Chapter 61

**Audrey's POV**

Dr. Bennett pulled out her medical equipment. The familiar scent of antiseptic filled the air- a scent that had become all too familiar these past few months. Her movements were precise, professional, but I could see the concern in her eyes as she glanced up at me.

"I remember asking you to get your stomach checked at the hospital months ago," she said, "Did you go? What were the results?"

The memory of that dinner with William months ago flashed through my mind - the moment I'd coughed blood into my napkin, trying to hide it,and Dr. Bennett's sharp eyes catching everything. Her insistence that I get checked had led to the diagnosis that shattered my world.

I forced a calm smile now, the lie sliding from my lips. "I got checked.Nothing serious,just gastritis."

Dr. Bennett's eyes narrowed slightly. "Are you sure that's all?"

She reached for my wrist, clearly intending to have a check. I jerked back instinctively, perhaps too quickly.

Rather than argue further, I lifted the edge of my shirt,redirecting her medical curiosity to where it wouldn't uncover secrets I wasn't ready to share. "William asked you to check the injury on my stomach."

Dr. Bennett's lips pressed into a thin line, clearly not finished with her questions about my stomach issues. But the moment the fabric revealed the angry purple-black mark spreading across my abdomen, her

professional concern overwhelmed her suspicion.

Her latex-gloved hands were gentle as she examined my abdomen, but even the lightest touch sent waves of pain through my body.

"This is severe!" Dr. Bennett leaned in closer, her professional demeanor cracking slightly. "Does this hurt?"

I managed a silent nod, biting my lip against the pain.

She sighed, her breath carrying a weight of frustration. The examination continued in tense silence until she finally straightened. "Fortunately it's just external bruising. But it'll be painful for a while."

Just as I thought we were finished, she knelt to examine my legs. Her sharp intake of breath told me everything I needed to know about how the bruises must look.

"What happened here?" Her voice carried a mix of horror and anger. "Was this from being kicked too?"

"I was pushed down the stairs this morning." The words came out weary,resigned.

"By the same person who kicked you?" Her eyes widened as understanding dawned.

Images of this morning's incident flashed through my mind -the malice in Laurel's eyes, the sudden shove, the sickening sensation of falling.I nodded silently.

"My god," Dr. Bennett observed, her clinical assessment carrying an undercurrent of disgust, "This isn't accidental. These are calculated attacks."

With practiced efficiency, she uncapped a tube of prescription-strength ointment, her touch surprisingly gentle as she applied it to the angry bruises mapping my legs and abdomen. The relief was immediate but fleeting-like everything else in my life these'days.

When she finished, she clicked her pen and began making detailed notes on her clipboard. My eyes caught the medical terminology she was recording.

"Dr. Bennett." My hand shot out before I could reconsider, fingers closing around her wrist. Her pen stilled as she looked up, surprise evident in her expression. "About my condition..."

I shifted my gaze toward the door, lowering my voice. "Could you... not tell William? He's aged, I don't want him to worry about me."

She pushed her glasses up her nose, fixing me with a penetrating stare. "Tell me exactly what your condition is, and I'll agree."

The moment stretched between us like a thread about to snap. Finally, I let outa long breath and told her everything - the diagnosis, the prognosis,the experimental treatment that might or might not buy me a few more months.

"No wonder you insist on divorce," she said softly when I finished. "You're trying to spare Blake?"

A bitter laugh escaped before I could stop it. "No, I stopped loving him long ago."

*With less than three months to live, I don't want to die as Mrs. Parker.He doesn't love me, and I should free myself too. Even in death, I want to return to being just Audrey Sinclair.*

Dr. Bennett studied me for a long moment before crossing out some words on her clipboard. "I can keep the cancer secret,but I must report the other injuries to Mr.Parker."

I nodded, relief flooding through me. One more person to help carry this burden, one more ally in keeping my secret.

We made our way back to the living room where William Parker and Felix Thompson waited. The moment Dr. Bennett handed over her report,William's face darkened with fury.

"Multiple injuries from falling!?" His weathered hands shook as he gripped the paper. "No wonder she could barely stand! Audrey, how did this happen?"

Felix stepped forward, his usually carefree expression replaced by something harder. "I heard Blake say Miss Rose pushed her down the stairs this morning. These injuries must be from then."

"That troublemaker again! She-" William's voice cut off as the door burst open with enough force to rattle the paintings on the walls.

Blake Parker stood in the doorway, his presence filling the room like a gathering storm. Without a word, he strode toward me and grabbed my wrist.

"Come with me to the hospital, apologize to Laurel!"

"You brat, let her go!" William's voice cracked like thunder.

Blake ignored him, completely, his grip tightening painfully as he pulled me toward the door. I was already running on empty - between the cancer eating me from the inside and the morning's trip down the stairs, I had nothing left. Each step was a negotiation my body barely had the currency

to afford.

"Laurel's been emotionally unstable because of what you said." he snapped,"It's critical! Come apologize to her right now!"

"Blake Parker!" William clutched his chest, his face reddening dangerously."Release Audrey this instant!"

Every step sent fresh waves of pain through my battered body as Blake dragged me toward the entrance. The physical pain barely registered compared to the ache in my heart. *The man I once loved won't even look at me now. Perhaps I was never anything to him from the start.*

Just as we reached the entrance, Felix stepped into our path. "Audrey's legs are injured. If you keep dragging her like this, she'll collapse before you even reach the hospital!"

Blake stopped his charge toward the exit. The look Blake shot me over his shoulder was pure ice, his lips twisting into something that wasn't quite a smile.

"Playing the victim again, huh?" His words were cold as ice.

William moved with surprising speed for a man his age, his cane against marble echoing. He wedged himself between us, prying Blake's fingers from my wrist with a strength that belied his years. "Open your eyes! That woman has already left your wife covered in bruises. How dare you treat her like this?"

"Seriously?" Blake's voice dropped. "Is that the story Audrey's spinning?"

"She didn't have to." Dr. Bennett's clear voice cut through the tension.Before anyone could react, she knelt and lifted my pant leg, exposing the angry bruises that mapped my fall down the stairs.

"You say she's playing victim," she continued, her voice ice-cold as she met Blake's gaze. "Then what are these injuries? You remember what Miss Rose did to her this morning, don't you?"

I watched as Blake's eyes fixed on my injuries, tracking from one bruise to the next. The anger drained from his face like water down a sink,leaving behind something I hadn't seen there in years-uncertainty.

"All of these..." His voice had lost its edge. "From this morning?"