I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 386

Dr. Reed's voice snapped like a whip. "Explain what?! Stealing someone else's identity to forge your academic credentials just to infiltrate a top-tier research institute—do you even comprehend the severity of what you've done? This is no longer a simple moral failing. This is a blatant violation of the law! Assuming another person's identity to illegally usurp their academic achievements warrants criminal prosecution!"

Tears streamed down Seraphina's face in a completely uncontrollable torrent. She practically threw herself at the side of his bed, collapsing to the floor. "Dr. Reed, I know I was wrong! I'm begging you, please, for the sake of the time I spent looking after you here, can't you give me just one chance?"

"Looking after me? Is that what you call it?" He scoffed. "You were simply trying to use my status to gild your own resume. The moment you forged your way into the Institute, you should have known this day was coming."

Seraphina sobbed, nodding frantically. "I know! I know it all! Dr. Reed, I just wanted to be successful so badly! I genuinely love medicine! If I hadn't run into some personal issues back then, I could have achieved greatness on my own!"

Dr. Reed let out a harsh laugh. "A person who genuinely loves medicine does not stand on a podium using a stolen identity. Do you even know where the brilliant young woman you replaced is right now? She is trapped working in a run-down local clinic, dispensing medication for a few hundred dollars a month. You claim to love medicine. Does she not love it just as much?"

Seraphina froze, unable to formulate a single word of defense.

Dr. Reed slowly closed his eyes, extinguishing the last shred of warmth in his demeanor. "Nurse, please escort Ms. Shaw out. I am feeling fatigued."

Security firmly guided Seraphina out of the room. Her legs felt like jelly. She knew perfectly well that when a man of Dr. Reed's stature threatened criminal prosecution, it wasn't an empty bluff.

A single word from a medical titan like him was enough to permanently blacklist her from the entire academic world. If he actually pressed charges, what fresh hell awaited her?

Seraphina had no idea how she stumbled out of the hospital. She felt like a walking corpse. She pulled out her phone to call her father, only to find the trending hashtags completely immovable. The damning posts were multiplying by the second, and the public vitriol was totally out of control.

The line went dead immediately. Clutching her phone, Seraphina stood paralyzed on the sidewalk, trembling violently. Despite the brilliant sunlight beating down on her, she felt like she was submerged in ice.

She hailed a cab. Sitting in the backseat, she desperately reapplied her powder and lipstick, trying to mask her panic before heading up to Finnegan's executive suite.

When she pushed open his office doors, she found him standing with his back to her, staring out the floor-to-ceiling windows.

For the first time in her life, the sight of his broad shoulders filled her with pure terror.

She opened her mouth, injecting a fragile, trembling note of vulnerability into her voice, desperately praying he would protect her like he always did. "Finn..."