The Moment I Realized I Can't Lose You novel Chapter 34

It was the first time Joaquin had ever seen Audrey explode like this. He stared at her flushed, tear-streaked face, momentarily stunned into silence.

*Honk!*

An impatient blare from the car behind them snapped him back to reality. The light had turned green. He pressed his lips together and hit the gas. "Just... calm down for a second."

Audrey turned her face away, staring out the window. Now that the dam had broken, an avalanche of hurt and exhaustion crushed her. She watched the city blur past, her throat burning as hot tears slipped down her cheeks.

They drove the rest of the way in suffocating silence. Soon, the car descended into the hospital’s underground parking garage.

Joaquin parked the car and turned to look at her. Audrey sniffled, forcing herself to swallow down the bitter ache in her chest. She knew that simply screaming and crying wouldn't solve anything. It was why she usually kept everything locked tight inside, rarely allowing herself to lose control.

But the fierce, primal need to protect the life growing inside her was overpowering. The mere thought of Joaquin discovering the pregnancy and ripping the child away from her made it physically hard to breathe.

"Audrey."

His deep voice pulled her back. She turned, her tear-stained eyes locking onto the handsome face that had once completely captivated her.

"I just want a doctor to make sure you're okay." Frustrated, he pulled a cigarette from the center console, but remembering how much she hated the smell, he tossed it back. "I know you think you don't need my concern. But regardless of whether you donate your bone marrow to Rainey, I want you to be healthy."

He exhaled deeply, staring straight out the windshield. His tone shifted, turning grave. "That being said, I really do want you to reconsider the transplant."

"I already promised I’ll assemble the best medical team in the world for you. You will recover completely. You'll be just as healthy as you are now."

"I don't know what’s holding you back. If it's just out of spite or jealousy toward Rainey, it's not worth it. You two are family. Blood matters."

His low, magnetic voice had an almost hypnotic quality to it. If Audrey hadn't been pregnant, and if she hadn't already seen Rainey's true, venomous colors, she might have actually been swayed. She might have nodded along like the naive fool who agreed to be a replacement bride a year ago.

*Click.*

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