The Plane Tickets He Hoarded The Wife He Hid novel Chapter 86

86 Chapter 86 Justice Is Not Sufficient

Blanche’s POVE

I lowered my head, emotions swirling like a hurricane inside me. The weight pressed down, making everything feel wrong and

suffocating.

My nose burned with unshed tears, but I refused to let them fall.

1 bit down hard on my lip, forcing myself to stay composed.

Demetrius and I were both doctors. We understood our obligation was to preserve life.

I knew Demetrius inside and out. He would’ve performed surgery on Drew’s mother regardless of whether they’d come crawling to us.

But watching them all grovel made every fiber of my being want to say no.

Why should they get handed everything on a silver platter?

Why could they tear apart someone’s world without batting an eye?

Demetrius was the one who’d been wronged. Why wasn’t Drew Stewart groveling at his feet? Why were these people coming after me

instead?

Even with Oswald Jacob standing before me–the single member of the Jacob clan who’d ever shown me genuine kindness–I refused to

crack.

“Oswald, I get what you’re asking, but they destroyed Demetrius. Whether he chooses to forgive them or perform this operation is

entirely up to him. I won’t make that choice for him, and I sure as hell won’t twist his arm.”

Oswald’s voice carried a gentle plea. “What if I helped broker peace between them?”

I went still, meeting his eyes. “I wasn’t the one they hurt,” I said at last. “It’s not my place to decide.”

He let out a heavy breath, defeat creeping into his tone. “Fair enough. I won’t force this. But please, bring Carry to visit when you can.

Time’s running short for me, Blanche. I’m not sure how many chances we’ll have left. If your old grandfather means anything to you,

don’t be a stranger.

I managed a nod, barely whispering, “okay.”

Oswald switched gears, asking about my job, Carry’s progress in school, and whether Zain and I were making any headway.

I gave him the same answer to everything–things were fine.

After a few more minutes of polite conversation, Oswald announced he needed to go.

I walked him out to the hospital entrance, watched his car disappear into traffic, then headed back inside.

When I returned to the hospital room, I noticed Demetrius hadn’t touched the meal sitting on his table.

“Something wrong with the food?” I asked.

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86 Chapter 86 Justice Is Not Sufficient

Demetrius was sitting up against his pillows. He flashed me a smile. “Thought you might be hungry, so I held off:

He wasn’t guessing. He’d spotted the two containers in the bag and realized I’d skipped lunch.

I pulled up a chair and we ate together.

1 deliberately avoided bringing up the surgery, keeping our conversation easy and light.

1 peppered him with questions about medical theories I was struggling with and concerns about my graduate school applications.

Demetrius responded with patience, though I caught him studying me closely. He could sense something was eating at me.

“Something bothering you?” he asked with concern.

I shook my head. “No, everything’s good.”

But then Demetrius flexed his fingers experimentally. “I think my hand’s ready to grip a scalpel again,” he said, smiling.

He was dropping hints, but I played dumb. “That’s fantastic,” I said, forcing brightness into my voice. “You’ll be discharged soon, and then

you can-”

He interrupted me, his expression turning serious. “I’m going to operate on Drew’s mother.”

“What?” The word came out strangled.

“I don’t want them harassing you,” he said, locking eyes with me. “Your focus needs to be on your exams right now. You shouldn’t get

dragged into this drama.”

My eyes instantly filled with tears. “What about what they did to you?” I demanded. “You’re just going to pretend it never happened?”

“Yeah,” Demetrius said with a weak smile, looking away.

“It’s no big deal.”

“Demetrius, I’m so sorry” I whispered, drowning in guilt.

“Blanche, I’m a doctor. This is what I do. Don’t beat yourself up over this, and don’t think I’m being degraded. Seriously, I’m okay.”

He claimed he was okay, but only he knew the real story.

He wasn’t like Zain or Drew. He came from ordinary people; he was their miracle child.

The future he’d fought tooth and nail to create had been shattered so carelessly by someone else.

He said he was okay, but how could that possibly be true?

I wanted to push back, to convince him to use this situation to rebuild his reputation, but before I could speak, Demetrius changed the

subject. “Hey, Blanche, let’s get pork stew tomorrow. I’m sick of fish soup.

I swear I’m going to sprout gills”

As he talked, he wiggled around, doing his best fish impression.

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at his ridiculous performance.

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86 Chapter 86 Justice Is Not Sufficient

“That’s better,” Demetrius said, his genuine smile returning.

“Whatever life throws at you, keep smiling.

Good things happen when you stay positive.”

I nodded. I lingered with him a while longer before finally heading out.

But the moment I stepped into the hallway, I found Zain Jacob leaning against the wall.

I jumped, my hand shooting to my chest to steady my hammering heart.

I started to walk past him, but Zain spoke first.

“I overheard your conversation.”

I paused, then turned back to face him. “Perfect. We need to talk.”

“Alright,” he said.

Minutes later, we stood in the stairwell.

I cut straight to the chase. “Demetrius’s agreed to the surgery,” I said bluntly. “He’s a doctor–he won’t let someone die. But you people

owe him his reputation. You need to set the record straight.”

“I’ll ensure justice happens once the investigation wraps up,” Zain replied.

That wasn’t nearly enough. “Justice isn’t sufficient,” I said, my voice climbing. “I want Drew Stewart to apologize to Demetrius personally.”

Zain studied my furious expression, but his face stayed neutral. “Like you said, I can’t make choices for others.”

His response set me off. “Then lean on him,” I snapped. “You do it, get Tia to do it, have Kaden do it. Hell, drag Oswald into it too.”

Zain brushed off my outburst. “Drew’s got his pride. He won’t cave easily.”

“Is his ego more valuable?” I shot back.

“I don’t know,” he said quietly.

I was seething, my voice getting louder. “So if Demetrius had refused the surgery, would Drew just watch his mother die to protect his

precious ego?”

Zain stayed silent.

His silence made my blood boil even more,

I should never have bothered trying to reason with someone like him.

I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down, then said, “Forget it.”

I turned and shoved the stairwell door open to leave.

But then Zain spoke, “I’ll have a word with Drew.”

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86 Chapter 86 Justice is Not Sufficient

Two days later, Drew Stewart posted a public apology on social media. That same afternoon, Demetrius Jake performed the craniotomy

on Drew’s mother at Oakwood Hospital.

The operation took seven grueling hours and was completely successful.

The following day, Demetrius was reinstated at Oakwood Hospital.

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