Chapter 101

Chapter 101:
Her attention went to the hospital room door, which hung slightly ajar and drifted back and forth, most likely stirred by the wind.
“Was that door open before?” Millie asked.
Giffard shrugged, barely interested. “I really don’t remember.” He wandered over and pushed the door shut. Read full story at.net
Millie just nodded, brushing off her worries. She figured it was probably her imagination or someone just passing through. Hospitals always had people coming and going.
Out in the hallway, Brandon paced to the end of the corridor, his face clouded with anger.
He pressed himself against the wall, lips set in a hard, straight line.
Even from the balcony, he could hear the sound of their playful banter, and the sight of their silhouettes close together through the frosted glass gnawed at him.
He wondered if Millie was up to her old games again. Was she trying to get a rise out of him by letting him see her so close to another man? Ever since he asked the front desk for Millie’s room, things felt off.
The nurse had claimed it would take a while to check her room number. Had the nurse tipped Millie off while he waited downstairs?
He wondered if they had timed everything so he would arrive just in time to see this scene.
A deep scowl cut across Brandon’s face as he squeezed his fists so tightly that his knuckles paled.
A strange feeling settled in Brandon’s chest, one he couldn’t shake. Little by little, something important seemed to be slipping out of his grasp, though he didn’t yet understand what it was.
Finally, Brandon opened his eyes, his expression steady and unruffled. He knew her tricks inside and out, after all the years they had spent together. Life without him was something she could never accept.
Turning his attention back to work, Brandon drove to the Watson Group headquarters and immersed himself in his usual routine, handling business as if nothing had changed. Everything appeared normal on the surface, but underneath, something felt off.
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A chime from his computer broke the silence.
Brandon glanced at his inbox and saw a new email had arrived. He clicked on the message and found an invitation to a charity gala, scheduled for the following evening at seven. The invitation mentioned that his presence was requested, preferably with a date.
Almost simultaneously, his phone lit up with a new message from Vivian. “Brandon, I heard the Evans Group is organizing a charity gala. I’d love to support the patients, but I don’t have the right connections. Did you get an invite? Would you bring me along?”
Charity galas weren’t events Brandon attended often. In the last seven years, he had only shown up at three. Typically, people brought an assistant, a trusted companion, a girlfriend, a spouse, or a family member to these gatherings.
For Brandon, there had always been just one person who filled that role—Millie. No matter the occasion, Millie was the one at his side during those events.
Now, with their divorce still hanging in the air, he had every intention of turning Vivian down. Yet, the memory of Millie and Giffard together in the hospital lingered in his mind, making him hesitate.
He pressed his lips together, feeling an unfamiliar wave of emotion rise within him.
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