**Laurel's POV**

Mom spooned soup into my mouth while we sat in suffocating silence.

"Laurel," she finally asked, setting the spoon down, "that woman who helped you fake your illness is really gone?"

"Obviously," I snapped. "Why else would I have Dr. Evans scrambling for another terminal patient overnight?"

I tapped my fingers against the sheets, anxiety building. This situation was turning into a disaster. The new patient's data might not convince Blake for long.

*This replacement has gastric cancer too, but she's not as far along. The numbers won't match exactly. If Blake starts examining the data...*

"I still don't understand," Mom sighed. "Why fake being sick at all? You saved Blake's life. Even without an illness, shouldn't his heart be yours?"

I shot her a cold look. "His heart? Mine? If he truly didn't care about Audrey, would he ignore his dying fiancée to search for her body? Without this illness, he would've already -"

"Already what?"

Blake's voice made me jump. I nearly burned my tongue on the soup Mom was holding out.

"Blake darling," I mumbled, covering my mouth. "When did you get here?"

He took the soup bowl from Mom. "Around the time you mentioned I care

about Audrey. Didn't realize you were so jealous."

He blew on a spoonful before offering it to me. "Were you going to say without your illness, I'd have gotten back with Audrey?"

"That's not what I meant," I said, looking down.

"Then what?" He continued feeding me. "I wasn't just searching for Audrey. I was looking for Rachel too. She's your sister, after all. Even if she's dead, I wanted to find her body."

Something in his tone felt off, but I couldn't place it.

"I know," I said, feeling my cheeks warm.

I turned to Mom. "Don't you have things to take care of? Blake will look after me."

"Right! I do have errands to run." Mom stood quickly. "You two enjoy your time together."

She closed the door behind her, leaving us alone.

I wiped my mouth. "Blake darling, my sister and Audrey... they really can't be found?"

"No." Blake set the soup aside. "The rescue team mentioned sharks in that area. The bodies might have been eaten."

I tried to keep a solemn face, but couldn't help a slight smile. I bit my lip.hoping he hadn't noticed.

"How awful," I said, looking at my hands. "They were both such good people."

I leaned against his chest as his arms wrapped around me.

"It breaks my heart thinking about what happened to them." I whispered.

**Blake's POV**

I looked down at Laurel's tearful expression, feeling nothing but contempt.

*This act used to tear me apart. Now I only see the fakery. If Michael's right, Laurel caused the accident that nearly killed Audrey and Rachel.Why pretend to grieve?*

"I know you're upset," I said gently, "but remember your condition.You can't afford emotional distress. I'll stay with you until you're stable enough to leave."

"Really?" Her face lit up with genuine excitement.

I spent the rest of the day playing the attentive fiancé while watching her closely. Not once did she show symptoms like the girl in the elevator. No pain while eating. No nausea. No real fatigue beyond what seemed theatrical.

By evening, I made sure she was comfortable before leaving.

I drove to Lunar Mansion, exhausted. After dropping my jacket and loosening my tie, I headed upstairs. Audrey was curled up on the bed with Snow beside her.

The room was lit by two wall sconces, warm light softening her sleeping face. I stood in the doorway watching her, a strange warmth spreading through my chest.

My phone rang. I went downstairs to answer.

"Sir," Michael said, "that mother and daughter from the hospital called.The mother said her daughter only vomited once more today,after meeting you."

"Sir, why are you interested in this girl's symptoms?"

I sank onto the sofa. "She has the same condition as Laurel. I spent twelve hours with Laurel today, and she didn't vomit blood once. Her energy was good, and eating didn't cause any real reaction."

"You're comparing their symptoms?" Michael caught on. "You think Miss Rose is faking?"

"But we've seen her medical data. Specialists confirmed she has late-stage cancer."

"That's what I can't figure out," I admitted.

*Laurel doesn't act like someone dying of cancer. She's too energetic, too bright. I've had doubts before, but those medical readings always convinced me.*

I hung up and heard footsteps on the stairs.

Audrey walked down, her short hair framing her face in the dim light.

"Laurel Rose is faking it," she said.

I straightened. "What makes you say that?"

"Mayo Clinic's largest shareholder is the Hayes family," she said, taking the last few steps. "If she wanted real cancer patient data to show you, they'd make it happen. You'd never spot the difference."

"But her monitoring data matched everything they provided."

"Easy to arrange," Audrey said with a short laugh. "Pay off a real terminal patient, tweak the backend systems to send their data to Laurel's monitors,and you've got a perfect setup."

She sat beside me and poured herself tea.

"You've all been fooled," she said, taking a sip.

"Is this just theory, or do you know something?" I asked.

Audrey met my eyes directly. "What do you think? You're the CEO of Parker Group.If you're suspicious, investigating would be simple."

She held my gaze steadily, her expression calm and certain.

I watched her without responding, studying her face.

Audrey frowned and reached for the teapot again. As she leaned forward,the strap of her nightgown slid down her shoulder, exposing more skin than she intended.

She didn't panic or make a scene - just finished pouring her tea before casually fixing the strap.

When she tried to pick up her cup, I grabbed it first.

"Hey!" she protested as I drank her tea in one go.

A drop escaped my mouth, sliding down to my collarbone. I noticed her eyes follow it before she quickly looked away.

"If you wanted tea, you could've poured your own," she muttered.

"You always made the best tea," I said.

She started to turn toward me, probably to argue, but I didn't give her the chance. I cupped her face and kissed her.

"It's been a while," I whispered against her ear, wrapping my arms around her waist and lifting her up.

I carried her upstairs to the bedroom, ignoring her half-hearted protests.

That night felt like reclaiming something I'd lost.

At first, she struggled against me,trying to refuse. But her resistance faded quickly. By the time we finished, she could barely keep her eyes open. Her breathing was more labored than it should have been.

"You're out of shape," I teased, touching her flushed cheek. "What happened to the woman who could outlast me?"

She mumbled something incoherent, already drifting off.

I carried her to the shower, cleaned us both up, and brought her back to bed.Pulling the covers over us, I wrapped myself around her from behind.

"Audrey," I said against her neck.

No response. Just the steady rhythm of her breathing.

"I've missed you," I admittedto her sleeping form. I kissed her earlobe."When this mess is over... let's remarry."

I tightened my hold on her. "We'll get you healthy again. Maybe we'll hit the gym together."

"We'll have kids someday..."