Adaline nodded, enduring the pain.
Mr. Singleton glanced at the time. "It's getting late. Let's take care of business first."
Elois's eyes lit up, but she put on a hurt expression. "Carter, would this ruin your marriage? Maybe we shouldn't..."
Carter's voice softened slightly. "Don't worry. It should have been you all along."
Adaline's head snapped toward him. Should have been you? What did that mean? The Singleton and Holder families had no marriage agreement. It had been her, Adaline, chasing Carter for ten years. She had given up hope--and then he suddenly agreed to marry her.
She had just escaped her biological parents and was barely surviving with the Singleton family. She had been overjoyed, thinking Carter had finally seen her worth. Then she was framed for climbing into his bed, and he reneged on his promise. Old Mr. Holder had forced him to go through with it. They had signed the marriage certificate in secret--no wedding, no announcement. She was like a shameless stray dog. He grew to hate her more each day. That brief warmth had come out of nowhere and vanished just as fast.
Elois said shyly, "Carter, I don't mind." He reassured her with a few words, then gathered the documents and took Adaline away.
Mr. Singleton took his daughter's hand. "Elois, the future of this family rests on you. Don't mess it up."
Compared to the unloved Adaline, Elois--whom Carter clearly favored--was the better choice. Mr. Singleton preferred her too.
The car headed toward the city clerk's office. Adaline stared blankly out the window at the passing scenery--familiar and strange. After four years locked away, the outside world had changed completely. She didn't even have a phone. The Singleton family had taken all her documents and belongings.
She caught a whiff of smoke. Turning, she saw him light a cigarette and instinctively shrank back. She remembered he hadn't smoked before.
"Bother you?"
She shook her head quickly. Who was she to complain?
But her body betrayed her. Her throat itched, and she began to cough. Once she started, she couldn't stop--as if she would cough out a lung.
Carter's face darkened.
"Stop the car."
The car pulled over.
"Get out."
The driver followed orders, yanked her out, and left her on the roadside.
"Walk. If you're late, you know what happens."
The car sped away.She bent over, coughing violently, and a stream of warm liquid shot from her mouth.
She looked down at her hand--covered in blood. Last winter, she had been left outside all night in the cold. She'd developed a high fever that never fully healed. Her lungs were damaged. She couldn't handle smoke.
Slowly, she straightened up and limped forward. The sun was setting.
Outside the city clerk's office. Carter's shadow stretched long. The setting sun cast a warm glow over his handsome face, but it couldn't melt the ice in his eyes. He turned and walked away.
He didn't know that a hundred meters behind him, someone shouted, "Someone help! A woman collapsed!"
Adaline had fallen--a hundred meters away from him.
As the Cullinan rolled past the crowd, Carter glanced out the window. His phone rang. His expression softened as he answered, and at that exact moment, the crowd lifted Adaline up and carried past his window. An ambulance siren wailed. She was rushed to the hospital.
When she woke up, it was the next day. She saw Doctor serious, grave expression and felt dread crawl up her spine.
"Contact your family and have them come to the hospital as soon as possible. Your condition is critical."
"Doctor... what's wrong with me?"
"You have lung cancer. The cancer cells have spread."
