thalia bolted past me toward the commotion. I followed the orderly at a normal pace.
“Does this happen a lot?” I asked as we walked.
“All the time,” he sighed. “She talks to walls, claims she’s some big-shot socialite one minute, says she’s got nothing the next.”
“When she gets really bad, she attacks people. Thinks everyone’s out to steal her husband or something. Gets violent.”
He shook his head. “Only Thalia can calm her down – works better than drugs. If she wasn’t such a hard worker, they’d have kicked her mom out ages ago.”
Through the door window, I watched Thalia enter the room where Rebecca was thrashing wildly, hair all over the place, face twisted in rage. Thalia approached carefully and extended her arm. Rebecca immediately bit down. Thalia winced but didn’t pull away, talking to her softly.
Thalia stayed calm. “Mom, it’s Thalia. Please relax. They’re gone now… they can’t hurt you anymore…”
Who’d have thought Rebecca Parker would end up like this? The woman who had everything – now her son in a coma, her daughter revealed as not even a Parker, her mind completely gone. The same people who once kissed her ass wouldn’t give her the time of day now.
I didn’t feel bad about telling her the truth that broke her. Henry mentioned Rebecca and Thalia probably had something to do with Astrid’s memory loss. Astrid overheard something she shouldn’t have and became their target.
Eventually, staff came to sedate Rebecca. Thalia emerged clutching her bleeding arm. I looked at the numerous scars covering her skin.
“You’ve been handling her like this all along?” I asked quietly.
Thalia sank into a chair, dabbing her wound. “What choice do I have? Regular sedatives don’t work, and the special ones cost too much.”
She glanced up. “Unless you’re offering to pay? Nobody can help us. Nobody at all.”
“There is someone,” I replied. “Come see him.”
She laughed bitterly. “When I was his sister, he never treated me half as well as he treated you.”
‘Now that everyone knows we’re not even related… Even if he’s somehow awake, why would he help me or my mom?
Tired of her pity party, I grabbed her arm and pulled her up.
“Enough! I’ve told you repeatedly go see him and you’ll know.”
I dragged her toward the exit. “What’s with all the whining? You hoping he stays in a coma? Or scared to face your old life?”
During the drive, Thalia stared out the window silently.
2/3
Ander, he finally said, “you think you can wake him twice? That kind of miracle only happens once. There’s no way -..
What wp?” I cut her off. If Blake’s awake, if he’ll help you go see him and you’ll know,”
“Why keep talking? You afraid he’s still out cold? Or scared to go back to who you were?”
That shut her up. She turned back to the window, but not before I caught her eyes welling up.
At the rehab center, I led her to Blake’s room and simply said, “Go in.”
Thalia gave me a suspicious look before pushing the door open. As she stepped inside, I heard her whisper, “Blake…” her voice breaking.
I closed the door behind her and walked away smiling.
Eight hours later, I was in the waiting area when Thalia finally emerged. Her eyes were red and puffy. When she spotted me, she approached with hesitant steps, then dropped to her knees in front of me.
Audrey,” she said, voice thick with emotion, I’m sorry for everything Mom and I did to you over the years.”
