Chapter 21

**Blake's POV**

Time seemed to freeze as I watched the blood in her mouth and her legs gave way beneath her. I stood there motionless, feeling something cold and terrifying grip my chest.

James caught her before she hit the floor, his face contorted with fury."How can you do this to Audrey? She's a patient, damn it!" His voice echoed through the hall. "Someone get Dr. Evans! Now!"

I stood frozen, unable to move as medical staff rushed past me. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to be faking it, playing for sympathy like all those other times. But the blood - there was so much blood. And her face, usually so carefully composed, had turned the deadly pale.

Nurses appeared with a gurney, their movements precise and urgent.I found myself backed against the wall, watching helplessly as they lifted her limp form from James's arms. Her hair spilled across the white hospital linens.

Security arrived within minutes, positioning themselves between James and me. The lead guard's voice carried quiet authority: "Gentlemen, thisis Mayo Clinic. Any further altercations and we'll have to involve the police."

I barely heard him. My eyes were fixed on the trail of blood droplets leading to the emergency treatment room where they'd taken her.James stood on the opposite side of the corridor, his designer suit rumpled, a bruise darkening along his jaw where I'd struck him. The hostility

radiating from him was almost tangible.

But I ignored it. I was lost in my thoughts, with waves of fear and anxiety building up in my heart. Three years ago, when I was ina coma,was this how she felt? Waiting outside my room, unable to do anything but watch through the glass as doctors and nurses moved around my unconscious form?

After what felt like an eternity, Dr. Evans emerged from the treatment room, her expression serious. Her white coat was pristine except for a small spot of blood near the hem. "The location of impact couldn't have been worse," she announced without preamble. "Her lesion is in the stomach. We've already dealt with it, and there's no major issue. But the pain won't completely subside for a while."

At this moment, the treatment room doors opened again. A nurse beckoned urgently to Dr. Evans, who nodded, shifting her gaze between me and James before saying, "Come in and help move the patient back to her room. Just one person."

Both of us immediately moved toward the treatment room doors.

"Just one," Dr. Evans held up her hand, blocking our path.

"I'll go," James said firmly. "I've been taking care of her since she wvas admitted yesterday."

Dr. Evans started to nod, lowering her arm, but I stepped in front of James,my jaw tight. "I'm her husband. It should be me."

She narrowed her eyes, coldness in them obvious, "So, you're the husband who's been too busy for her appointments?" Her contempt was unmistakable. "Meeting you in person has been... quite the challenge."

I didn't quite get her sarcasm. "I've been busy. She just had minor health issues, I couldn't always be there."

"Minor health issues." Dr. Evans's laugh was cold and bitter."You really don't know your wife at all."

She let out a sighfinally lowering her arm. "Fine. Go ahead."

Inside the emergency room, the harsh fluorescent lights made everything seem too bright, too real. Audrey lay surrounded by medical equipment,looking smaller and more fragile than I'd ever seen her. Her eyes fluttered open as I approached, and I found myself searching for any sign of her usual dramatic flair. Instead, I saw only exhaustion and carefully contained pain.

In our three years of marriage, I had never seen Audrey look so fragile.The thought that my own actions had reduced her to this state made me feel incredibly guilty.

"I'm so sorry. I 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. I 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, shooting me an angry look. "I shouldn't have gotten you involved in all this..."

"What are you doing?" I 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!"

I 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*wite?

"James..." Audrey's voice was barely above a whisper. "Please stop. Get checked out and go home."

James hesitated for a moment before letting out a resigned sigh. "Fine,Audrey,I'm leaving now. Take care of yourself. Call me if you need anything."

Before walking away, he turned to me with a threatening glare. "If you hurt her again, I won't let you off!"

I pushed Audrey's bed toward her ward. "If he had stayed any longer,I might have hit him again."

Audrey closed her eyes wearily. "I knew it, and that's why I asked him to leave."

I 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, I found myself drawn to the collection of medications

lined up on her bedside table. Picking up one of the bottles, I 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?" I couldnI't keep the skepticism from my voice. "And I 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 same woman who had single-handedly managed my care when I was in a coma.I remembered her strength then, carrying my much larger frame to 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 dramatically."

The smile she gave me was strange - almost pitying. "You're right. I didn't think you'd see through it."

Her easy admission seemed to confirm my suspicions, but I felt no relief.Her pale face, her trembling hands, the way she'd snatched that medication bottle from me -everything suggested there was more to this than she was letting on.

But I couldn't bring myself to dig deeper. Was it fear holding me back? Or guilt? It was easier to convince myseIf that yes, she was just acting, as she always did...

My phone's sudden ring cut through the moment - it was my grandpa.

I stared at it for a long moment. Finally, with more reluctance than I cared to admit, I answered the call.