He Left Me to Freeze, So I Burned His World Down Chapter 20

He Left Me to Freeze, So I Burned His World Down Chapter 20

With that, Ava took Bennett’s hand and walked straight into the hospital room.

The door closed behind them.

Graham moved to follow, but a man in a black suit stepped in front of the door like a wall, his face impassive.

“I’m sorry, Mr. Lockwood. Mr. Shaw has made it clear that you are not welcome here.”

“What right does he—”

Graham’s anger surged, but his assistant grabbed his arm.

“Sir, let’s go for now.” The assistant’s voice was low, almost pleading. “Miss Blake doesn’t want to see you either.”

Graham stared at the closed door, his chest heaving. Finally, like a defeated animal, he retreated.

He placed the carefully wrapped bouquet of white roses on the floor outside the door, then turned and strode away.

A few minutes later, Bennett’s bodyguard brought the bouquet into the room.

“Miss Hart, this…”

“Throw it away.”

Ava didn’t even turn around. Her gaze remained on Nora’s pale face.

The bouquet, a symbol of a false apology, was tossed into the medical waste bin. Anything from Graham was so tainted, she couldn’t bear to look at it for a second longer.

Nora lay in bed, mostly staring at the ceiling, her spirits low.

“The physical therapist said you skipped your session again today,” Ava said softly, taking her hand, the pain in her voice impossible to hide. “Nora, you need to…”

“I don’t want them to see me like this.” Nora’s voice was quiet but stubborn. “Like a baby learning to walk, unable to control my own legs.”

The words were a needle in Ava’s heart. Tears threatened again.

“I’m sorry, Nora. If it wasn’t for me—”

“Don’t say that.” Nora squeezed her hand and offered a weak smile. “Seeing Bennett by your side puts my mind at ease. Ava, you should live your own life now.”

When they left the hospital, the Virginia night air was especially cold.

Ava stopped and looked up at Bennett. His deep eyes were calm under the streetlight.

“The proxy voting rights for the Hart Foundation,” Ava said, her voice clear and steady. “When are you planning to exercise them?”

Bennett opened the car door for her, his hand gently shielding the top of her head. “We can wait until after the wedding. Give you some time…”

“Do it now.”

Ava interrupted him, got into the car, and stared straight ahead with grim determination.

“I don’t want to wait another day.”