Chapter 48

**Audrey's POV**

The evening air carried a hint of chill as Ethan andI I reached my apartment complex. The exhaustion from our hospital encounter with Blake and Laurel still lingered. Just as we approached the entrance, my phone buzzed with Dr. Evans' name lighting upthe screen.

"Audrey." Her voice carried an unusual tension. "Remember that patient who wanted to use the same experimental treatment as you?"

My fingers tightened around the phone. "Yes, what's wrong?"

"This... lady. She's here at Mayo Clinic and wants to meet with you..."

"I'm sorry, but I have an emergency to deal with." I refused directly, my patience wearing thin at the mere thought of this mysterious 'collaboration'proposal.

Dr. Evans' hesitation was audible through the phone. "Audrey, she's quite..."She trailed off, clearly uncomfortable with the implied pressure from above.

"Look," I softened my tone, knowing this wasn't her fault. "Just telI her I'm at the police station right now - my child is missing." The lie slipped out smoothly, born of desperation. "I'm sure someone of her... standing can understand that takes precedence."

A beat of silence. "She can have her lawyers reach out another time."I added pointedly, "That was the original plan this morning, wasn't it?"

"I..." Dr. Evans sighed, her voice showing her understanding and concern."Yes, of course. I'll let her know. And Audrey? I truly hope you find your..

.child. Don't lose hope."

The kindness in her voice made my throat tight. She knew I had lost my child, so I understood that she was trying to comfort me. "Thank you,"I managed, the words barely a whisper.

As I ended the call, my gaze drifted to the darkening sky. The excuse wasn't entirely a lie - Snow was as close to a child as I'd ever have now.

I shook my head and looked at Ethan by my side, "Come on,we've got a cat to find."

He had drifted to lean against a nearby street lamp. A hint of amusement played at the corners of his mouth. "So you can lie that smoothly when you want to."

I frowned, and looked at him with confusion. "Is it wrong to tell a white lie to avoid people I don't want to see right now?"

"I'm not judging the lie itself." His expression turned thoughtful. "I'm just wondering... if you can lie so easily, why didn't you let Blake think there was something between us when we ran into him?"

The question hit closer to home than I would have liked. I started walking toward my building, but Ethan wasn't done.

"He's got Laurel hanging all over him. Why can't you have someone new by your side?"

"There's no point." I shook my head.

"Why not try?" His voice carried a playful challenge. "Maybe he'd get jealous."

A cold laugh escaped me. "Impossible."

Blake Parker, jealous? The man who woke from his coma two years ago with only four words for me: "Get out. Now. Leave."

I'd spent countless nights by his bedside, changing IVs, monitoring vitals,whispering prayers to a God I wasn't sure I believed in anymore. I'd seen every moment of his vulnerability, every second of weakness.

It was a cruel irony. The very acts that had bound me to him were exactly what made it impossible for him to love me. The closer I'd tried to be, the more walls I'd unknowingly built.

"How do you know it's impossible if you won't even try?" Ethan's voice cut through my thoughts.

"Why are you so insistent?" I faced him, feeling the exhaustion in every muscle. "You want to be my boyfriend?"

"Would that be so bad?" The streetlights caught the mischief in his eyes.

"Young man,that's not a funny joke."

"Just kidding." His tone softened slightly. "But I am curious - you two seem to have no feelings left, yet you're still not divorced. Why?"

"That's none of your business. Stop asking."

A sharp gust of wind cut through the evening air, and I couldn't suppress a shiver.Before I could protest, Ethan was already shrugging off his jacket.

"Here," He draped it over my shoulders with casual grace, "You're shaking.

"I don't need-" My attempt to remove it was gently but firmly stopped.

"Okay, I was wrong to pry." His voice carried genuine remorse."Let me make it up to you-I'll help search for Snow all night if that's what it takes.Deal?"

When I hesitated, he added, "You're already weak, and if you catch a cold and end up back in the hospital. Snow will be out here alone even longer."

The logic was sound. After a moment's consideration, I let my hands drop from the jacket's edges.

We started our search methodically. First stop was the local convenience store for cat food. Armed with flashlights and Snow's favorite treats,we began combing through the complex grounds.

"Snow!" My voice echoed off brick walls and concrete paths. "Snow, where are you?"

Hour after hour passed1. Each corner checked, each bush investigated, each meow examined only to find yet another stray that wasn't Snow. The hope that had sustained me began to fade with the night's deepening shadows.

By the time the clock struck ten, exhaustion had settled deep in my bones.My voice was growing hoarse from calling, and even the simple act of holding the flashlight had become a struggle.

"We should stop before we disturb the neighbors." Ethan's voice was gentle but firm.

That's when the tears started. Silent at first, then building into something that shook my entire frame.

"Hey... please don't cry,"

"What if..." The words caught in my throat. "What if we never find Snow...

"What if she never comes back..."

"I'm such a failure..." The dam finally broke. "I couldn't even protect my cat..."

The sobs that tore from my chest held years of unshed tears. All the times I hadn't cried - losing my baby, seeing Blake with Laurel, enduring the Parker family's contempt - it all came pouring out now.

God, five years. Five freaking years since that crazy day at the beach.Blake showed up out of nowhere - beaten up, blind, completely helpless.Rachel was with me when we found him. I had no clue he was the CEO of the Parker Group. I spent weeks taking care of him, changing his bandages,helping him eat, talk... somewhere along the way, I fell for him. Hard. It was stupid- I mean, he couldn't even see me. Then his family swooped in and just.:. took him away. I thought that was it.

But fate had other plans. Three years ago, when news broke that Blake had fallen into a coma, I couldn't stay away. I went straight to William Parker, his grandfather, and made an impossible request - to marry Blake,to care for him, to stand by him even if he never woke up.

Those once-sweet memories now only sent waves of pain through me.

*Why would I get a punishment like this* The thought rose unbidden through my tears.

I'd lost my love and my child, received a death sentence from my doctors,and now even Snow - my last source of unconditional love - was gone.