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CHAPTER ELEVEN
publish date:
2026-08-10 02:19:53NORA POV
The office door closes behind us with a soft click.
Only then do I realize I’ve been holding my breath.
I slowly let it out.
This wasn’t a promotion.
It was surveillance disguised as one.
We walk down the hallway without saying a word.
For once, even Jayden seems to understand that staying quiet is the safer choice.
A few steps later, my phone vibrates in my hand.
I look at the screen.
A message from Lucy.
Mom’s been admitted.
My heart drops.
Everything inside me freezes.
The words blur in front of my eyes.
For a moment, I forget where I am.
Admitted.
Not another consultation. Not another prescription.
A hospital bed.
Another message comes in almost immediately.
You need to come now. The doctor needs us to make a decision today.
A cold feeling settles in my chest.
No.
No… no…
I swallow hard and look toward the glass wall of Davis’s office.
Through the glass, I can still see him talking to his assistant, calm and completely unaware that my world has just changed.
The Orion project starts today.
If I walk away now, I could lose the opportunity I’ve worked so hard for.
The promotion. The salary.
The chance to build a better future for Mai.
Everything I’ve been working toward since the day I decided to raise her on my own.
But I can’t stay here while my mother is lying in a hospital bed.
I can’t do that.
I close my eyes for a second.
There has to be another way.
There isn’t.
My phone vibrates again.
This time, it’s Lucy calling.
The ringtone cuts through the quiet hallway.
I stare at the screen.
I glance toward Davis’s office, then back at my phone.
Answer.
Go inside.
Stay.
Leave.
None of the options feel right.
The call ends.
A second later, another message appears.
If you’re coming, come now. The doctor says we have to decide today.
My pulse stumbles.
A decision.
What decision?
The thought alone sends a fresh wave of panic through me.
What if it’s worse than Lucy said?
What if I’ve already wasted time standing here?
Everything in me is telling me to run.
I don’t think about Orion.
I don’t think about Davis.
I turn toward the elevators.
“Ms. Edward.”
Davis’s voice stops me.
I stop with one hand still holding the strap of my bag.
For a second, I think about pretending I didn’t hear him.
I can’t.
Slowly, I turn around.
Davis is standing a few steps behind me.
His eyes are fixed on me, his expression impossible to read.
The hallway suddenly feels too quiet.
I force myself to look at him.
“Sir.”
His eyes flick briefly to my phone.
“You were leaving.”
“Yes.”
“Where are you going?”
“I… I have a family emergency.”
“The Orion briefing starts in ten minutes.”
“I know.”
“What happened?”
“My mother has been admitted to the hospital.”
He looks at me for a long moment.
“You should have told me immediately.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Go.”
The drive to the hospital feels endless.
Every red light costs me another minute. Every slow-moving car makes me more anxious.
The taxi finally pulls up outside the emergency entrance.
Before it fully stops, I’m already reaching for the door.
“Ma’am—your change.”
“Keep it.”
I hurry through the sliding glass doors, and the familiar smell of antiseptic hits me almost immediately.
My stomach tightens.
“Nora.”
I look up just as Lucy rushes toward me.
Her eyes are already red from crying.
The moment she reaches me, she throws her arms around me.
“I thought you weren’t going to make it.”
“I’m here.”
I hold her tightly for a moment before pulling back.
“Where’s Mom?”
Lucy points toward the medical ward.
“They moved her upstairs.”
“Is she awake?”
She nods.
“But she’s tired.”
“And the doctor?”
“He wants to see us first.”
Of course he does.
Nothing good ever starts with those words.
Lucy leads me down a quiet hallway.
Neither of us speaks.
There’s nothing to say.
Not yet.
Outside a consultation room, a middle-aged doctor looks up from the folder in front of him.
“You must be Ms. Edward.”
“Yes.”
“I’m Dr. Williams.”
He gives us a sympathetic smile.
“Please, come in.”
Lucy and I exchange a quick glance before taking our seats.
The doctor opens the file.
“I’ll be honest with you.”
My hands tighten together beneath the table.
“Your mother’s condition has gotten worse faster than we expected.”
The words hit me hard.
“We’ve managed her symptoms for some time, but medication alone is no longer enough.”
My throat goes dry.
“What happens now?”
“We recommend starting treatment immediately.”
“Immediately?”
He nods.
“The longer we wait, the greater the risk.”
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