The Plane Tickets He Hoarded The Wife He Hid novel Chapter 83

83 Chapter 83 When They Need You

Blanche’s POV 1

I walked into the observation room and found Demetrius lying flat on the hospital bed, seemingly asleep.

His sleep was restless, though, and my quiet footsteps were enough to make his eyes flutter open.

When he saw me, panic flashed across his features–clearly mortified that I was seeing him in this condition.

He attempted to push himself upright, but I quickly pressed my hand against his arm. “Don’t move, Demetrius. Just stay still.”

Ignoring my protest, he propped himself against the headboard anyway. His lips looked drained of color as he met my gaze, managing a

fragile smile. “I’m sorry you have to witness me like this.”

My eyes began to sting, and I dropped my gaze. “Please don’t apologize. This happened because of me, you-”

“Zain Jacob contacted you, didn’t he?” Demetrius cut me off.

I nodded slightly. “He did.”

Demetrius’s arm was encased in a cast, and yellowing bruises marked his face.

He’d been desperate to keep me from seeing him in this state, yet here I stood.

The smile vanished from Demetrius’s face, his tone becoming subdued. “This is about Drew Stewart’s mother, right?”

I stared at him, taken aback. “How do you know? Did someone reach out to you?”

Demetrius shook his head and clarified, “She came to the clinic for an examination while I was working. I recommended hospitalization

then, but she refused to listen. She claimed I was too inexperienced to be a competent doctor and said I was fabricating problems. I

knew it was only a matter of time before her condition worsened.”

“I see,” I said.

Demetrius studied me carefully. “Did Zain make threats against you?”

Not wanting to add to his concerns, I shook my head. “He didn’t.”

“The fact that you’re here asking tells me otherwise,” Demetrius said matter–of–factly.

I remained quiet, my silence speaking volumes.

Demetrius read the truth in my expression and understood he’d guessed correctly.

After a pause, he asked gently, “Blanche, do you want me to perform this operation?”

I shook my head. “I’m not sure.”

Saving lives is what doctors do, I thought, but how can anyone simply overlook what Drew did to Demetrius?

But Demetrius offered a faint smile. “You know I’d do it if you asked me to.”

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I glanced at his cast. “Even if you were willing, you can’t operate with that injury. Regardless, your priority needs to be recovering first.”

Demetrius nodded without claborating.

I didn’t inquire about how he’d gotten hurt. I was certain it was linked to the gossip Drew had circulated.

Envy could be lethal, and rumors could consume someone entirely.

After staying with him a bit longer, I stood to leave.

As I reached the door, I turned back to face him. “Demetrius, whether you decide to do this surgery or not–that’s entirely up to you.

Nobody has the right to force you.”

Not even me, I thought.

Demetrius smiled at me, his voice warm. “I understand.”

I left the hospital and returned to the Callum Mansion. My father, mother, and my niece Camila had already turned in for the night.

As always, my brother Quinton was up waiting for me. Only after confirming I’d made it home safely did he finally retire to bed.

After a brief conversation with Amber, I didn’t detect anything unusual with my family. I realized Zain was holding back, waiting to see

whether Demetrius would consent to the surgery before taking his next step.

The following day, life continued its normal rhythm. People headed to work, to school…

Zain probably won’t target my family right now, I thought.

That morning, my phone buzzed. Zain was calling.

Throughout our entire marriage, I could count on one hand how many times he’d phoned me.

If he’d shown this kind of initiative before, I would have been thrilled.

But now things were different. My heart remained unmoved.

I picked up. “What do you want?”

Zain was direct. “Let’s meet for lunch.”

I was about to decline when he continued, “Bring Demetrius along.”

So this was about Drew’s mother’s surgery. Naturally,

When they don’t need Demetrius, they can spread lies about him, destroy him, and tear down the career he built through years of hard

work with false accusations.

But now that they require his skills, they’re too arrogant to ask directly. Instead, they expect me to play intermediary.

The irony was almost amusing.

Was a wealthy man’s ego really that fragile? Was admitting fault truly so difficult?

A cynical laugh slipped out. “I’m not your chess piece, Zain, or someone you can command and dismiss whenever it suits you. So no, we

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won’t be having lunch. I can pay for my own food, thanks.”

With that, not caring about his reaction, I ended the call.

Just before the line cut off, I caught the faint sound of Joanna’s voice in the background.

That afternoon, my phone rang again.

This time, the call came from Blissfield Villa.

I knew it was Carry and wavered about answering.

This wasn’t the first time Carry had wounded me.

But she was still my daughter, and I knew holding resentment against a child was pointless.

I answered but stayed quiet, letting Carry speak first.

Carry was also waiting for me to break the silence. The quiet stretched between us.

Eventually, Carry surrendered. “Mommy.”

Her voice was soft and coaxing.

My response was emotionless. “Yes.”

Carry asked tentatively, “Mommy, could you come home and spend time with me? Daddy and Miss Joanna haven’t come back in a while.”

I suspected Zain and Joanna were busy dealing with Drew’s mother’s situation, which explained their absence.

Even so, I felt no inclination to agree to Carry’s request. “Isn’t Heidi there with you at Blissfield Villa?”

Carry’s tone became petulant. “But Heidi is just staff. I have a daddy and a mommy. I just want my mom and dad with me.”

Just your mom and dad? I thought. What about Joanna?

I knew exactly what my daughter was thinking. She was only calling me because Joanna wasn’t available, making me the backup option.

“I have to work late tonight, I can’t-”

Before I could complete my refusal, Carry began crying. “Mommy, I haven’t even had dinner. Heidi’s food tastes awful. I want you to

make your blueberry pie.”

Despite everything, my heart squeezed at her words. I sighed and gentled my voice. “Alright, alright, stop crying. Mommy will come

home after work”

Carry’s tears ceased immediately, her voice now sparkling with happiness. “Thank you, Mommy. You’re the best.”

For an instant, it felt like before.

Back then, I must have mattered to Carry as well.

But then I returned to hospital work and was sent away for advanced training. During that period, Carry became attached to Joanna.

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And everything had spiraled downward from there.

I drifted into my thoughts for a moment, until Carry’s voice pulled me back. “Mommy?”

“Yes,” I replied.

Carry said, “I’ll be good and wait for you, Mommy.”

“Okay,” I said.

After hanging up, I sat quietly for a while.

I felt a helpless, bitter irony wash over me.

Carry hadn’t mentioned a single word about what happened in Windsor, as if she’d completely erased it from memory.

Forgotten how she had demanded that her own mother apologize for Drew’s benefit.

After work, I stopped at the supermarket for groceries and some of Carry’s favorite fruits.

When I arrived at Blissfield Villa, Carry was playing with her toys in the living room while Heidi, the housekeeper, supervised her.

At the sound of footsteps, Carry glanced toward the entrance and saw me walking in with shopping bags in both hands.

Carry leaped up, rushed over, and wrapped her arms around my leg. “Mommy, you’re back!”

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