NovelEnglishChapter 274
Blake's POV
After resolving Hannah's situation at Mayo Clinic, | returned to Lunar Mansion exhausted, but couldn't find
Audrey anywhere despite searching the entire house. My frustration grew with each empty room.
If she hadn't had security callabout needing medicine, | wouldn't have lost Thalia. Hannah wouldn't be
fighting for her life right now. And this woman has the nerve to disappear after claiming she’s dying?
| loosened my tie in frustration and headed toward the back garden. The mansion had limited exits, and since
security confirmed she hadn't left, the only place she could be was the garden.
As | approached the back door, voices drifted through.
“So you had embarrassing moments as a kid too?” Felix Thompson. “I thought someone as beautiful as you
would've always been perfect.”
“Perfect? Me?” Audrey laughed. “I grew up in a village doing farm work. People thought | was rough around the
edges.”
“I'd love to see that sometime...”
| stepped into the garden. Audrey sat inside our property. On the other side of the fence - technically outside my
security perimeter - Felix Thompson lounged like a man without a care. Not exactly looking like someone who'd
supposedly drowned in the Hudson.
“What are you doing?” | asked, walking toward them. “This is your dying emergency, Audrey?”
I'd rushed back worried about her, and here she was, flirting through a fence.
Felix stood awkwardly. “Blake. Audrey isn’t well. | brought medicine.”
“Medicine?” | looked between them. “My staff can’t buy medicine? We need the ‘dead’ Mr. Thompson to hand-
deliver it? Or does it only work when he brings it?”
Audrey stood up. “You should go.”
“Blake, there's nothing between us,” Felix said.
‘Leave.”
One word. Felix hesitated, then walked away, glancing back repeatedly.
When he disappeared, Audrey turned to me. “I thought you wouldn't be back for a week.”
She walked toward the house. No limping. No hunched posture from pain. Just her usual graceful walk.
Unbelievable. Hours ago she claimed she’d die without medication. And | almost bought it.
“If I hadn't cback today, I'd have missed your garden date,” | said, following her,
Inside, | caught her arm, pinning her against the door. “When did you get so cozy with Thompson?”
She didn’t flinch.
“Coming out of hiding just for you? Makes sense he faked his death to protect you anyway.”
| leaned closer. “You're better at seducing men than | thought.”
Audrey shoved my hand away. “You lockedup. Someone had to bringmedicine.”
“My security’s medicine not good enough?”
“That's right.” She took a breath. “Blake, I'll tell you the truth. I'm terminally ill. Not much tleft.”
“Your guards can’t get what | need. Felix brought it because his grandfather is Dr. Clarke.”
| raised an eyebrow. “What terminal illness?”
“Late-stage gastric cancer.”
| laughed. “Really? That's the best you could cup with? Gastric cancer? You accused Laurel of faking illness.
Now you're doing
the same.”
She started for a while, then smiled bitterly. “You're right. | was faking. Had security call because | wanted you
back. Happy now?”
I knew it.
| grabbed her jaw, forcing her to look at me. “Do you know what | was doing when they called?”
a
“If you hadn't pulled that stunt, | wouldn't have lost Thalia. What they did to Hannah wouldn't have happened.”
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtAudrey's POV
| froze. Felix had mentioned Hannah earlier - the woman who got my medication. Blake's new charity case. The
reason he came
rushing back.
“So you were following your sister,” | said, connecting the dots. “My call made you lose them, and by the time
you found them again, they'd already hurt this Hannah girl?”
Blake didn’t answer, but his fingers dug deeper into my jaw. Hard enough | thought the bone might crack.
| laughed, yanking his hand away. “How is that my fault?”
“I didn’t assault her. I'm not responsible for your sister's actions. How was | supposed to know what you were
doing? If you're mad about failing to protect your new girlfriend, don’t blme.”
“Instead of wasting ton me, maybe discipline your psychotic sister! I've put up with her crap for years. If she
keeps going, someone will die, and you'll go down with her.”
| snatched up Snow and stormed upstairs, Minutes later, | heard his car start.
Gone.
| curled up with Snow, pain throbbing throughnow that I didn’t need to hide it.
I'm over him. Done. But hearing him give away medicine | needed to live, then blme for his sister's
cruelty... why does that still hurt?
| held Snow tighter and closed my eyes.
2/4
Why does heartbreak feel so physical? Is death the only way I'll escape Blake Parker? Well, death’s coming soon
anyway.
For the next week, Blake stayed away. But security doubled. Before, Felix could pass things through the fence.
Now guards watched every inch of the property.
| grew weaker without proper treatment. A canary in Blake's gilded cage.
But | wasn’t hopeless. | started with just Felix, then added Astrid and Ethan to my secret calls. Their voices kept
Sometimes, catching my skeletal reflection, | felt oddly relieved.
Better Blake lockedaway. If Astrid sawlike this, she'd fall apart. Dying quietly isn’t so bad.
My only wish now? Hearing Rachel wake up before | go.
That day, I'd framed a small painting to hang in the bathroom. | hammered a nail into the wall, phone on
speaker.
“Rachel really woke up?” | asked.
+
“Yes!” Felix’s excitement poured through the phone. “She said swords yesterday. They were slurred, but
definitely your name!”
“Grandpa’s doing rehab with her. In a few days, she should be talking in full sentences!”
“That's amazing!”
A car pulled up outside.
55962
Blake's back?
Remembering his reaction last time, | quickly ended the call. | didn’t want to lose my last connection to the
outside.
| left the bathroom and heard an angry female voice from downstairs.
“Laurel, | was right! My brother stayed here that night. Someone's definitely living here!”
‘It’s her. | won't get it wrong this time!”
Thalia. My stomach dropped.
I never expected her to bring Laurel here. Just a week ago, Thalia had helped torture Hannah until she nearly
died from a lung infection. Blake had cleaned up that mess, and | figured that was the end of it.
Guess answering Blake's phone that morning was all it took for them to huntdown.
| turned to sneak through the back corridor to the garden. No way | could face all three of them.
“There she is!” Olivia's voice rang out.
Busted. | felt their stares like daggers in my back.
“So Blake really does have a side piece,” Laurel said, her voice sickly sweet. “You know his dead ex-wife used to
live here, right? Not creeped out by that?”
vnapxeL 214
My hands balled into fists. | stayed frozen.
Then Thalia’s grip locked around my arm, spinningforcefully.
“Are you deaf?” she snapped. “Look at us when we're talking to you!”
Chapter 275
Audrey's POV
When | turned around, all three women screamed like they'd seen a ghost.
Thalia jumped back, nearly tripping over herself. “Audrey Sinclair? But... you're supposed to be dead!”
Olivia's face went pale. “This can’t be happening. Not in broad daylight...”
Only Laurel kept her cool. After a moment of shock, a smile spread across her face. “So this is Blake's little
secret. His caged canary.”
She walked toward me, eyes gleaming. “No wonder Blake suddenly stopped searching for you. All those days
dragging the river, then nothing. He told everyone you were shark food.”
“But he was hiding you here the whole time. Playing both sides - the grieving ex-husband in public while keeping
his pet safely tucked away.”
She grabbed my wrist, nails digging into my skin. “Does it feel good? Being the other woman now? After all that
righteous talk aboutdestroying your marriage, look at you the secret mistress.”
| yanked my arm free, anger burning through me. “You think | want to be here? Blake Parker isn't important
enough for that. | wanted the divorce. | walked away. I'm the last person who'd take him back.”
| gestured toward the window where guards stood watch. “You got past security. You think those men are
protecting me? They're my jailers. Blake's keepingprisoner until | die!”
My words hung in the air. Thalia lookedup and down, her fear turning to rage as she processed that | was
flesh and blood, not
sghost.
Without warning, she kickedhard in the stomach. “Why not speed things up then?”
Before all this, her kick would've barely fazed me. But cancer had hollowedout, leaving behind a skeleton
wrapped in skin.
| crashed to the floor, pain radiating through my body. The impact knocked the wind from me, and | couldn't
even push myself up.
“What happened to you?” Olivia pressed her foot on my shoulder, grinding down. “The mighty Mrs. Parker,
crawling like a bug. Stand
up.”
“Enough.” Laurel stepped in, pulling Olivia back. “Don’t get physical. Did you forget what happened with
Hannah?”
Thalia and Olivia froze.
Laurel took their hands, voice dripping with fake sweetness. “Don’t upset Blake because of me. Besides, we
didn’t chere for this. Remember what we planned? Stoilet water and a nice bath?”
| forced myself onto my elbows, a harsh laugh escaping my lips. “Look at you two, jumping when she snaps her
fingers.”
“Shut your mouth!” Thalia grabbed my arm, draggingtoward the bathroom. “Laurel's right - your head
needs clearing.”
She yankedto the toilet, lifting the lid and shoving my head down. | grabbed the rim, fighting with what little
strength | had left, but couldn't break free.
“You forgot to flush, Laurel called out.
The toilet flushed, water rushing past my face. Ssplashed into my mouth, and the smell hit my cancer-
ravaged system like a punch. My stomach convulsed, and | started dry heaving uncontrollably.
The three of them burst into laughter.
“Morning sickness?” Olivia taunted.
Laurel leaned against the doorframe. “Pregnant again? Let's hope this one doesn’t die inside you.”
“Swomen are just poison,” Thalia added. “Everything that grows in them dies.”
Their words about my lost baby cut deeper than any physical pain. That child had been my greatest hope, my
deepest loss. I'd felt my entire world collapse when | learned my baby had died in my womb.
And here they were, turning that wound into a joke.
Something snapped inside me. With a surge of strength | didn’t know | still had, | pushed back against Thalia,
catching her off guard. She tumbled backward, landing hard on the bathroom floor.
“You bitch!” Olivia lunged forward.
| grabbed the hammer I'd left by the sink and pulled myself upright. “Want to try me?” My voice cout
surprisingly steady as | raised the hammer. “Let's see who drops first you orwith this.”
Olivia backpedaled. “You're insane!”
Laurel disappeared from the doorway. Only Thalia remained, scrambling to get up until she saw the hammer in
my hand.
Her courage evaporated. “Wait, Audrey... I'm Blake's sister. You can’t -
19
Blake's POV
| grabbed the security guard by his collar. “What the hell? Didn't | make myself clear? No one in or out without
my direct orders!”
The man couldn't meet my eyes. “Sir, it was your sister, your cousin, and Miss Rose. We couldn't just - ”
“So you disobeyedbecause they dropped snames?” | released him, disgusted.
For the past week, I'd had Michael tracking Dr. Clarke's team. We finally located them on an island near Long
Island, where they were treating Rachel Hayes.
I'd been playing along with Laurel, pretending everything was normal while investigating her past activities. My
main goal was waiting for Rachel to wake up and tellwhat really happened during her “accident.”
This morning’s news was exactly what I'd been waiting for - Rachel was awake and speaking short phrases. I'd
made up a business trip to visit her when Michael called with news about Laurel, Thalia, and Olivia showing up at
Lunar Mansion.
After what they did to Hannah, | couldn't risk them getting near Audrey. | abandoned my plans and raced back.
‘Let's go, Michael urged. “We need to get inside.”
| pushed past the guard and strode toward the house. What | found inside was nothing like | expected.
Thalia and Olivia were tied to the coffee table, completely soaked, with towels stuffed in their mouths. They
looked like hostages in
a bad movie.
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