Chapter 53

Daniel didn’t sleep through the night as Mrs. Chambers had expected.
He woke at four in the morning.
The first thing he heard was a thunderous snore, louder than anything he’d ever heard before.
His sharp, business-honed mind immediately registered that the sound didn’t belong to his wife.
He turned his head and saw her-Aurora-kneeling on the floor. Behind her, sprawled on the couch, was a man snoring so loudly it seemed to shake the walls.
“You Daniel sat up abruptly, his brow furrowing in disbelief. “What on earth are you doing?”
Kneeling? What was she thinking?
Aurora’s legs had long since gone numb. She spoke in a hoarse, dry whisper, her eyes steady. “Daniel, please. Forgive me.”
Mrs. Chambers had told her she couldn’t get up until Daniel forgave her. So she begged for his forgiveness.
Daniel’s expression was stone-cold. He swung his legs off the hospital bed and strode over, gripping Aurora by the shoulders and trying to lift her.
The movement sent a jolt of pain through her numbed legs. Aurora’s face turned ghostly pale, sweat springing instantly to her forehead.
Daniel immediately eased up, his voice low and steely. “Sit down.”
Aurora didn’t move. Her eyes-deep, dark, and hollow-were fixed ahead.
“Will you forgive me?” she asked quietly.
Daniel’s face was unreadable. He slid his arm behind her waist, all but forcing her to sit on the floor.
He rolled up the leg of her pants. Her knees were mottled with bruises-the kind that came from kneeling far too long.
He pressed his lips together, tamping down his fury, then stood up, face blank, Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by (.)net
and delivered a sharp kick to the couch, jolting the sleeping man awake.
The man shot up, startled, then scrambled to his feet, stammering, “Mr. Chambers
“Talk,” Daniel cut him off, his voice low and lethal.
The man-Aurora could see now he was a doctor-didn’t dare hesitate. He
blurted out, “Ma’am said Mrs. Chambers had to stay on her knees until you woke up and forgave her. Only then could she get up.”
Daniel’s heart clenched.
How could his mother do something like this?
And this man-how dare he treat Aurora this way and then make himself comfortable on the couch?
Desperate, the doctor tried to justify himself. “Mr. Chambers, your mother told me to keep an eye on her. I couldn’t stay awake all night, I must have dozed off-”
He didn’t get to finish. Daniel kicked him again in the stomach.
Daniel glared down at him, seething. “Who do you think you are, treating her like this?”
It was obvious the man hadn’t been exhausted-he’d been enjoying himself.
“Mr. Chambers, please, I was just following orders! I swear, it was your mother’s instructions!” the doctor pleaded, realizing now just how badly he’d misjudged the situation.
Aurora hadn’t fallen out of favor at all. She was still Mrs. Chambers, the woman everyone answered to.
“Get out. If I ever see you again, you’ll regret it.” Daniel’s voice was ice.
The doctor clutched his side and scrambled for the door.
“Wait-the photos,” Aurora said quietly, finally breaking her silence.
The doctor froze, his face paling as he remembered what he’d done.
Daniel caught the cue instantly, striding over to block the man’s exit. “What photos?”
“I—I don’t have any, there’s nothing-” the doctor stammered, trying to bluff his way out.
Aurora looked up, her face calm as ever. “I think Mr. Chambers would pay good money to keep those photos out of circulation. After all, I’m still Mrs. Chambers. My reputation is his, too.”
The man went ashen.
Daniel snatched the doctor’s phone and scrolled through it—then stopped in shock.
There it was: a photo of Aurora, kneeling on the floor, facing in his direction, pride stripped away.
With a roar, Daniel hurled the phone against the wall. It shattered on impact, pieces skittering across the floor.
“Aurora.” The anger he’d felt over yesterday’s argument had vanished.
He knelt down, scooping Aurora into his arms and settling her gently on the bed. The veins in his forehead stood out in rage. “She told you to kneel, so you just obeyed? You couldn’t get up on your own?”