Chapter 11
“Fine. Do whatever you want.”
“I’m not going back with you.”
I walked right past him and headed upstairs.
Behind me, Jasper Green stood there, silent and seething for what felt like an eternity.
Then suddenly, he called out, “Claire.”
His voice caught me off guard–gentle, abrupt, almost unsettling. It had been so long since I’d heard him sound like that.
My heart skipped a beat.
After more than twenty years as siblings, I knew him too well. Instantly, a sense of foreboding washed over me.
I stopped and turned to face him.
He was smiling, though the look in his eyes wasn’t warm. He asked, “Are you so sure Dr. Main is going to treat him?”
I frowned. “What are you getting at?”
Jasper was clearly feeling confident, like he’d already worked out a plan. He strolled over to me, unhurried, with an air of certainty.
“You might not realize this,” he said, “but Dr. Main is well known around here for being a devoted son. His mother’s not in the best shape these days. I’ve been keeping her company, chatting with her quite a bit recently. If I were to gently suggest that she tell her son she really doesn’t want him to leave…”
He paused, watching my face. “Do you really think Dr. Main would just up and abandon his frail mother over the holidays?”
For a moment, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. My blood rushed to my head.
By the time I realized what I was doing, my hand had already flown up. I slapped him, hard, right across the face.
Jasper’s words died on his lips. The mocking, cold smirk froze on his face.
My palm burned with the sting. He was my brother–sure, we’d argued and even fought as kids, but I’d never actually hit him like this before.
As it sank in–what I’d just done–I wasn’t even sure if I regretted it or not. All I knew was that a wild, uncontrollable anger had shattered my self–control.
I glared at him, furious. “Are you insane? This is someone’s life we’re talking about!”
Chapter 11
I didn’t want to speak to him for another second. In that moment, he felt like a stranger to me–maybe even something to fear.
I went upstairs to the bedroom, where Frederick Austin was resting. Jasper Green didn’t follow.
After the heavy snow, the skies finally cleared. By the afternoon, the roads were open again, at least enough to allow slow–moving traffic.
Frederick couldn’t wait any longer. We needed to pack up and get him abroad as soon as possible.
i
Whether Jasper really would try to sway Dr. Main, I didn’t know. But I’d done everything I could.
I thought, maybe before leaving, I should at least say goodbye to Jasper. But now, it seemed pointless.
He clearly resented me; I doubted he’d care if I left. Worse still, he seemed to have an intense, irrational hostility toward Frederick. I worried that if he knew our whereabouts, he might try to interfere–and at worst, jeopardize Frederick’s transplant.
Having made up my mind, I waited until Frederick was well enough to get out of bed. The next morning, I contacted the local innkeeper, slipped him some money, and asked him to arrange a
car for us.
It took nearly an hour for the car to arrive.
When I got the call, Frederick and I headed downstairs–just as Dr. Main was sitting on the living room sofa.
As I reached the bottom step, I noticed a suitcase standing next to him.
He looked up, tossed aside his newspaper, and said, “Let’s go.”
I blinked, surprised. “You’re heading out too?”
Dr. Main’s face darkened. “Weren’t you the ones who asked me to perform the surgery? What, changed your mind overnight?”
I was stunned, then overjoyed. “You… you’re leaving now? Right away?”
I’d heard he hardly ever got to visit his hometown. This time, he’d been home less than three days. And after what Jasper had said yesterday, I’d assumed-
Dr. Main cut in, his tone gruff. “What? You thought my mother would guilt me into staying home?”
I couldn’t find the words.
He said goodbye to his mother, gave the nurse a few last instructions, then turned to me. “Let’s
get moving. Frankly, I’d have liked a couple more days at home, but my mother’s already rushing me out the door–wants me to get you two sorted out as soon as possible.”
We left together.
04:49
Chapter 11
As we walked out, I realized I hadn’t seen Jasper or Sophia Carter anywhere.
We got in the car and pulled away from the house.
I couldn’t help glancing back through the window, searching for a last glimpse.
Dr. Main spoke up, “He and Sophia went into town to grab some groceries. Sophia’s been cooped up for days because of the snow and was itching to get out.”
I mumbled an awkward, “I see,” and quickly looked away.
After I paid the driver, the car took us straight to the city airport.
As we passed through the little town square, between the scattered vendor stalls and clusters of people, I caught sight of Jasper and Sophia.
They were standing at a marshmallow stand. The vendor handed Sophia a freshly
marshmallow, and she handed her cup of hot chocolate to Jasper before fishing his wallet out of his coat pocket to pay.
For years, that used to be me–dragging Jasper out shopping, reaching into his pocket for cash.
The car sped on, that fleeting scene blurring past my window.
A few moments later, my phone buzzed.
It was a message from Jasper–short, awkward, no preamble: “What do you want to eat?”
He’d sent a few photos of the food stalls. The clearest was a pancake stand.
Suddenly, I remembered that night all those years ago. I’d whined about craving pancakes in the middle of the night. Jasper, then barely a teenager, had scolded me, saying, “Kids who eat sweets at night will get cavities.” But later that night, he’d snuck out and come back with a warm pancake for me, hidden inside his jacket.
Back then, he’d said, “Last time.”
Just yesterday, he’d made me breakfast–scrambled eggs–and said again, “Last time.”
Now, as I looked out at his quickly vanishing figure through the car window, I thought, maybe this really was the last time.
I put my phone away and didn’t reply.
At the airport, just as we were about to board, the real estate company in Norway called Frederick. They wanted to confirm our arrival time so they could finalize the house contract.
After the call ended, Dr. Main looked at us, surprised. “You’re planning to settle there?”
I explained that Frederick wanted to stay in Norway for a few years to recover after the surgery.
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