**Blake's POV**

William Parker rested against the hospital bed, afternoon light streaming through the half-drawn blinds.I stood beside him, holding his hand,feeling how fragile his bones had become.

"I don't have any other requests," William said, his voice weak but clear.

"You should arrange Audrey's funeral as soon as possible."

My hand tensed around his.

"Your grandfather has no wishes now," he continued.′′Ijust want to see Audrey properly laid to rest before I die."

I lifted my head, looking directly at him. Something in my chest tightened.

"Grandfather," I said quietly."Doyou really believe she's dead too?"

**Audrey's POV**

"Checkmate! I win this time!"

Felix's voice pulled me from darkness. My eyes opened slowly, adjusting to the brightness of an unfamiliar room. In the corner, Felix sat with an elderly man at a chess board.

"You little rascal.," The old man said, stroking his beard. "No respect for your elders anymore,huh?"

Fellx grinned. "So you've been letting me win all these years?"

"Nonsense," The old man snorted. "I know exactly how bad I am at chess."

He turned and noticed I was awake. I recognized him immediately- Dr.Harrison Clarke, the renowned physician who had helped wake Blake from his vegetative state two years ago. His demeanor shifted instantly to professional assessment:

"Look who's back," he said, approaching my bed. "You've been out for a day.How do you feel?"

My throat burned. "You saved me..."

"Of course!" he replied. "Though racing cars into rivers with terminal cancer isn't exactly recommended. You're lucky to be alive at all."

Felix jumped in. "Grandpa, cut it out. She did it for her friend and for me."

Dr. Clarke shot Felix a cold look. "You're not one to talk. A grown man letting a dying woman take risks for him!"

Felix fell silent,looking away.

I glanced between them. "You two are..."

"He's my grandfather," Felix confirmed. "I didn't know how sick you were until recently. If I'd known sooner, I would've asked him to help you."

I managed a smile. "It's fine. Life and death are determined by fate. I've been ready for the end since my diagnosis."

I turned to Dr. Clarke. "My friend... can you help her? Your team woke Blake from his vegetative state. Could you do the same for her?"

Dr. Clarke raised an eyebrow. "You're dying, and you're worried about your vegetative friend?"

"Because I'm dying." I said firmly. "That's why I want her to wake up.She still has time to recover."

He studied me, then sighed, his experienced eyes assessing my condition.

"Do you know why I came to New York?" he asked.

"It was -"

"To treat your friend," he interrupted. "Blake Parker hired my entire team to come here and treat Rachel Hayes. He said she's important to him and he'd pay anything to wake her."

I stared at him, struggling to process this.

"Quite ironic," he continued. "He pays to bring me here for Rachel, while you try to smuggle her out so I can treat her abroad. Is there some misunderstanding between you two?"

"Aren't you two married? I think you should take... "

"Blake and I are divorced," I interrupted.

His eyebrows shot up."Divorced? How? When I treated Blake two years ago,you seemed inseparable."

He shook his head. "William Parker wouldn't stop bragging about his grandson's devoted wife. I've been using you two as my example of enduring love at medical conferences."

"In our field, we see relationships crumble under medical stress. You two were different."

Felix cleared his throat. "Grandpa, they're divorced. No need to reopen old wounds. Blake left her for someone else, Let's change the subject."

He turned to me. "Hungry? Thirsty? I can make my grandfather get you something."

"You insolent kid!"Dr. Clarke sputtered. "I'm your elder! You can't order me around."

"I need to talk to Audrey alone," Felix replied, nudging his grandfather toward the door. "Young people stuff. No doctors allowed."

"Go get her some water."

Dr. Clarke frowned but left, muttering under his breath about disrespectful grandchildren.

When the door closed, Felix sat beside my bed.

"Sorry about my grandfather," he said quietly. "Don't take his comments about you and Blake to heart."

I smiled faintly. "It's okay. What he described was real once. I can handle memories."

Felix nodded. "The Parkers are in chaos right now. Rebecca called everyone to the hospital thinking William was dying. Now he's recovering.and they're all stuck.there."

He laughed. "Elizabeth and Rebecca are at each other's throats. Elizabeth called Rebecca heartless for waiting for William to die, and Rebecca fired back that Elizabeth was already checking the will."

"New York's first family falling apart over inheritance before the old man's even gone."

I closed my eyes, smiling coldly. "They've always been like this. Most

people never see behind the facade."

I hesitated before asking. "What about Blake?"

"Still care about him?" Felix asked, his expression darkening.

"Just curious," I said quickly. "Did you contact Astrid?"

"Yeah, borrowed a phone at the hospital. She knows you're safe."

He paused. "About Blake... after checking on William, he went back to the river. He's still searching for you."

"William wanted to arrange your funeral, but Blake refused. Said unless they find your body, he won't believe you're dead."

Felix showed me his phone. "Someone posted this earlier."

On screen was Blake in a rescue boat, wearing a life vest, searching the water. His face was drawn with worry, his appearance disheveled.

I laughed bitterly. "Seems he's learned to act from Laurel."

I turned away from the photo. *When did Blake ever care about me? Now I'm 'dead,' and suddlenly he's heartbroken? Who's he putting on this show for?*

Felix sighed in relief. "Good. I was afraid you'd see this and want to go back to him."

"Never," I said firmly. "Not happening."

Dr. Clarke walked in with a glass of water and handed it to me. As I drank, he stood nearby, stroking his beard with a troubled look,

I caught his hesitation right away.

"Dr. Clarke," I said, setting down my glass. "Whatever it is, just tell me."

He sighed. "I checked on your friend."

I straightened up despite the pain shooting through my body. "Rachel...how is she?"

"Can she wake up?"

"Yes." Dr. Clarke nodded. "She's in better shape than Blake was two years ago."

His eyes narrowed as he studied me. "Who's been taking care of her all this time?"

"Her mother," I replied.

"Her mother?" His eyebrows shot up. "What did Rachel do to deserve that kind of treatment?"

I blinked, confused. "What do you mean?"

Dr. Clarke pulled a small box from his pocket and set it on the bed. "This drug causes brain lethargy. Makes perfectly healthy people look vegetative-can't move, can't speak."

He crossed his arms. "My team's assessment shows your friend didn't suffer brain damage from her fall. She broke some bones, but her brain was fine."

"She's only in this state because someone's been injecting her with this stuff for four years, keeping her paralyzed but conscious."

The room spun around me. My mouth went dry.

"So Rachel wasn't brain-damaged?" My voice came out barely above a whisper. "She's not actually a vegetative patient?"

"Someone's been drugging her to keep her like this?"