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Chapter 7
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Shattered Beneath the Champagne Tower, I Walked Away Chapter 10
The rain came down hard that day.Reid knelt in a puddle outside the funeral home and watched me get into a cab and leave.He didn't come after me.Maybe he'd finally understood that some things, once broken, could never be put back together.I took Mom's ashes back to my hometown and buried her beside Dad.After everything was taken care of, I went back to Reid's condo one last time.I wasn't there to get my things.I was there to erase every trace of myself.I packed up all the clothes that belonged to me and dropped them into a clothing donation bin.I swept my skincare products off the bathroom counter and into the trash.Then I took down every photo of Reid and me from the walls and cut them into pieces.When Reid came home, I was placing my last key on the coffee table.He looked around the suddenly bare condo, panic filling his eyes."What are you doing? Where are you going?"He rushed toward me and tried to pull me into his arms.I shoved him away."Reid, we're done."I slung m
Shattered Beneath the Champagne Tower, I Walked Away Chapter 9
Reid was in the middle of a morning meeting when the photo came through.He glanced at his phone absentmindedly.A second later, his eyes widened.The photo showed a cheap wooden urn beside an official death certificate.The name on it was unmistakable.Eleanor Winslow.Cora's mother.Reid shot to his feet, his chair scraping harshly across the floor."Mr. Callahan?" The manager giving the presentation flinched.Reid ignored him. He grabbed his car keys and rushed out of the conference room."What the hell is this? Cora, are you actually faking your mother's death?"He called Cora as he ran.The call went straight to voicemail.Blocked.Again.His hands began to shake uncontrollably.He thought back to the call he'd hung up on a few nights earlier.Her hoarse voice.The request he'd never let her finish."No. This can't be real..."He sped to the hospital, blowing through three red lights on the way.The door to Mrs. Winslow's room stood wide open, and a nurse was changing the sheets.
Shattered Beneath the Champagne Tower, I Walked Away Chapter 8
Around midnight, a violent storm rolled in.The wind battered the hospital windows, rattling the glass violently.Suddenly, the heart monitor let out one long, piercing tone.Beeeeeeep.A flat line stretched across the screen.I jolted awake and rushed to Mom's bedside."Mom! Mom!"Doctors and nurses rushed in and began CPR.They worked frantically over Mom's frail, bony body, trying to bring her back.A nurse ushered me into the hallway.I stood pressed against the cold wall, trembling all over.Half an hour later, the doctor stepped out and removed his mask.He shook his head."Ms. Winslow, I'm so sorry."I didn't cry.I walked back into the room in a daze and looked at Mom's peaceful face.Then I took a towel and gently cleaned the mess from the corner of her mouth.By three in the morning, I'd finished all the hospital paperwork and everything needed for her death certificate.The hospital morgue was bitterly cold.I needed to arrange for a funeral home to come and take Mom into th
Shattered Beneath the Champagne Tower, I Walked Away Chapter 7
For the next three days, I stayed at the hospital.The side effects of the targeted therapy were brutal. Mom spent night after night in pain.I stayed by her bedside, wiping the sweat from her face and massaging her swollen legs.Trevor worked fast, and the money from the condo sale soon hit my account.I paid the hospital bills, and seeing what was left in my account finally gave me some peace of mind.On the afternoon of the fourth day, the door to Mom's room opened.Reid stood there in a perfectly tailored custom suit, holding an expensive-looking fruit basket.His brow furrowed when he saw how exhausted I looked."You've been at this for days. You over it yet?"His tone was as condescending as ever, as if coming to see me in person were some enormous favor.I stood up without looking at him and tucked Mom's blanket around her."What are you doing here?"I kept my voice low, afraid of waking Mom, who had just fallen asleep.Reid walked in and set the fruit basket on the nightstand.
Shattered Beneath the Champagne Tower, I Walked Away Chapter 6
Early the next morning, the sound of a nurse's footsteps woke me."Ms. Winslow, your mother's condition has worsened again."Her doctor stood beside the bed with her chart in hand, his expression grave."The cancer has spread, and her current treatment is becoming less effective. You need to prepare yourself."I looked at Mom lying in bed with an oxygen mask over her face, and my heart sank."Doctor, is there anything else we can try? What about targeted therapy?""We can try it, but it's expensive, and there's no guarantee it'll work.""Then let's do it," I said without hesitation. "As long as it can ease her pain, I don't care what it costs."The doctor nodded and went to put in the orders.I stepped out of the room and called Trevor Burke, my real estate agent."Trevor, has anyone shown interest in my condo?""Ms. Winslow, I was just about to call you."He sounded excited."We have a buyer. It's a cash offer, but they're offering ten percent below asking.""Take it," I said."Start
Shattered Beneath the Champagne Tower, I Walked Away Chapter 5
Supporting Mom by the arm, I turned toward the ballroom doors.Reid called after me, utter certainty in his voice."Cora, if you walk out that door tonight, you'll have to live with the consequences!"He thought I was just angry.He thought I'd turn around before I'd even made it thirty feet.But this time, I didn't stop.I pushed open the heavy doors, and a rush of cold air swept inside.I draped my coat over Mom's shoulders and helped her out into the night....Back at the hospital, I settled Mom into bed and tucked the blanket around her."Cora." She weakly took my hand. "What's really going on between you and Reid?"I looked at her weary, aged face, and something inside me felt hollowed out."Nothing, Mom."I forced a smile."I just... don't think I feel the same way about him anymore."Mom sighed and tightened her grip on my hand."I'm getting old. I can't do much for you anymore."But all I want is for you to be happy. If being with him only hurts you, then don't marry him."Eve
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