Reborn to Dodge the Bad Marriage novel Chapter 263

Chapter 263 More Than a Deal

Finished

“We’re heading over now,” Cordelia said. “Call me right away if anything changes with Julian.”

Phil promised he would. Then, he glanced up at Nora as she walked away. “So that’s Dr. Corbett,” he said. “Even from behind, you can tell he’s young. So young, and already that good.”

He’d have loved to steal a doctor like that away from the Order.

But Cordelia was on her way to the annex, and he needed to get on the big boss’s good side while he had the chance. If he played this right, he might even end up running the main hospital.

Phil turned and hurried off to get ready. He wanted to give Cordelia a grand welcome, make as big a splash as he could, and boost her reputation even more.

With that in mind, he got on the phone with the local media. “This is the Blithe Institute Annex. Mr. Weston of the Weston Group has been saved. If you’re here in half an hour, you can interview Dr. Blithe, the woman who saved him.”

After several calls, Phil was sure his promotion was in the bag. He smiled and straightened his jacket.

Sucking up was what he did best. With one phone call, the media had a trending story, Cordelia got fame and fortune, and he got a promotion and a raise. What a perfect day!

Phil thought he was doing her a favor. He had no idea what kind of mess he’d just made for Cordelia.

Outside the ICU, Constance looked through the glass at Julian. He wasn’t hooked up to any tubes. He just lay there in his hospital gown, so still he could have been sleeping. A nurse stood beside the bed, jotting something down on a chart.

The sight of him finally let her breathe again. She looked up at Nora. “Nora, can I go in and see him?”

Nora shook her head. “Not yet. He’s out of danger for now, but he still has to stay in intensive care. Don’t worry, Grandma. I’m here, and he’s going to be fine. You should go get some rest. We can’t have him wake up and find you sick in bed too.”

Hearing that helped Constance relax a little, but a knot of worry stayed in her chest. This was intensive care, after all. “I’ll wait a little longer. Cordelia and Olivia will be here soon. Let’s see what they say when they get here.”

Nora nodded, told her to take care of herself, and went into the ICU.

She sat down by the bed and looked at Julian. He was deathly pale, lying perfectly still. The only thing that set him apart from someone sound asleep was how faintly his chest rose and fell.

But Nora knew that, as peaceful as he looked, Julian was still hanging on by a thread.

“Come on, Julian. Wake up.” Nora took his hand. The veins stood out on the back of it, and his hand was so broad that hers disappeared inside it. It felt warm and strong.

She thought back to the hotel. She was the one who’d been drugged and couldn’t control herself. He could easily have taken advantage of her.

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10:45 am CTO

Chapter 268 More Than a Deal

Finished

But he’d respected her. He’d asked her more than once, and he’d only gone on after he was sure she wanted it and knew it was him

Even when an attack had stripped away his reason and he couldn’t recognize anyone, one “honey” from her had brought a little of him back. He couldn’t bring himself to hurt her.

Julian really did seem to like her, even more than she’d ever imagined.

She’d now been there for two of his attacks, and both times, he’d nearly died. But the two times had felt completely different.

The first was at their wedding, Back then, she hadn’t wanted Julian to die, but only because his death wouldn’t do her any good. She’d fought to save him for her own sake.

All she’d been thinking about was whether the Westons would still accept her as Julian’s wife if he died, and whether she’d still have the family’s power behind her.

Today was Julian’s second attack, and from the very first second, she’d felt helpless, panicked, and scared.

Just thinking about how close she’d come to losing him filled her with fear. Her chest went so tight she could hardly breathe.

She was afraid he’d die, and she didn’t know what she’d do if he did. She hadn’t even told him she liked him yet. If he died, she’d never see him again, and she’d regret it for the rest of her life.

Somewhere along the way, her feelings for Julian had stopped being about what he could do for her. They’d become real.

Nora lifted his hand, bent her head, and pressed a soft kiss to it.

Gideon walked in just in time to see her kiss the back of Julian’s hand. There was something fragile and beautiful about the moment that he couldn’t put into words.

Gideon couldn’t take it anymore. “Nora, here’s Julian’s latest test report,” he said, breaking the moment, and handed her a stack of printouts.

Nora set Julian’s hand down gently and took the reports.

Gideon watched her look through them carefully. “Don’t bother. The numbers are exactly the same as before.”

Nora didn’t even look up. “Are you sure?”

“I’m sure,” Gideon said. “This is a Blithe hospital. It may be small, but the Blithes have been in medicine for generations. Their equipment, their staff, their supplies, the way they run things, it’s all top-notch.”

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