Chapter 195

Before surgery, Nora signed the consent and disclosure forms herself.
The elevator doors were closing, inch by inch.
But in the final second, a slender hand shot between the narrowing gap.
The doors jerked open again.
Expressionless, Daniel stepped in and pressed the emergency stop.
He looked down at Nora, his gaze deep and unreadable.
Nora’s fingers felt like ice.
So he came after all.
She lowered her eyes, refusing to speak.
In the end, the nurse wheeled her back to the hospital room.
Daniel stayed behind, discussing her pregnancy with the doctor.
Nora paid no attention to their conversation. She sat quietly, watching the sunlight paint shifting patterns on the window.
At some point, the voices behind her faded away.
Daniel stepped closer and bent down, as if to lift her up. Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on (.)net
Nora didn’t move. Only when his arm slid beneath her knees did she turn her gaze to his sharply defined profile.
She spoke softly. “Daniel, do you ever regret claiming Eleanor as your sister so quickly?”
“If you’d waited, the two of you could’ve married instead.”
“Besides, it was all just talk back then. She was never officially part of your family. There’s really nothing stopping you from getting married now.”
Daniel paused, straightened, his eyes cold and empty of emotion.
“Aurora was her sister. And as a perfumer, the owner of The Almanac of Air- Eleanor’s the perfect fit.”
His tone was mild, as if nothing about Nora’s place in his life had ever changed.
Nora looked up at the handsome man before her and, suddenly, a faint, almost bitter smile played at her lips. “Eleanor? What kind of sister has she ever been? In all these years, has she ever truly cared about Aurora? Has she ever tried to bring her home?”
“She only showed up after Aurora died, hoping to look good in front of everyone.”
“Eleanor’s not the one who lost Aurora-her parents are. You can’t blame her,” Daniel replied flatly.
But to Nora, what difference did it make?
She’d returned to the Quinn family under Aurora’s name, and Eleanor had never once shown her an ounce of respect.
In fact, Eleanor had always tried to divert Mr. and Mrs. Quinn’s attention, grasping at the tiniest scraps of affection.
Now, the entire perfume legacy had landed in Eleanor’s lap, as if she deserved it.
“Does the taste of stolen glory thrill her?” Nora’s voice trembled with grief and bitterness.
The irony stung.
Daniel leaned down to lift her. “You’re carrying a child now. Rest. Leave the rest to
me.”
A child?
Nora’s lips curved in a cold, brittle smile. “You know who I really am, Daniel. Do you honestly think this child has any reason to exist?”
The Chambers family never even accepted Aurora-why would they ever welcome a girl from an orphanage as Mrs. Chambers?
Not that she’d ever want that title anyway.
“That’s not your concern,” Daniel replied, tone cool and unyielding. “For Payne’s sake, you’d better behave yourself. If you don’t, I might refuse-and Payne will have to fend for himself.”
Nora closed her eyes. She’d expected this.
Now that Daniel knew, she’d never have a real choice about the child’s future.
The ache in her chest only grew heavier.
“When do you plan to go in for the bone marrow procedure?” she asked, voice sharp and cold.
There was nothing left between her and Daniel except this transaction.
She was pregnant; Daniel owed her his promise.
Daniel’s grip tightened, his already troubled heart twisting painfully. “Are you really that eager?”
He hadn’t forgotten-she’d always loved Louis.
Nora’s expression was colorless. “Of course. You’re a busy man, Mr. Chambers. Who knows when you might suddenly decide you’re unavailable after all?”
Daniel said nothing, but the tension in his tightly pressed lips spoke volumes.