Madly Yours (Nora Reed) novel Chapter 69

The car tore down the street. Edmond sat in the passenger seat, his brow tightly furrowed, staring out the window in dead silence.

Ferris kept glancing at him through the rearview mirror, but he was met with the same dark, brooding expression every time.

The second they reached the hospital, Edmond threw the door open and marched inside.

Ferris had to jog just to keep up, calling out 'Edmond' several times, but Edmond seemed entirely deaf to the world, his footsteps heavy and frantic.

The Ear Rehabilitation Center was on the seventh floor. The corridor was long, the air thick with the sharp scent of antiseptic.

The nurse at the reception desk was writing down notes when she heard the heavy footsteps and looked up.

"Mr. Sterling?"

She clearly recognized him and hurriedly pulled a transparent evidence bag out of a drawer, handing it over. "This is what Ms. Reed left behind..."

Inside the sealed bag was a men's ring. It was made of solid platinum, its design simple and elegant. There appeared to be an engraving on the inside of the band.

Noticing his grim expression, the nurse hesitated, her voice instinctively dropping to a whisper. "The janitor found this ring in the trash bin."

Ferris's breath hitched, his eyes snapping to Edmond.

Edmond didn't move. He just stood there like a statue, his fingers gripping the edge of the plastic bag so hard his knuckles turned stark white.

"The janitor said she found it while taking out the trash on the day Ms. Reed was discharged... We figured she might have thrown it away by mistake, so we kept it, hoping to contact her and give it back..."

Mistake.

Edmond stared at the ring. It felt as if his throat had been sealed shut with concrete, making it nearly impossible to draw a breath.

Suddenly, he let out a short, hollow laugh.

It was so faint, but it sent a violent chill racing down Ferris's spine.

"Edmond..."

Edmond ignored him. He tore open the sealed bag and dumped the ring into his palm.

The platinum felt ice-cold and heavy against his skin.

He flipped the ring over and stared at the words engraved on the inside.

Edmond & Nora.

The letters were carved incredibly deep, as if she had been terrified they might wear away with time.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify