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Lahat ng Kabanata ng Cruel Love Back in His Hands : Kabanata 51 - Kabanata 60

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Chapter 52

llGeorge showed up at Kristine's apartment that evening with Thai food and wine. She opened the door looking exhausted."Hey.""Hey yourself." He kissed her forehead. "Rough day?""Understatement of the century."They sat on the couch and Kristine told him everything. The meeting. The reassignments. The argument with Nathan. Richard's compromise."So I kept most of my projects but lost Henderson. Three months of work just gone."George set down his food. "That's not acceptable.""I know. But what am I supposed to do? Richard already made his decision.""Fight back.""Against Nathan? He's the COO.""Against the decision. Go to Richard. Make your case. Don't just accept this.""George—""I'm serious. You built that project from scratch. You know it better than anyone. Make Richard see that pulling you off now hurts the company.""He already sided with Nathan.""He made a compromise to end the argument. That doesn't mean he won't change his mind if you present a better case."Kristine le

Chapter 53

Kristine stopped at her favorite coffee shop Wednesday morning before work. She needed caffeine and a moment of peace before diving into the Henderson project revisions.She was waiting for her order when someone tapped her shoulder."Kristine? Oh my God, it is you!"She turned. Claire Townsend stood there, smiling brightly, looking perfectly put together in expensive workout clothes.Kristine's stomach dropped. "Claire.""I can't believe I ran into you! What are the odds?""Pretty low.""I know, right? Listen, do you have a minute? I'd love to talk.""I'm actually on my way to work.""Just five minutes. Please. There's something I've been wanting to say to you."Kristine hesitated. Every instinct told her to leave. But Claire looked so earnest, so friendly, that refusing felt rude."Okay. Five minutes."They sat at a corner table. Claire ordered a green tea while Kristine waited for her coffee."So," Claire started. "I know things have been awkward between us. The ethics complaint, t

Chapter 54

George texted Kristine Thursday afternoon."Dr. Sarah Blake is in town for a medical conference. Remember her? She was my mentor in Boston. We're grabbing dinner tonight. Want to join?"Kristine stared at the message. Sarah Blake. The name from Claire's list."There was a nurse. Emma. And a resident from another hospital he met at a conference. And I think there was someone from the gym. Oh, and Dr. Sarah Blake from cardiology."Wait. Had Claire mentioned Sarah? Kristine couldn't remember exactly. But the name felt familiar. Uncomfortable."Sure. What time?""Seven. Harborview Bistro. You'll like her. She's brilliant."Brilliant. Great.Kristine spent the rest of the afternoon distracted. She tried on three different outfits before settling on a simple black dress. Professional but not trying too hard.She met George at the restaurant. He was already there with a woman who looked exactly like what Kristine had feared.Mid-thirties. Beautiful in an effortless way. Designer suit. Confid

Chapter 55

Kristine told herself she was fine on the drive home from George's apartment.She was not fine.She gripped the steering wheel and replayed the whole thing — the dinner, the laughter, and then Sarah Blake's name coming up, and everything going sideways from there.It had started small. George mentioned running into Sarah at the hospital that afternoon. Old colleague. Sharp mind. Brilliant diagnostician. He'd said it the way people talk about someone they genuinely admire, and something cold had moved through Kristine's chest.She'd asked a few questions. Normal questions. George had stiffened."She's a colleague, Kristine. We've been over this.""I'm not accusing you of anything.""Then stop asking like you are."She had set down her fork. "I'm asking because you lit up talking about her. You talk about her differently than you talk about everyone else.""She's a brilliant doctor. I respect her work.""You don't have to defend her to me.""I'm not defending her. I'm explaining reality

Chapter 56

She didn't call George.She thought about it three times the next morning. She picked up her phone, put it down, picked it up again. In the end she went to work without calling.The office was normal. Loud, busy, full of the kind of meetings that ate half the day without producing much. She was grateful for it. Work was something she could hold on to.Lucy found her at the coffee machine at eleven."You look terrible," Lucy said, which from Lucy meant she was worried."Thank you, Lucy.""George?""We had a fight.""About what?""Sarah Blake." She poured her coffee. "I know how it sounds.""It doesn't sound like anything. What happened?"She gave Lucy the short version. The dinner. The comment. Irrational. Lucy listened without interrupting, which was unusual for her."He called your feelings irrational," Lucy said when she finished."He called the conversation irrational.""Same thing." Lucy poured her own cup. "He's an idiot.""He's not an idiot.""He's a temporary idiot then. He'll

Chapter 57

She heard the knock at ten-fifteen.She already knew it was him. George didn't text when he was ready to talk. He just showed up.She sat on the couch for a moment, photos face-down on the coffee table where she'd placed them an hour ago. She'd been sitting there ever since, not watching the TV that was on, not reading the book in her lap.She got up and opened the door.He looked tired. His collar was open, jacket in his hand. He'd come straight from somewhere — work, or just the car. He looked at her face and something in him shifted."I'm not here to win anything," he said. "I just didn't want to leave it like that."She stepped back from the doorway.He came in. He saw the photos on the coffee table and went still. He picked them up slowly and looked through them."Where did these come from?""Under my door. No note. No name."He set them down. His jaw was tight. "When?""Tonight. When I got home."He was quiet for a moment. Then he looked at her. "Someone was here.""Yes.""Krist

Chapter 58

Lucy closed the office door behind her.That was the first sign. Lucy almost never closed doors. She was the kind of person who kept things open, who operated in full view of everyone, who said what she thought at normal volume with no regard for who was nearby.She turned around and her face was serious in a way that made Kristine put down her pen."I need to tell you something," Lucy said. "And I need you to not brush it off.""When do I brush things off?""All the time." She sat down. "This is about Nathan."Kristine waited."I've been watching him. For the past two weeks. Not in an obvious way — I was just paying attention." She folded her hands on the desk. "He tracks you, Kristine. I mean that literally. He knows when you arrive, when you step out, who you eat lunch with. Last Thursday he was in the corridor outside the conference room for twenty minutes during your meeting with the Henderson team. Just standing there. I thought he was waiting for someone. But he wasn't.""Lucy—

Chapter 59

The party was Richard's idea.Caldwell Technologies had just signed a contract with a major hospital network — three years of brand and communications work, the biggest healthcare deal the company had ever closed. It had come together partly because of George's consulting input, his understanding of how hospitals thought and what they needed. Richard had insisted on a celebration.The venue was a rooftop bar in downtown Seattle. Open sky, city lights, good wine. The team was loose and happy. Richard gave a short speech. There was applause. Kristine stood beside George and felt, for one evening, like things were simply good.They had been careful with each other since the fight. Not distant — careful. The kind of careful that comes after you've hurt someone and you're both still learning the new edges.He kept his hand at her back most of the evening. She let him.Lucy found her at the bar around nine."You look almost relaxed," Lucy said."Don't say that. You'll jinx it."Lucy laughed

Chapter 60

The call came at eight the next morning.George was already at the hospital. Kristine was at her desk, first coffee still hot, when her phone rang. She answered without checking the screen.It was George. She knew from the first word."There's a complaint," he said. "Filed this morning. Against me."She put the coffee down. "What kind of complaint?""Harassment." A pause. Short and controlled, the kind of pause where someone is working very hard to stay level. "Claire. She's claiming I've been harassing her since she apologized at the party last night. That I approached her. That I've sent threatening messages.""That's not what happened.""No. It's not." His voice was careful and quiet in the way it got when he was managing something large. "But they have evidence. Text messages from my number. Screenshots. Two witnesses who apparently saw me approach her at a previous work event and behave inappropriately."She stood up from her desk. "George—""The hospital has to investigate. Stan

Chapter 61

She found him at his apartment that evening.He answered the door in yesterday's shirt. He hadn't shaved. The apartment behind him was dim and quiet in the way it got when he'd been inside alone for a long time, the blinds half down, the kitchen untouched.She walked in without being invited."You should have called first," he said."You would have told me not to come."He didn't argue with that. He closed the door.She sat on the couch. He stayed standing — not pacing, just not ready to sit. He was holding his phone loosely in one hand and she could see from across the room that it had been in his hand all day."Talk to me," she said."I've been suspended pending investigation." His voice was flat. The way voices go when someone has been saying a fact out loud all day and the words have worn smooth. "The hospital put it in writing this afternoon. They're reviewing every case I've consulted on in the last six months. Every patient contact. Every record.""That's standard. It doesn't m

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