The Only Family I Ever Had Chapter 08

The Only Family I Ever Had Chapter 08

I squeezed my eyes shut.

The car shook violently.

Something heavy crashed onto the roof.

When everything finally stopped, I opened my eyes.

Sebastian was over me.

His body shielded mine from most of the impact.

His seat belt was unfastened.

The windshield on my side had shattered completely.

Twisted metal rods had punched into the passenger compartment, stopping only inches from my

seat.

Sebastian coughed.

Blood spilled from his mouth and dripped onto my clothes.

“Sebastian!”

My hands shook as I reached for my phone and called emergency services.

He didn’t answer me.

He was barely conscious, but the arm wrapped around me still held tight.

Paramedics had to work for several minutes before they could get him onto a stretcher.

At the hospital, Sebastian was taken directly into surgery.

His phone kept vibrating in his pocket.

I hesitated before answering it.

“Sebastian Whitmore, are you trying to kill me with stress? Get back here, apologize to Vanessa, ånd finish the wedding.”

I recognized the voice.

“Mr. Whitmore?”

The line went silent.

Richard’s voice came back, low and furious.

“Claire?”

His voice hardened.

“Sebastian is with you?”

“Yes.”

“What exactly is he to you?”

I said nothing.

Richard continued.

“Is he your uncle, or is he a man you still can’t let go of?”

I drew a slow breath.

“He’s my uncle. That’s all. We’re family.”

“Then tell him to come home and marry Vanessa.”

I lowered my eyes.

“Okay.”

Sebastian survived the surgery.

The first thing he did after waking was search the room for me.

. Only when he saw that I was unharmed did his body visibly relax.

I told him about Richard’s call.

“When you’re well enough, you should go back to New York. I can handle treatment on my own.

Evan is here.”

His face hardened.

“You’re trying to get rid of me?”

Before I could answer, doctors and nurses entered for rounds.

I stepped away from the bed.

“I’ll come back tomorrow.”

“Claire…”

Pain sharpened his voice.

“Don’t walk away from me.”

I heard the anger.

I left anyway.

Later, Sebastian spoke with my doctors in detail.

They explained that treating advanced lung cancer after it had spread to the brain was difficult.

The brain metastases were especially concerning because of the neurological symptoms they were already causing.

Dr. Williams’s plan was aggressive, but it offered the best chance of controlling the disease in my

brain.

Sebastian struggled to accept how serious it was.

Then Ryan told him that rumors about Sebastian and me were spreading online back in the U.S.

Almost all of them were aimed at me.

Sebastian’s face hardened.

“Vanessa?”

Ryan nodded.

“Most likely. The source accounts trace back to devices and networks linked to the Hale family.”

Something dangerous settled over Sebastian’s face.

“Collect everything. Go to the police. Whitmore Group will pursue legal action to the fullest extent.”

He paused.

“Get the stories taken down. Then go after Hale Industries. I want pressure on every deal, every render, every partner we can legally touch.”

Ryan left to carry out the order.

Sebastian ignored the doctors’ advice, took painkillers, discharged himself, and came to find me.

“Claire, have you thought about choosing a less aggressive treatment plan?”

I frowned.

“I’ve already decided.”

I met his eyes.

“I want to fight for a better future.”

He knew he couldn’t change my mind.

“Please think about it carefully.”

Then he turned and walked away.

Evan had been waiting outside.

Once the door closed, he spoke calmly.

“If the brain lesions keep progressing, the symptoms will get worse. More headaches. More

confusion. Trouble speaking or walking. And the memory loss could become profound.”

Sebastian stopped.

Evan continued.

“That could become her everyday life.”

Sebastian curled one hand into a fist.

Then he walked away without a word.

Over the next several days, my memory worsened.

I often forgot whether I had taken my medication.

Sometimes I stopped recognizing places I had been to many times.

Dr. Williams reviewed my medications before treatment and temporarily adjusted the ones that could worsen drowsiness or confusion so the team could get a clearer picture of my neurological

symptoms.

Even with those changes, my condition continued to deteriorate.

It felt as though the doors holding my memories in place were coming apart.

One afternoon, I was grocery shopping with Sebastian when I stopped in the middle of an aisle.

I had no idea what I had come there to buy.

The night before treatment, I couldn’t sleep.

Sebastian sat with me while I had a little wine.

When I stood to go to bed, slightly lightheaded, he called my name.

“Claire.”

I turned.

He stared at me.

The dim light softened the edges of his expression, but underneath it was something raw.

Pain.

Conflict.

Something I couldn’t name.

When he spoke, his voice was almost too quiet to hear.

“Claire, do you still love me?”