Chapter 72 Doris Apologized
Rachel’s hands wavered for just a heartbeat, betraying her inner turmoil, before she masterfully resumed her movements as if nothing had disturbed her composure.
Samira caught her mistake instantly. “I’m sorry, Rachel. I shouldn’t have mentioned that.”
Rachel responded with a light shrug, her voice almost too casual, “It’s fine.”
That evening brought the moment they had all been waiting for–Jeffrey finally awakened.
His eyelids fluttered like butterfly wings, and through the haze of consciousness, his first vision was Rachel pouring water nearby. “Rachel…” he called out, his voice barely a whisper.
Rachel froze mid–motion, her mind questioning whether her ears had deceived her.
When Jeffrey’s voice drifted through the air again, her hands shook violently, sending the cup of steaming water cascading everywhere.
The scalding liquid raised an angry blister on her hand, but in that moment, pain was
the furthest thing from her mind.
She whirled around and rushed to his bedside. “Jeffrey…” Tears of pure joy and relief
streamed down her face at the sight of his open eyes. “You’re finally awake. You scared me half to death. Promise me you’ll never do anything so reckless again.”
A gentle smile graced Jeffrey’s wan features. “I promise. From now on, your word is law.”
With Jeffrey’s return to consciousness, the crushing weight that had been suffocating Rachel’s heart finally lifted, and she released a deep sigh of relief.
Yet fate had other plans, for she encountered Brian sooner than she could have anticipated.
—
Their paths crossed in the sterile hospital corridor Rachel standing, Brian seated in
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his wheelchair.
Time seemed to crystallize around them, the air growing thick with unspoken words.
Ronald, ever perceptive, broke through the tension. “I’ll take my leave.”
Within moments, the long corridor held only Rachel and Brian, facing each other in weighted silence.
“Rachel…” Brian finally spoke, his voice rough and unfamiliar, stripped of its usual self -assured tone. “How is Jeffrey?” he inquired.
“He regained consciousness,” Rachel replied, her voice as cold as winter frost.
Though Brian had steeled himself for her iciness, the reality of her indifference cut deep.
“I’ve investigated what happened between Doris and Jeffery. It was a misunderstanding on her part. She’ll apologize to him personally, I’ll make certain of it.”
Rachel nodded curtly. “Fine.”
She accepted not for herself, but knowing Jeffrey deserved that closure.
“If there’s nothing else, I should go.” She turned to leave, but Brian’s hand shot out, catching hers.
A soft cry escaped her lips as she yanked her hand back. He had unknowingly grabbed her injured flesh, already sporting a blister.
Concern flooded his voice. “What happened to your hand?”
She instinctively concealed her hand behind her back. “Nothing serious–just a minor
accident.”
“Let me check it.” His tone carried a gentleness that was almost a caress.
“It’s unnecessary. A few days will heal it.”
“I insist. I won’t rest easy otherwise.” Brian’s voice grew earnest. “Rachel, I know you’re angry with me. Give me a chance to make amends. Whatever you ask, I’ll comply.”
Rachel’s glistening eyes met his. “Are you certain?”
Brian nodded with unwavering conviction.”
“Then maintain your distance from me.”
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“Is that truly what you want?”
Brian’s fingers gripped his wheelchair’s armrest with crushing force, his knuckles bleaching white as veins stood out prominently against his skin.
His typically composed features now masked barely contained fury and anguish.
“Yes.” Rachel’s answer rang with finality.
The silence that followed stretched between them like an endless chasm.
Brian finally said, “If that’s your wish, I’ll honor it.”
“Deal.”
Before Rachel could draw another breath, a familiar voice pierced the air behind her. “Brian! I’ve been searching everywhere for you.”
Tracy glided forward, her voice carrying a practiced cheerfulness as she positioned herself behind Brian’s wheelchair. “You disappeared without a word,” she added, her hands coming to rest possessively on the handles.
Her stance radiated an unmistakable message of their closeness.
Tracy’s eyes lit upon Rachel with calculated surprise. “Rachel! What an unexpected pleasure to find you here.”
The false warmth in her voice barely masked her underlying challenge.
“Indeed,” Rachel responded with deliberate detachment, offering only the barest of
nods.
As she turned toward Jeffrey’s room, each step felt leaden, whether from exhaustion or the crushing weight in her chest. The corridor stretched before her like an endless
expanse.
Tracy’s voice floated down the hallway with crystal clarity. “Brian, you’ve always been my protector. Now it’s my turn to care for you. The medical facilities here are so inadequate compared to what we have at home. Let’s return tomorrow, shall we?”
Rachel didn’t stop walking, but the words still reached her, clear as day.
The corridor stretched endlessly, and by the time Tracy’s voice finally faded into the distance, Rachel felt like she had been walking for a lifetime.
Only then did she allow herself a single glance back.
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Chapter 72 Doris Apologized
The sunset outside painted the sky in brilliant reds and gold, a breathtaking masterpiece of light and shadow.
From the distance, she saw them–Tracy, gently pushing Brian’s wheelchair, the two of them moving in quiet harmony. They looked like a perfect picture, as if they had been placed in that frame together all along.
Rachel’s fingers curled slightly at her sides. Maybe, she thought, she had been mistaken
from the start. Maybe Brian’s heart had always belonged to Tracy. She had been foolish, hadn’t she? Forcing herself into his life, stubbornly believing she could carve out a space for herself. Looking back now, it almost felt ridiculous.
At that moment, Samira stepped out of Jeffrey’s room and caught sight of Rachel standing still, staring off into the distance.
Something about her expression made Samira’s chest tighten. “Rachel? What are you looking at?”
Rachel blinked, pulling herself from her thoughts. The hallway was empty now.
“Nothing,” she said softly.
It was time to stop clinging to something that was never really hers. Maybe it was time
to let go.
Rachel had barely settled back into Jeffrey’s room when a knock sounded at the door.
She turned as Ronald stepped inside. “Ms. Marsh, do you and your brother have a
moment?”
Rachel exchanged a glance with Jeffrey before nodding. “Yes.”
Ronald gestured toward the hallway, and moments later, Doris stepped in.
Rachel’s brows lifted slightly. She hadn’t expected this.
Doris hesitated for a moment, then spoke. “Rachel, I’m here to apologize.”
Her voice was steady, but her posture was deferential, as if bracing for whatever might
come next.
Rachel studied her for a second, then narrowed her eyes slightly. “That was fast,” she
remarked.
Ronald, sensing her skepticism, explained, “When your brother’s accident happened,
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Chapter 72 Doris Apologized
Mr. White suspected something wasn’t right. He started investigating immediately and had her brought here overnight.”
“Is that so?” A ghost of a smile touched Rachel’s lips.
Some gestures, no matter how swift their execution, arrive far too late.
If Brian had shown such initiative that day when she had pleaded for his trust, perhaps
their story would have unfolded differently.
“You may go.”
Rachel dismissed Doris with cool indifference.
Doris froze momentarily before relief washed over her features.
She had steeled herself for a much harsher confrontation, prepared to endure whatever
Rachel demanded to satisfy Brian’s requirements.
This easy dismissal caught her off guard.
“Thank you, Rachel. I swear this will never happen again.”
As Doris straightened to leave, Rachel’s penetrating gaze froze her in place. Her voice cut through the air like winter frost. “Because not every apology deserves forgiveness.”
