Chapter 18
Fabian’s hand trembled violently, and his phone nearly slipped from his grasp.
His body swayed as Shane’s words echoed in his mind. Each syllable was like a knife stabbing into his chest.
“T–This can’t be real.” A sharp pain surged up his throat. Then, with a violent cough, a mouthful of blood splattered against the glass window in front of him.
His vision blurred. The world spun around him before he collapsed heavily to the ground.
When Fabian woke, the first thing he saw was white.
The sharp scent of disinfectant filled his nose, and the rhythmic beeping of a heart monitor echoed in the room.
His head throbbed. It felt as if a boulder was crushing his chest. Every breath was agonizing.
At the bedside, Shane sat hunched over with reddened eyes. He was clutching a thick stack of documents in his hands.
The moment he saw Fabian wake, he rushed forward and said hoarsely, “Mr. Porter, you’re finally awake.”
Fabian’s vision was still hazy. He blinked while trying to focus on Shane’s face. “What happened to me?”
Shane lowered his head. His voice was thick with emotion. “You collapsed after vomiting blood. The doctors fought to save you for an entire day and night. They issued multiple emergency medical alerts.”
Fabian frowned slightly. Fragments of memory flickered in his mind–Shane’s voice over the phone and the news of Valerie’s death.
His chest constricted. His voice, weak yet urgent, escaped his lips. “Is Valerie… really dead?”
Shane swallowed hard and nodded. “Yes, Mr. Porter. Ms. Hartman had late–stage cancer. And on top of that, she was drained of all her blood to save Ms. Donaldson.
“Her last wish was a sky burial. So I took a few days off to take her to Eleyburn for her final rites. The sky burial specialist said that she was pure in life.”
“Pure in life?” Fabian’s voice was hoarse beyond recognition. His fingers curled around the bedsheet so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
When Shane saw him like this, his eyes reddened even more. He pulled out a document from his pocket and handed it over shakily.
“Mr. Porter, I couldn’t live with myself, so I went and investigated what really happened back then. This document contains the truth.”
Fabian’s fingers trembled as he took the papers. He flipped to the first page.
As he read, his complexion grew increasingly pale. Shock and agony surged in his eyes, too overwhelming to contain.
The document detailed the truth behind the car accident. Amelia, in the grip of depression, mistook a bodyguard for Matthew and ended up sleeping with him.
And Valerie had taken all the blame to protect the Porter family’s reputation. She even stayed silent when he sent her to prison.
“She did everything for me…” Fabian’s voice cracked. His hands clenched around the pages. He gripped them so tightly that the papers nearly tore.
A searing pain tore through his chest. Another mouthful of blood erupted from his lips, staining the pristine white bedsheet a deep red.
His body collapsed back onto the bed, and his vision blurred.
“Mr. Porter! Mr. Porter!”
The sound of medical alarms filled the air as doctors and nurses rushed in. But Fabian barely noticed because at that moment, he seemed to hear Valerie’s voice.
He saw her hesitant gaze, the way she always forced a smile in front of him, and her pale face.
He felt as if an invisible hand was squeezing his heart mercilessly. The pain nearly suffocated him
Outside the emergency room, Matthew and Sasha rushed over.
Matthew’s expression was dark, and his tone was impatient. “Wasn’t he supposed to be looking for Valerie? How did he end up like this? That woman is nothing but trouble!” Sasha stood beside him. She looked pale and uneasy.
Just as she was about to speak, Stiane suddenly stood up. His voice was cold and furious as he said, “Ms. Hartman is dead. She died from excessive blood donation while saving Ms.
Donaldson.”
Sasha’s entire body went rigid, as if struck by lightning. “What? S–She died saving me?”
Matthew, however, only let out a cold laugh. “Well, good riddance. A woman like that should’ve died a long time ago.”
Shane’s fists clenched tightly. His knuckles turned white from the effort.
He inhaled sharply before shoving another set of documents into Matthew’s hands. “You all misunderstood Ms. Hartman. This is the truth.”
