Chapter 21/
Audrey stared at the white hospital ceiling, her arms still bruised from the fall, her lip swollen from the fight. The fluorescent lights buzzed faintly above her, echoing the chaos in her mind.
They left me. They chose her. She gritted her teeth, replaying every moment–Maureen’s slap, Jackson’s silence, Jared’s retreating back. The betrayal festered like a wound left to rot.
She wouldn’t let it end like this.
Maureen would not win. No matter how many gowns she wore, no matter who she married, Audrey would ruin her. She would tear the wedding apart, piece by piece. If she couldn’t have them, no one could.§
And so, in the cold silence of her hospital room, Audrey began to plan.§
Across the city, the hospital where Roscoe recovered was quiet, protected by security and discretion. Maureen had barely left his side, her presence the only thing calming the storm in her heart. She fed him, laughed softly at his groggy jokes, read him chapters of his favorite book. Each passing day, his color returned, his voice grew stronger.
But the past never stayed buried.”
Jared and Jackson returned.
Again and again. They sent bouquets–roses, lilies, orchids. Dozens of them. Handwritten letters. Apologies. Tear–streaked voice notes. Maureen threw most of it away. She didn’t need guilt–soaked poetry.
She needed peace. But they wouldn’t stop.
That evening, as she stepped into the hospital lobby to grab tea, she found them waiting.} “Maureen,” Jared said, rising quickly. Jackson stood behind him, quiet, eyes heavy.§ She froze. Jared stepped forward, no longer proud, no longer polished. Just wrecked.
ཋ༤༠ཧ་
“I know you don’t want to see me,” he said softly, “but please… just a minute.“> She didn’t speak.
“I loved you,” he continued, voice cracking. “I still do. I didn’t realize what I had until I saw you in that dress–until I saw him beside you.“} She looked away.
Jackson stepped closer. “We were stupid. Blind. But we miss you. We miss us.”
“There is no us,” she replied coldly. “There hasn’t been for a long time.“}
Jared knelt. In the middle of a public lobby.
“Please,” he whispered. “Give me one more chance. Let me fix what I ruined.“}
Maureen blinked, memories crashing like waves: Jared holding her hand at graduation. Jackson baking cookies with her after a bad day. Movie nights, inside jokes, promises.
Then–Audrey.
The betrayal. The gaslighting. The emptiness.
“You lost me the moment you chose Audrey.“@
Jared’s breath hatched like she had stabbed the words straight into his chest.
“So go back to her,” she said, voice steel and sorrow all at once. “If she’s still waiting.”
She turned to walk away, her heels clicking softly against the cold marble of the hospital floor. But Jared’s voice broke behind her. “Maureen, please.” He stumbled after her. “Don’t walk away. Don’t end it like this!“}
She paused, barely glancing over her shoulder.
*I loved your” he cried out. “You were the only thing in my life that ever felt real. The only thing that made sense.“N
Maureen didn’t respond.
He stepped closer, desperation flooding his voice now. “I was a coward. I let Audrey twist everything. I thought I was doing the right thing by keeping the peace, by pretending you were overreacting–but I see it now. I see what I did to you. And I’ll never forgive myself for it.” Her jaw tensed. Her hand curled into a fist at her side, but she didn’t speak.
“I remember the night you stayed up when I was sick,” he continued, his voice trembling. “You made soup and held my hand even when you had a deadline the next day. I remember how you used to hum in the kitchen when you cooked for all of us. I remember the way your eyes lit up when you laughed… and how I made you cry instead.“%
A tear slid down his cheek.
Jackson looked away, his face pale.
“I should’ve fought for you,” Jared whispered. “I should’ve never let her come between us. Please don’t marry him. Give me a chance to make this right.“W
Maureen finally turned fully to face him. Her eyes were glossy–but not from weakness.
From clarity.
“I gave you years, Jared,” she said softly. “And you gave me excuses.“2
He opened his mouth again, but she raised a hand
2:15 PM
He opened his mouth again, but she raised a hand.
“That’s enough.“%
She turned to the nearby guards.%
“Escort them off the premises,” she said clearly. “And make sure they don’t come near this hospital again.“I
“Maureen, no–“%
“Now,” she commanded.%
The guards stepped forward.%
Jared tried to reach for her one last time, but Jackson stopped him, gripping his arm.
As they were pulled away, Jared called out, his voice cracking.
“I’n love you ‘til the day I die.“%
Maureen stood tall.%
And didn’t look back.%
