My Husband Married Me for Revenge, I Ruined His Plan Chapter 05

My Husband Married Me for Revenge, I Ruined His Plan Chapter 05

I woke up in the hospital with an IV needle taped to my wrist.

The nurse came in. The second she saw I was awake, her eyes went red.

“Laurel, you’re awake. The whole village has been asking about you, every single day.”

“Cade’s been out there for three days and three nights.”

“As for Mr. Sterling—” she lowered her voice, “Cade’s people have him blocked at the gate. Won’t let him in.”

My lips parted. I mouthed a single word, “Baby?”

The nurse looked down, her face full of sympathy.

“The doctor said you were about four weeks along.”

“Your body was already fragile, and then being trapped in the cold for so long…”

She hesitated before continuing.

“I’m sorry. It may be very hard for you to conceive again.”

I didn’t cry. Not anymore.

After I left Willow Ridge Valley for college at eighteen, Cade and I made it through nine years of long-distance—endless phone calls, stolen visits.

Then, three years ago, I discovered I was pregnant.

I thought we were finally going to have a family. But he cheated on me.

He flew out and stood under my window all night. I never went down.

A month after losing the baby, I joined Sterling Group.

Six months later, I married Winston.

And now, three years later, I’d lost another one.

Maybe it would have been easier if I had died.

The door opened. Cade walked in.

It had been three years.

He’d gotten thinner, but his shoulders were still broad, his ranch coat faded and worn from years of use.

He stepped closer. The cold, clean scent of snow and open prairie clung to him.

He reached out, his hand trembling in midair like he was afraid to touch me.

Finally, it came to rest on my hair, a gentle ruffle.

“Laurel.” His voice was rough, his eyes bloodshot, and even his breathing had softened—like he was afraid of startling me.

“You’re safe now. I’m here. I’m not going anywhere.”

I looked at him. “Why are you here?”

For a long time, he didn’t answer.

His throat worked. Finally, he spoke, “I heard about the poacher hunt. Came to check it out.”

His voice turned hoarse. “I never thought… it’d be you.”

He paused. “You blocked me. I never got a chance to explain.”

“That night Bianca showed up—I was wasted. I woke up and she was lying there, crying.”

“I thought…” His jaw tightened. “I thought I’d really done something unforgivable.”

His eyes were shot with red, and his voice shook.

“Then I heard you were at the hospital. You’d locked yourself in, wouldn’t see anyone.”

“They said you were falling apart. Said you wanted to die.”

He swallowed hard. “I didn’t even get to see your face. I didn’t dare.”

I looked at the shadows under his eyes. “Then why do you dare now?”

A bitter smile crossed his face.

“Last month, I ran into Bianca. She was drunk.” He clenched his fists.

“She laughed at us. Called us idiots. Said she’d played us both—no effort at all.”

His voice cracked. “That’s when I learned the truth.”

“Everything about that night was a setup.”

After a pause, he continued quietly.

“As soon as I knew, I got Zachary to track down how you were doing.”

“I’m sorry, Laurel.” His eyes glistened. “I came too late.”

I looked at those bloodshot eyes.

And suddenly, I couldn’t find the anger anymore.

At sixteen, he’d sat on the grassy slopes, carving cedar beads for me one by one.

At eighteen, he’d chased my car on horseback all the way to the airport.

At twenty-one, he’d stood outside the hospital corridor all night waiting for me.

And this time—he’d waited in the snow outside my hospital room for three days.

I closed my eyes. “Cade. I can’t think about this right now.”

“I know,” he said immediately. “I’m not asking you to. No rush.”

He pulled a chair closer and sat. “I’ll be right here.”

A commotion sounded outside.

Winston was outside. Cade’s men had him barred at the entrance. He couldn’t get in.

Through the window, I could see him standing in the falling snow.

His overcoat was covered in a layer of white.

The nurse leaned in.

“I heard Bianca did it on purpose—lured him away on purpose,” she whispered, her face tight with anger.

“People are saying she should be locked up for it.”

That evening, Zachary came by with fresh cornbread. He walked in wearing that familiar grin.

“Laurel, when you’re better, you come on back to the prairie,” he said, setting the food down beside my bed.

“That clinic job’s still yours if you want it.”

I nodded. “Thank you, Zachary.”

Outside the window, Winston stood in the snow.

He didn’t know it yet—but I’d already erased him from my life. For good.