Anna’s POV:
Dr. Peterson also heard what Claire said on the phone and agreed. If the patient has extreme reactions, it’s better not to Brovoke him. Its best to have someone he trusts bring him to the hospital for our specialists to evaluate. Even if you manage to bring him in, patients like this often have strong resistance and might not cooperate with treatment…”
If I’d believed Blake when I first caught him taking those pills instead of assuming he was lying, maybe I would’ve been that person he trusted. But I couldn’t bring myself to believe it.
He was the man I’d chased after for years. How could someone like him be sick?
But this was also Blake a guy who’d learned since childhood to bottle everything up, who knew better than to let emotions show on his fare. How could I have possibly seen through his act?
The doctor was still talking when Claire’s phone rang. She answered, and the color drained from her face.
“Miss Wright, a panicked voice came through loud enough for me to hear, “Mr. Wright is on the roof!”
The air in the car went still. I could barely breathe. That nightmare flashed through my mind again as my heart shot into my throat.
We pulled up to a white building. Maybe it was the isolated location, but the place gave off serious creepy vibes. Thinking about Blake spending months alone here, guilt hit me hard.
Claire was right – I’d said plenty of cold things to him, even yesterday. He wasn’t in the abyss before; I was the one who pushed him there.
“Look!” someone shouted.
Blake stood on the roof with his head down. His bangs covered his face completely. Even with the bright midday sun, not a single ray seemed to touch him.
He wore just a white shirt with sleeves rolled to his forearms, showing arms covered in wounds still bleeding. The bright red blood stood out shockingly against his white shirt.
He just stood there, desperate, like he’d sealed himself in some invisible glass dome that nobody could break through.
*Blake! Come down!” I screamed as loud as I could, but the wind was too strong and the building too tall. He couldn’t hear me.
“Michael, hurry, call for help!” I yelled. My numb legs finally started working again as I ran toward the building where Blake stood.
Michael grabbed my arm. “Don’t go. Let her go!” He pointed at Claire.
Claire lifted her cuffed wrists. “How am I supposed to go up like this?”
“Cut the bullshit, Michael snapped. “You’re the only one here who means anything to the guy up there!”
Michael pulled me back toward the police car, but suddenly I had an idea.
“Tell your brother something for me,” I said to Claire,/“If he comes down, I’ll tell him a secret.”
Claire’s eyes narrowed. “What secret?”
My right hand drifted to my stomach without me even realizing. “His child is still alive. He needs to stay alive too!” My nose stung with emotion. “Our child can’t grow up without a dad!”
Claire’s eyes went wide. “His child? You’re pregnant with Blake’s baby?!”
I nodded.
1/3
Chapter 280
Claire’s expression turned weird, her voice suddenly sugary sweet in a way that didn’t match the crisis we were in. Anna, come with me. When Blakey linds out you’re carrying his child, he’ll be so happy!
I noticed the sudden change in her attitude, but I was too worried about Blake safety to think much about it.
I was about to follow Claire inside when Michael tightened his grip on my arm. Anna, let Claire go up alone. If you need to tell him something, Claire can call you.”
Michael’s eyes were dead serious, silently telling me to ‘trust him.”
1 reluctantly agreed to let Claire go up by herself, watching as she disappeared from view.
Back in the police car, Michael immediately called for backup. “This building feels off, he warned the driver. Be ready to bolt if we need to! This woman
isn’t what she seems!”
I felt a chill. “What do you mean?”
Michael just stared watchfully at our surroundings without answering.
I stopped asking and nervously scanned the area through the window, but couldn’t spot anything unusual. For now, everything seemed quiet.
Claire’s POV:
The moment I walked into the building, several men in white coats swarmed around me.
“Useless idiots!” I hissed. “She was right downstairs! Why didn’t you grab her? There’s a bunch of you–and you couldn’t handle one woman and two cops?”
One of the men tried warning me against doing anything stupid.
I slapped him hard across the face, my smile growing wider. “Fucking cowards! Scared of two police officers? And you call yourselves my protection?”
The slapped man’s face stayed calm. “Miss Wright, remember that Mr. Hamilton has had a soft spot for Anna since she was little. If she hadn’t been so well- protected, and if she hadn’t grown up to be too old for Mr. Hamilton’s taste, you wouldn’t be in his bed right now. Mr. Hamilton was crystal clear: you can touch anyone you want, but not Anna. She’s his goddaughter.”
The word “goddaughter” made me sick. After a moment, I muttered, “Whatever.”
This was such bullshit. I’d given myself to that old geezer to gain power, hoping someday I could be Blake’s equal, and now I couldn’t even touch Anna.
I needed to find another way to keep Blake and Anna apart.
When I reached the rooftop, I saw Blake standing against the wind. It pissed me off–his life belonged to me.
“Blakey!” I called out. “Have you forgotten about me? It’s Claire!”
Blake turned with effort, his face gaunt. “You finally came. After I die, father’s inheritance will all go to you and mom, since you’re his wife and daughter. And everything I own goes to Anna…”
He mumbled, “Because no matter if Anna and I are divorced, she’s still my wife and deserves my property. This life of mine is what I owe her and my two children…”
I cut him off. “Blakey! How can you be so stupid? Anna doesn’t deserve any of this! I told her everything–that you’re sick–but she wouldn’t even come up to see you. She said she doesn’t want your child anymore, so why would she give a damn if you live or die?!”