Jace's mother rushed into the ward with a group of people. "Hold her down, sign the papers." Her arrogance had returned; she was no longer the desperate woman who had begged me earlier.
"I didn't even get a chance to read the documents before they forced me to sign and press my fingerprint onto them.
"Sharon, from this day forward, you and Jace have nothing to do with each other. Take your gambling-addict father and get out of Hensford!"
I let out a bitter laugh. "So, this was your plan all along. Huh?"
Cecilia looked at me with disgust. "People like you don't deserve to bear the Hawthornes' bloodline."
Cecilia tossed a check onto the bed and strode out of the hospital room, her high heels clicking sharply against the floor. That was when I realized I had been deceived. Not only had she used me to save Jace, but she had also taken the opportunity to drive me away.
My body felt heavy as I dragged myself to the ICU, desperate for a glimpse of Jace. Unfortunately, the bodyguards at the door blocked my way. "Please, just let me see him. I just want to see him from a distance, please?"
I needed to know if he was okay. I needed to know if my lung was a match for him and if there were any signs of rejection. I had already lost our child; I couldn't bear the thought of losing him too.
A towering bodyguard shoved me aside, sending me crashing to the floor. "No one is allowed in without Ms. Cecilia's permission."
I hit the floor hard, pain tearing through my wounds, making it difficult to breathe. Just then, a figure passed by and the bodyguards immediately stepped aside to make way. I quickly grabbed the hem of her coat. "Doctor, please, let me see Jace."
She looked down at me with an air of indifference. "I'm sorry, but the patient's family has requested that no one disturb him."
"I am his family. I'm his wife. Please, I beg you." I had never humbled myself like this before. Never.
She simply gave a cold laugh. "Ms. Lennox, please leave." I saw her name tag, Mila Sage. She was the doctor who had performed my surgery. In that moment, everything clicked. She was the doctor Cecilia had bribed.
I struggled to my feet and returned to my room, only to be told that I hadn't paid my hospital bills and had to leave immediately. Cecilia hadn't given me any time to think. Almost simultaneously, my father's creditors called. They threatened to throw him off a thirty-story building if I didn't pay them.
I felt all the strength leave my body. I sat on the edge of the bed, found a sticky note in my bag and wrote a message for Jace. Then I took the check Cecilia had left and left the hospital. By the time I managed to get my father back from the debt collectors, my wounds had bled through the bandages.
"I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I failed you. Cut ties with me, go back to your husband."
I closed my eyes in despair, tears slipping down my cheeks. "I can't go back." I had taken the money. So, I had no right to return.
