She Turned Her Grief Into Wings novel Chapter 22

True to his word, Aiken dropped the divorce agreement off the following afternoon.

Shera opened it and reviewed the details, ensuring everything was in order.

"Where's Caden?"

Aiken replied, "Mr. Hayes went on a business trip to Bay City."

Shera clicked her tongue softly and shoved the documents heavily back into the envelope.

She knew it. He wasn't going to make this easy.

Aiken, sensing that Shera was dead serious this time, instinctively tried to speak up. "Mrs. Hayes, actually, the CEO..."

Beep—

A sharp honk from behind cut Aiken off mid-sentence.

Looking up, they saw a black Maybach parked by the curb. The tinted window rolled down, revealing an effortlessly elegant face.

"Shera, get in."

Aiken recognized him immediately. It was the man from the restaurant hallway the other day.

His name was... Rhys Jewell.

The CEO had explicitly told Aiken to run a background check on this guy.

Aiken glanced at Shera, then at the man in the car, and seemed to piece something together.

The explanation died on his lips. With a complex expression, he simply shut his mouth.

Shera gave a dismissive wave behind her and nodded to Aiken. "Thanks for making the trip."

Then she opened the car door and slid in.

As the car pulled away, Aiken watched the two of them chatting inside and let out a heavy sigh.

Rhys pulled his gaze from the rearview mirror, glancing at the document envelope in Shera's lap. He asked quietly, "Signed it?"

"Yeah."

Her response was subdued. Whether it was the cold she was fighting or something else, she seemed utterly drained.

The car merged into traffic. Rhys stared straight ahead, thought for a moment, and then made a U-turn.

Shera looked out the window, confused. "Weren't we going to look at the new fabrics?"

"Hospital first."

"I told you, I'm fine."

"Shera." Rhys's voice was low—not harsh, but leaving no room for argument. "Your voice is completely hoarse."

Rhys's eyes darkened, but he didn't argue. He walked over to the water dispenser, poured a cup of warm water, and handed it to her.

He carefully popped the pills from their blister packs and dropped them into her palm.

Resting next to the pills was a peach-flavored hard candy.

Ever since she was little, her sense of taste had been far more sensitive than most. Taking bitter medicine was always an ordeal, sometimes even making her nauseous.

Once Rhys figured that out, he would always have a candy ready to wash away the bitter aftertaste.

It felt like a lifetime ago.

Shera smiled softly. "You actually remembered."

He looked right at her, answering with total sincerity, "I remember everything about you."

Shera's smile froze for a split second. She discreetly averted her eyes, swallowed her medicine, and then unhurriedly unwrapped the candy and popped it into her mouth.

The sweet peach flavor flooded her senses. She leaned back against the chair and closed her eyes.

"I can't even remember the last time I had a piece of candy."

Rhys stared at her for a long time before finally speaking.

His voice was a little rough. "Shera, I came back too late."