The Captain I Married by Chance novel Chapter 402

"Please come in, Ms. Hayes. Your mother woke up shortly after arriving, and she's been in and out of consciousness a few times since. We asked if she wanted us to call you, but she insisted you were busy with work and strictly forbade us from interrupting you."

The nurse's smile widened. "It's a wonderful surprise that you came today. You two clearly have such a beautiful bond."

Emotion flooded Nora's face. She had thought her mother had only woken up once during the transfer, but learning she had been lucid multiple times was a miracle. Because of her rapidly failing health, Grace had practically been kept alive by machines for years. Her comatose states had always vastly outnumbered her waking moments.

During the darkest times, Nora used to have recurring nightmares that her mother would simply close her eyes and never wake up again. Thank God they had only been nightmares.

"Thank you so much for taking such good care of her," Nora said, her voice trembling slightly as she shot the nurse a deeply grateful look.

"Oh, you're too kind. It's truly our pleasure," the nurse replied softly. "Go on in. She'll be overjoyed to see you."

Nora murmured an agreement and stepped inside the stunning two-story villa with Valerie close behind. Once indoors, she realized the exterior was a clever disguise. While it looked like a high-end vacation home on the outside, the first floor was essentially a state-of-the-art private hospital. It was compact but fully equipped—Nora even spotted a pristine operating room down the hall.

"The way billionaires live is seriously beyond my comprehension," Valerie whispered, eyes wide. "With a medical setup like this, even if it doesn't instantly cure you, just living in this environment would do wonders for your mental health."

"Yeah," Nora managed a bittersweet chuckle. She had initially thought that marrying Harold's grandson in exchange for her mother receiving expert medical care was an even trade. Now, looking at the sheer magnitude of resources being poured into Grace's recovery, Nora realized she was the one walking away with the far better end of the deal.

"Are you Ms. Hayes?"

Standing in the doorway, Valerie wiped her own red eyes. She felt a deep, twisting regret over the years she had stubbornly lost touch with Nora over a petty falling out. If she had known just how dire Grace's condition had been, she would have never let their friendship lapse, not for a single second. It shattered her heart to imagine Nora bearing the crushing weight of her demanding job and her mother's failing health entirely alone.

"Ms. Cruz."

Valerie hastily swiped a tear from her cheek and turned to the low, masculine voice. Nathan was standing just outside the door in the hallway.

"What is it?" she asked, naturally dropping her volume to match his hushed tone.

Nathan shot her a meaningful look. Valerie hesitated for a split second before stepping out into the hall to join him. If it were any other man, she might have suspected he was plotting something shady. But this was Nathan Peyton. All she felt was burning curiosity. What could he possibly want to talk about that had to be kept a secret from Nora?