Chapter 41
The girl who had once been so delicate—who would get teary-eyed and act coquettish toward him at the slightest bump or bruise—had somehow become so strong without him realizing it.
His heart ached.
Before, he thought Valerie was angry simply because he had broken his promise to marry her.
But…
She had gone so far as to hurt herself just to escape him.
It seemed she was really angry this time.
Valerie…
The phone in Terrence’s pocket vibrated.
He took it out and saw Esteban’s name flashing on the screen.
Esteban rarely used his own phone to call Terrence. Usually, he used Margaret’s.
Unless it was an emergency.
Terrence’s gaze flickered to Valerie’s lifeless form. Then, with a deep breath, he answered.
“Mr. Crawford, when did you come back? Margaret’s health is deteriorating. If we don’t find a suitable kidney soon, she won’t live much longer!”
Terrence’s grip on his phone tightened.
His gaze drifted back to Valerie, lying motionless on the hospital bed.
She looked like a puppet with no soul.
Not even her eyes moved.
A pang of unease settled in his chest.
“I’ll go back immediately,” he said.
Esteban let out a sigh of relief. “Alright.”
Terrence hung up and walked to the edge of the bed.
He reached for Valerie’s hand.
Her fingers were ice-cold, as if she had just come out of a frozen cellar.
“I have to return to Houston to handle some matters,” he said quietly. “I’ll be back to pick you up as soon as I’m done.”
For the first time in hours, Valerie reacted.
Her eyelids fluttered—just for a second—but in that brief moment, Terrence caught the fleeting emotion in her eyes.
Joy.
His heart clenched.
Before, whenever he told Valerie he had to leave, she would sulk, cling to him, beg him to stay.
Now…
She was happy to see him go.
Terrence left for Houston in frustration.
Meanwhile, in the hospital, Valerie finally allowed herself a small smile.
She was free.
The next day, during her second dressing change, Valerie let out a sharp hiss of pain.
The nurse glanced at her in surprise.
“You were so tough during the first dressing change. You didn’t make a sound—I even thought you might have been in the military.” The nurse teased, gently patting Valerie’s arm. “It’s just a dressing change. It hurts way less than getting stitches. Why are you crying out now?”
Valerie forced a smile but said nothing.
The truth was…
Yesterday, she had been so numb that she hadn’t even felt the pain.
