Chapter 377
“`
– For each row, replace every instance of “Chapter 377” with “Chapter N” (where N is that row’s chapter number). Do not alter any other text, HTML attributes, or formatting.
Chapter 377:
But she couldn’t stop the corners of her mouth from curving upward into a soft, deeply contented smile.
The morning sun sliced through the horizontal blinds of the Mount Sinai VIP lounge, casting sharp shadows across the sterile white sheets.
Carmen slowly opened her eyes. Her entire body felt heavy, weighed down by the crushing reality of yesterday’s revelations.
She turned her head. Justin was sitting in the single leather armchair beside her bed. He had discarded his tie, and the top two buttons of his shirt were undone. He was reading a briefing on his tablet. He hadn’t slept a single minute.
A complex wave of guilt and warmth washed over Carmen’s chest. She pushed herself up against the pillows.
“You shouldn’t have stayed,” Carmen said softly. “You are a Senator. Your time is too valuable to waste in a hospital room p>
Justin didn’t look up from his tablet. He simply swiped to the next page.
“I dictate my own schedule, Carmen,” he replied, his tone smooth and unbothered. “Your only concern right now is your father’s recovery p>
𝘚𝘩a𝗋е у𝗼𝘂𝗋 𝖿𝖺v𝗼𝘳𝗂𝘵e𝘴 f𝘳𝗼𝗆
Carmen looked down at her hands. The memory of the nurse’s words — AB-positive, adopted — burned in her brain. She needed answers. And the man sitting beside her possessed the keys to every locked door in the country.
She cleared her throat, trying to keep her voice perfectly casual.
“Justin,” Carmen began, picking at a loose thread on the blanket. “You have a lot of connections in Washington. If — hypothetically — I had a friend who wanted to access her sealed adoption records, how would she go about doing that p>
Justin finally lowered the tablet.
His dark, piercing eyes locked onto her face. He saw straight through the transparent pretense instantly. The corners of his mouth twitched with a suppressed smirk, but he kept his expression perfectly serious.
“New York State adoption records are permanently sealed by court order to protect the biological parents,” Justin explained, slipping effortlessly into his professional, political persona. “Unless there is a life-or-death medical emergency, a civilian cannot access them p>
He paused, letting the weight of the law settle over her.
“Bypassing the state courts would require federal-level security clearance,” Justin added.
Carmen’s shoulders slumped. The faint spark of hope in her chest died. She was a hotel CFO. She had absolutely no path to federal clearance.
Justin leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. His gaze turned intensely focused, pinning her to the bed.
“But,” Justin murmured, his voice dropping into a low, deliberate register, “if your friend truly needs those files, I can make a few calls. I can bypass the courts. I just need a name p>
Carmen’s heart slammed against her ribs. She stared into his dark, calculating eyes.
A sudden wave of vulnerability crashed over her. If Justin pulled those files, he would see everything — whatever broken, shameful past her adoptive parents had tried to bury. She couldn’t bear the thought of this powerful man looking at her with pity or disgust.