I Was His Wife, Then His Widow, Then No One's But My Own novel Chapter 88

Some memories aren't things you can just erase at will. Everything they went through together was real. Even knowing now that his devotion had been nothing but a carefully orchestrated performance, the memories themselves weren't fake.

Nora lowered her head and aggressively wiped the corner of her eyes. She took a deep, shuddering breath, forcing the bitter ache down into the pit of her stomach. The moment she pulled her hand away, her phone buzzed. It was Felix.

"Nora, I'm all wrapped up here. Where are you? I'll come grab you and we can head out."

Nora gave him her location. Less than five minutes later, Felix's tall frame came striding out from the inpatient wing.

He smiled warmly. "Alright, let's get out of here."

"Felix," Nora said suddenly, stopping in her tracks. "Can I see the patients in your ward?"

Felix's smile vanished. His face grew intensely serious, and his voice slowed with caution. "Nora, are you sure about this? It's not something the average person can stomach. We only admit late-stage osteosarcoma cases. Our youngest patient is four years old."

Nora nodded, her gaze uncompromising. "I want to see them."

She needed to see the faces of the people who had kept her and her entire research team awake through countless grueling nights.

Felix stared at her for a long moment in silence. Then, he shook open his white coat and slipped it back on. "Follow me."

The pediatric oncology ward was on the twelfth floor.

The second the elevator doors slid open, the sharp, overwhelming stench of bleach and heavy pharmaceuticals hit Nora like a physical blow. It was a smell she had encountered a thousand times, but somehow, it always felt colder and more oppressive than the last.

The hallway was eerily quiet. The sterile white walls were plastered with cheerful, jarringly bright cartoon stickers—sunflowers, little bunnies, rainbow-colored clouds.

Felix led her halfway down the hall and stopped outside a closed door. "Right here."

Her mother sat beside her, holding a small bowl of sliced apples. The woman's eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with red, but she refused to let the tears fall.

Chloe looked up at her mom and giggled. "Mom, look! Don't I look exactly like a penguin?"

Her mother used a fork to offer her a piece of apple. Chloe opened her mouth, took a bite, chewed twice, and spat it back out. "Mom, I don't want apples anymore. I want a chocolate sundae."

"As soon as you're all better, I'll buy you one," her mother promised, her voice trembling violently, though she kept the smile glued to her face.

Chloe tilted her head thoughtfully. "Okay! But honestly, Mom, it doesn't even hurt that much. Don't worry. Dr. Lawson told me yesterday that once they take this leg away, all the bad stuff inside will go away too. Then we can finally go home!"

Nora turned away from the glass, entirely unable to watch for another second.