Chapter 79
The entire hospital floor had been reserved by Carter for Kelly. Now, the hallway was silent, not a soul in sight.
Then, steady footsteps echoed through the emptiness, drawing closer with each passing second.
Sharon’s nerves tensed. Her breath hitched involuntarily.
The footsteps passed right by the fire exit where she was hiding.
She didn’t dare move. Didn’t dare look.
Only after hearing the soft click of a door closing did she step out of the stairwell.
Her steps were cautious as she made her way to Kelly’s room.
In the reflection on the glass panel beside the door, she caught a glimpse of herself-tense, hesitant, almost furtive.
She froze.
She was Carter’s lawful wife, and yet here she was, creeping around like a thief, afraid of being seen.
Kelly, on the other hand, could appear before her so openly-so assured-declaring in that calm, unshakable voice just how important she was to Carter.
And she was. Kelly was important.
Sharon had never doubted that.
If not, how could a single phone call from her pull Carter away?
If not, then why hadn’t she, as his legitimate wife, ever once stood in front of Kelly and told her to stay away?
Was it because, deep down, she already knew she couldn’t win?
Her thoughts spiraled until the muffled sound of voices from inside the room pulled her back to the present.
“Carter, you just got back from your trip. You didn’t have to rush here. You could’ve come tomorrow.”
A pause. Then came Carter’s cool, familiar voice, slipping through the crack in the door.
“I heard you went out today?”
Sharon felt her heart sink, slowly and heavily.
So it was true. Carter had come to see her the moment he stepped off the plane.
How ridiculous she’d been, suspecting just moments ago that Kelly had lied to provoke her.
The sharp, sterile scent of disinfectant hung in the air, almost choking.
Inside the room, their conversation continued.
ཇ་ཇ་ ེབ་
“I’ve been stuck in this hospital for too long,” Kelly said softly. “It was getting stifling. I just wanted to walk around a little. Don’t worry.”
A brief pause. Then, in a quieter tone, “Oh… and since Wendy already knows she was wrong, don’t make things too hard for her, okay? After all, she’s Sharon’s friend.”
Carter gave a faint reply.
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But Sharon knew-if he hadn’t taken Wendy, he wouldn’t have answered at all.
Her heart clenched, as if someone had gripped it in their fist and squeezed. The pain made it hard to breathe.
Julliard had lied to her.
She bit down hard, tasting blood on her tongue.
Clatter. Something hit the floor with a clear, crisp sound.
A moment later came Kelly’s startled voice.
“Carter, I’m sorry… I got your jacket dirty!”
His jacket?
Sharon’s pupils flared.
She had always been gifted-in music, in painting.
Though she’d focused on violin, she’d never let her art fall by the wayside.
On Carter’s birthday, she had given him a custom suit jacket, hand-painted, as a gift.
He had always been distant, aloof, but she could tell-he truly liked it.
That night, he had even kissed her. For the first time ever, he had taken the initiative.
Apart from the times they slept together, he rarely kissed her. Hugs and hand-holding were just as rare.
That moment had made her believe she’d finally warmed his cold heart.
From then on, she had given even more of herself, throwing everything into every detail of his life.
Now, through the narrow slit of the door, she saw that very jacket-her gift-stained and dirtied.
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