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Chapter 490
Chapter 490:
The legal slaughter had officially begun.
The wind whipping off the East River was freezing, cutting through the streets of Manhattan like a blade.
Cole stood on the sidewalk outside Mt. Sinai Hospital. He had been standing there for over an hour. His expensive wool overcoat did nothing to block the cold, because the real chill was radiating from somewhere deep inside his own chest.
He stared up at the glass facade of the building, his eyes fixed on the floor where the VIP suites were located.
Dо𝘄𝗇𝗹𝗼𝘢𝗱аb𝗅𝗲 р𝗗𝖥ѕ о𝗇
He could not leave. His mind knew, logically, that June despised him — that his presence was a trigger for her trauma — but his body refused to move. The guilt was a physical anchor dragging him into the pavement.
He pulled out his phone and called his executive assistant.
“Call Le Bernardin,” Cole ordered, his voice hoarse from the cold and from crying. “Have them prepare a double-boiled silkie chicken soup with ginseng. Tell the chef it is for someone recovering from severe blood loss. Have it delivered here immediately p>
Forty minutes later, a black town car pulled up. The driver handed Cole a sleek, insulated designer bag containing the Michelin-starred meal.
Cole gripped the handle. He walked through the sliding glass doors of the hospital and stepped into the elevator, feeling like a man walking to his own execution.
The doors opened on the VIP floor.
The hallway was dead silent. Cole moved slowly down the corridor.
As he approached June’s room, a figure stepped out from the shadows near the nurses’ station and planted herself directly in his path.
It was Vera.
She stood with her arms crossed tightly over her chest, her designer heels clicking sharply against the linoleum as she squared her stance in front of the door. Her eyes swept over Cole’s disheveled appearance and landed on the food bag in his hand.
A look of absolute, unfiltered disgust twisted her face.
“Stop right there,” Vera said. Her voice was not loud, but it was sharp enough to cut glass.
Cole stopped. He looked at her, his eyes hollow. “I just want to give her this. It’s for her recovery. I won’t go inside. I only want to leave it for her p>
Vera let out a harsh, mocking laugh. She uncrossed her arms and took a step toward him, closing the distance with aggressive confidence.
“Are you actually insane, or just incredibly stupid?” she asked, her voice dripping with contempt. “Do you even know what PTSD is, Cole? Do you understand that your face, your voice, your very existence is a psychological trigger that makes her want to stop breathing p>
Cole flinched. The words hit him like a slap. The muscles in his jaw ticked violently, but he did not argue.
“I will sign,” he whispered, his voice cracking. He looked down at the floor. “The papers are on my phone. I will sign them right now. I am not trying to control her anymore. I just want to apologize p>