**Blake's POV**

I watched Audrey walk out of Parker Group. Her head was held high despite the whispers around her.

"Blake darling... it hurts..."

Laurel's voice pulled me back to the scene she was creating. Employees gathered around her sprawled figure on the lobby floor.

I'd witnessed the enatire incident - there was nothing genuine about her fall.

"Miss Rose, are you okay?" an executive asked, kneeling beside her.

"Someone should call security! That woman assaulted Miss Rose!" another voice called out.

I frowned as Laurel clutched her chest, breathing deliberately hard. "Blake darling..." She reached up with a trembling hand. "I can't... breathe...I think I'm having an attack..."

The employees exchanged worried glances.

"Miss Rose looks terrible!" someone whispered.

"It's Audrey Sinclair's fault! She pushed Miss Rose..."

"She just walked away afterward. So rude!"

"Should we call an ambulance? She looks bad..."

Laurel glanced at me to gauge my reaction. When she saw my expression,she quickly changed tactics.

"Don't blame Miss Sinclair," she gasped. "I'm sure she... didn't mean to..."

I'd had enough.

"Enough," I muttered just loud enough for her tohear.

I grabbed the shopping bags I'd dropped and thrust themn into her arms.She instinctively took them, forgetting her breathing problems for a moment.

"I have something to take care of," I announced to the room. "You all can finish up here."

I turned and walked out, feeling their shocked stares on my back as the doors closed behind me.

In my car, I spotted Audrey at the curb hailing a taxi.She wore a light pink dress I recognized. The breeze showed how much weight she'd lost -the dress that once fit her perfectly now hung loose.

I remembered seeing her in that dress two months ago.

*I'd come home early to find her in front of the mirror, talking to Astrid on the phone.*

*"This dress is great, but it runs small," she was saying, adjusting the fabric. "Don't worry, I'll slim down to fit it soon!"*

*She caught sight of me in the mirror and quickly ended her call, turning wíth a surprised smile.*

*"You're home early. Have you eaten? What would you like for dinner?"*

*Even caught off guard, her first thought was my comfort.*

Now that dress hung loosely on her frame. Had our divorce affected her that much?

A taxi pulled up. She got in, and I noticed it heading toward the Parker mansion.

A knock on my window interrupted my thoughts.

Laurel stood outside, face tear-stained but posture perfect. Nothing about her suggested someone who'd just struggled to breathe.

I lowered the window."What?"

"Blake darling," she sobbed, "how could you leave me like that?"

"Laurel," I said flatly. "Audrey came to deliver our engagement ring designs. This was our first interaction since that night. Your performance was unnecessary."

Her face paled.

"Don't waste your acting skills on petty games," I said.

I raised the window and drove off, heading toward the Parker mansion.

When I arrived, I paused in the doorway. William sat talking with Audrey.Neither had noticed me yet.

William's voice carried clearly: "That's right! If you can't cherish someone and choose someone else, what right do you have to chase after them once you're apart?"

I stopped, recognizing the comment was aimed at me. After a moment, I turned and quietly left.

*Audrey's POV*

I found William on the sofa wiping tears as he watched a soap opera.

Hearing me approach, he quickly straightened up.

"Audrey, you're here," he said, trying to sound casual despite his red eyes.

I glanced at the TV, amused to see William Parker moved to tears bya drama.

"Is it that good?" I asked, sitting beside him.

William cleared his throat. "It's quite compelling."

His enthusiasm broke through as he explained the plot. "The lead has a terminal illness but tells no one. She even divorces her husband to spare him pain."

"After she dies, he discovers the truth and breaks down at her grave.wishing she'd come back."

William's voice softened. "I feel sorry for her. While she was alive,he never said he loved her. Only at her tombstone does he declare his love."

He looked at me directly. "What good is love that comes too late?"

The question hit close to home. *This character is too similar to me...except I'm not that lucky. At least the guy in the show actually loved her.Even if I died. Blake probably wouldn't notice.*

I forced a smile. "Is that storyline really enough to make you cry?"

"I wasn't crying!" William protested. "Something got in my eye!"

I laughed. "Wílliam, you need a better excuse."

"Cheeky girl," he grumbled goodl-naturedly. "You disappear for days, then show up just to make fun of me?"

"Of course not. I missed you and wanted to visit."

I prepared his tea, moving with the familiar routine developed over years.William settled back, watching me.

"Do you think feelings that come too late have any worth?" he asked suddenly.

I considered it seriously. "Love delayed is love denied. If you don't cherish someone while you're together, then suddenly can't let go after losing them - that's not love. It's just possessiveness."

"What do you think, William?"

Williamn snorted. "Exactly! If you can't properly cherish someone and choose someone else, what right do you have to chase after them once you re apart?"

He looked somewhere behind me, voice hardening. "What a Coward!!"

His anger seemed extreme for our theoretical discussion, but I assumed he was stillcaught up in the TV drama.

"Don't get so invested in television, Grandpa. It's bad for your health."

William huffed. "You're right. Some people aren't worth my energy!"

I took a deep breath. "William, Blake announced he and Laurel are getting engaged next week... Did you know?"

His hand froze, teacup in mid-air. "That boy's lost his mind!"

"He was always going to end up with her," I said carefully. "You know better than anyone how strong their connection is."

William sighed heavily. "Blake's always been too sentimental. He's with Laurel because she saved his life. He promised to take care of her forever..."

"When Blake woke up from his coma under your care, I told him you were his savior too. Without you, his recovery wouldn't have happened so fast."

He shook his head. "You both saved him. Yet he only sees her."

A bitter realization washed over me. Blake's supposed debt to Laurel was just an excuse he fed to William. His actions told the real story.

If life debts meant so much to him, why did he never return to Pinehaven Village after leaving? I waited there for an entire year, convinced he'd come back for me.

I stayed until bulldozers tore through the village and the clinic shut down.Only then did I finally walk away.

For over a year, he never once looked back.

I used to make excuses for him - his eyes weren't healed yet, he was too busy. Then I saw him with Laurel at the nursing home where I cared for William, and the truth hit me.

It wasn't lack of time. He'd simply forgotten me.

I took a deep breath. "William, I know you care about me, but you can't force feelings. During our marriage, neither of us was happy. You saw that."

I poured him fresh tea. "I'll still visit you regularly. My feelings for you won't change just because Blake marries someone else."

WVilliam exhaled deeply. "Fine. I'm done meddling in this mess."

He reached under the coffee table and pulled out a folder. "This is a copy of my will."