Chapter 115
It was only then that Blanche realized she’d been clutching his thigh the whole time. She let go at once, her cheeks burning with shame.
She wanted to apologize, but the sound of the couple outside–soft laughter, whispered words exchanged in the dimly lit hallway–made her heart twist with pain. The gentle, lingering cadence of their voices seeped through the door, and the ache inside her grew unbearable. Blanche clapped a hand over her mouth, terrified she might start sobbing out loud.
Jeannette’s voice floated in, sweet and pleading. “Tonight… will you come to me
instead of Kelvin? Please?”
“I always dreamed of marrying someone who loved me, someone who’d never leave my side. Even as a child, I wished for a simple, happy wedding with the man I loved. But then I met you, and I fell for you, and I knew I’d never get that kind of easy happiness. Still, on the day I got engaged, on my wedding day–I want it to be you I’m with. Can you give me that, just this once?” Jeannette’s words trembled with longing, her vulnerability impossible to ignore.
“Aren’t you afraid, after your miscarriage?” Eddy’s voice was thick with desire–Blanche could hear it, clear as day.
“I am… so be gentle, Eddy.” Jeannette’s words curled around him, teasing and
coaxing.
Eddy’s pleased murmur sent Blanche’s nerves taut as piano wires.
She couldn’t take it anymore. Her hand landed on the doorknob. “Don’t go out there,” she whispered, her voice barely steady. “Please, don’t.”
As she twisted the knob, a strong arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back. Blanche stumbled, falling against Fernando’s chest, suddenly they stood face to face, locked in an embrace.
Fernando held her tightly, his breath warm in her ear. “Laney, just ten more days and you’ll finally be free of him, He’s not worth this pain, not anymore.”
Blanche lifted her tear–streaked face to him, her eyes shining with raw vulnerability. Fernando had spent six years yearning for this woman, and now here she was, fragile and heartbreakingly beautiful in his arms. His love for her surged so fiercely that he could hardly contain it.
He reached up, brushing away the tears on her cheek, his touch gentle and full of
longing. His fingers traced the curve of her jaw, lifting her ohin until she loo
st him. He tried to keep his feelings in check, but when he heard her quiet sobs his self–control finally snapped.
His face inched closer to hers. When his lips brushed over the faint strawberry mark on her jaw, the softness of her skin sent a jolt through him, his desire burning hotter than ever.
The cramped break room seemed to close in around them. Blanche wept quietly, breath hitching, dizzy with emotion and oblivious to what was about to happen. She lifted her face, lost and vulnerable.
Their lips were about to meet-
A sudden crash exploded from the hallway: the heavy door slammed into the wall with a bang.
A bodyguard shouted, “Mr. Simmons! It’s bad–your son and Professor Reese’s boy both fell in the river!”
At those words, Eddy bolted from the lounge.
Healy’s pale, frightened face flashed through Blanche’s mind. Nothing else
mattered. She flung open the break room door and ran out.
Fernando was right behind her–actually, he overtook her, sprinting ahead down the corridor.
Jeannette saw it all unfold from the doorway, her eyes widening in shock.
Chaos erupted outside. Eddy grabbed Healy’s limp, unconscious body from the arms of a bodyguard. Fernando’s assistant, Hugo Black, cradled Terrell, who was soaked to the bone and wailing hysterically.
Fernando rushed over and swept Terrell into his arms, clinging to him as though he’d been given a second chance at life.
Blanche, panic–stricken, reached Eddy’s side. Seeing her son lying motionless in Eddy’s arms, she felt her limbs go numb with terror. Tears streamed down her face, her voice trembling. “Get him to the hospital! Now!”
The bodyguard hurried to arrange a car. Blanche and Eddy carried Healy together, racing towards the door.
Suddenly, a voice rose from the crowd: “It was that boy–he pushed the Simmons kid in!”
