Chapter 24 No One Beside Her
Cecilia could face death. She wasn't afraid of it.
But the thought of dying on an operating table for Blair was something she could never accept. That thought alone ignited the last reserves of her willpower and pushed her body into one final act of defiance.
"Get away from me! Don't touch me!"
Her struggle, however, was futile. Two doctors pinned her down, one on each side, holding her in place with unyielding force.
Through Blair's manic grin, Cecilia felt the sharp sting of a needle piercing her skin, followed by the slow, cold burn of anesthesia seeping into her veins.
At first, she resisted the dizziness creeping in, clinging to consciousness. But soon her eyelids grew heavier… and heavier. She was so tired. She just wanted to sleep.
Half-conscious, she saw herself as a child.
They say that when death is near, your life plays before your eyes like a reel of film.
She saw herself in Horizon Hope, a little girl clinging to a young Rufus, the two of them promising to protect each other, never to abandon or let go.
She saw that same boy suggesting they exchange tokens.
Cecilia tried to run forward, to stop them, but her hands passed straight through the memory. She couldn't touch them.
She watched her younger self's face glow with happiness, watched her keep that promise year after year, until the day she met the grown Rufus again.
Back then, she thought it was only natural that Rufus would miss her the way she missed him, protect her the way she had protected him. So she forced her way into his life, no matter the cost.
Only now did she realize how wrong she had been.
From beginning to end, everything Rufus had done was for Blair.
She had been wrong from the start—so wrong it was almost laughable. All these years, she had locked herself inside a prison of her own making, stubbornly guarding a promise that had long lost its meaning.
One mistake had led to another, and she had never stopped falling.
If there was another life, she wished never to meet Rufus or Blair again. She would choose a quiet life, growing old with her parents by her side. That would be enough.
A single tear slid down her cheek, warm and wet.
When she woke again, Cecilia stared at the ceiling for a long moment.
She had expected to die on that table. She hadn't imagined she would ever open her eyes again.
She pressed her bandaged arm hard, almost vindictively, until a sharp, needling pain shot from her arm to her brain. Only then did she believe she was still alive.
How absurd, she thought, that a living person would one day need pain to confirm their own existence.
"Guess I'm harder to kill than I thought." A mocking smile tugged at her lips.
The room was empty—no nurses, no doctors, no Rufus and Blair. Even the bodyguards outside had vanished.
But Cecilia didn't waste time wondering why.
On the bedside table lay the phone Rufus had taken from her. She picked it up and dialed a number from memory.
Thirty minutes later, Bell Porter walked into the hospital room, briefcase in hand, unchallenged from the entrance all the way to Cecilia's bed.
Though she had escaped death, Cecilia's body still felt weak—maybe the drugs hadn't fully worn off. Even so, the first thing she did was call her lawyer, determined to end her legal ties to Rufus.
"Ms. Porter, I'm sorry to make you come all this way. Normally, I'd come to your office so we could talk face-to-face." She forced a smile. "But as you can see, my situation is… less than ideal. I hope you understand."
Bell was a well-known name in Emberfall City's legal circles, not the kind of lawyer money alone could hire. Cecilia had gotten her contact by chance. They said she'd never lost a case. Whether that was true, Cecilia didn't know.
Bell's smile was warm. "Whether we talk in my office or in a hospital, the results are the same. The only difference is that my office smells better than this place."
Cecilia blinked, surprised that Bell could still joke in a situation like this. Then she found herself smiling back, beginning to trust the woman in front of her.
"Ms. Thorne, tell me your top priority." Bell's tone shifted, her expression turning serious.
"I want a divorce," Cecilia said. "I want every legal tie between me and my husband severed. I also want to make a will—half my estate donated after my death, and the other half left to my grandfather."
She paused, then added, "And I plan to sign an agreement with my father. I'll give his other daughter a kidney, and in exchange he'll pay thirty million dollars, with the condition that after I die, the entire sum goes toward my grandfather's medical care."
Cecilia wasn't sure if Brad would keep his word now. Blair had likely already matched and received the healthy body she'd dreamed of. With that, Brad might have no reason to honor their deal. The hastily written agreement they'd made before would be easy for him to deny.
After hearing her out, Bell's face grew grave.
"Most of your requests shouldn't be a problem," she said. "But if Mr. Chapman refuses to cooperate, an uncontested divorce will be difficult. If you insist on ending the marriage, you'll have to take it to court.
"And unless you can present solid evidence—infidelity, abuse, gambling, something serious—the court usually won't grant the divorce."
Cecilia had prepared herself for this, but hearing it still left her disappointed.
They discussed the rest of the details. At one point, Bell politely asked about Cecilia's medical condition, but Cecilia brushed her off. Bell didn't press.
In the end, Cecilia insisted on walking Bell to the door, though Bell refused to let her go further.
"This is far enough. I'm not exactly directionally challenged," Bell said with a half-smile, easing the tension as she always did.
Cecilia returned the smile. "Then I'll leave it in your hands, Ms. Porter."
Bell gave her a nod and left.
Cecilia turned to head back to her room, but voices behind her made her stop.
"Poor woman," someone murmured. "She's been here so long, and I've barely seen anyone visit. The one person who came didn't stay long. Maybe she's just some young woman who came to Emberfall City alone to make a living. Looks like she's got no one."
Cecilia almost laughed. She had a husband. She had parents. And yet, to strangers, she looked like someone with no one at all.