Chapter 8
I stepped out of the inn, trudging along the desolate, snowbound road toward the village. The wind bit through my coat, and the silence was broken only by the crunch of my boots in the
drifts.
It was nearly noon by the time I finally reached my destination, my entire body numb with cold. In the yard, a middle–aged man was sweeping snow from the path.
I forced myself forward, squinting at his face, then double–checking the photo on my phone. Relief washed over me–Dr. Main, at last.
My legs buckled. Shivering uncontrollably, I collapsed to my knees in the snow.
Dr. Main started in alarm, dropping his broom to rush over and help me up. “Who are you?” he exclaimed, both worried and bewildered.
Before I could answer, a few more people emerged from the house.
I blinked in disbelief as I recognized two familiar faces: Jasper Green and Sophia Carter, the daughter of his business partner.
Sophia called out as she came down the steps, “Uncle, who is it?”
Jasper followed close behind, frowning as he pulled her coat tighter. “Bundle up, Sophia. You’ll
catch cold.”
It was strange–ever since Jasper had told me he wasn’t my brother, I hadn’t sought him out. Yet somehow, fate kept throwing us together.
Jasper’s eyes darkened with irritation as he saw me slumped in the snow. He strode over, his jaw clenched in anger. “Claire Green, have you lost your mind? I told you, I’m not your brother! And still you followed me out here, in the middle of a blizzard?”
It was hard to blame him for thinking the worst. What were the odds I’d show up in this out–of–the–way village by pure coincidence?
Dr. Main cut him off, anxious. “Enough. Jasper, take off your coat and wrap it around her, quick.” Grumbling, Jasper shrugged off his jacket and draped it around my shoulders, not bothering to hide his annoyance. “Come on, inside.” he barked, grabbing my arm.
It took me a moment to summon the strength to stand. I wrenched my arm free and spoke up. my voice hoarse from the cold. “I’m not here to see you.”..
Dr. Main, I came to find you.”
I pulled the manila folder from inside my coat, hands shaking. Inside were Frederick Austin’s medical records.
I explained why I was there, my eyes stinging with tears. “Please. I beg you. The risk of a heart
Chapter 8
transplant is so high. This is our only chance.”
Jasper stared at me, stunned. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again, unable to find the words. I could see the disbelief in his eyes–he couldn’t fathom why I’d go to such lengths for a man I barely knew.
For a long moment, he just stood there, a flicker of something like fear crossing his face. “Claire Green, you’re not… you can’t possibly-”
Dr. Main’s phone rang. “Let’s get inside and talk.” he said over his shoulder, already heading
indoors to take the call.
Panic shot through me. If he went inside, I might lose my chance to speak to him. I fumbled to push past Jasper and follow.
But Jasper seized my arm in a grip that bordered on furious. “You really are insane! He’s just some stranger, and the roads are closed for miles in every direction. You nearly killed yourself trying to find a doctor for that man?”
I struggled against his hold, but he wouldn’t let go. Dr. Main and Sophia were already inside, the door closing behind them.
My frustration and desperation boiled over, tears threatening to spill. “He’s not a stranger!” I snapped. “Mr. Green, you’re the stranger to me!”
Jasper’s eyes reddened, and his patience finally snapped. “He’s not your brother! You and I have the same surname, Claire Green–don’t you get it?”
His grip was iron–tight; I couldn’t break free no matter how I tried. Finally, exhausted, I looked up at him with a wry smile. “Get what? Haven’t you already made it perfectly clear what I’m supposed to know?”
Jasper’s face went rigid, his lips trembling. “That’s not–it’s not like that…”
I was about to retort when I glimpsed a figure behind him, a familiar silhouette. His face, always pale, had lost even the faintest trace of color.
Frederick Austin had found his way here.
He was dusted with snow from head to toe, his expression frantic and utterly spent. When he saw me, he seemed to relax, relief flickering across his drawn features. Then his gaze shifted to He noticed Jasper and he faltered, lowering his eyes with a mixture of shyness, sorrow, and anxiety.
For a brief, surreal moment, I saw Jasper as he must have been as a lonely teenager: sitting quietly in his room, eating cake by himself on his birthday.
It had been years since I’d seen that gentler side of Jasper Green.
Frederick stared down at the snow, unmoving, lost in thought. He didn’t call out to me, nor did he take another step.
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Chapter 8
Jasper’s voice shook. “Enough. This ends now. You’re staying here until the snow melts. Then I’ll take you back home. Do you hear me?”
Frederick’s hands, already blue with cold, trembled at his sides. At last, he seemed to come to himself, slowly turning away and trudging back the way he’d come.
My heart twisted painfully. I couldn’t let him leave like this. Desperate, I cried out, “Fred!”
Given the state he was in, it was a miracle he’d made it this far. If he tried to walk back, it could be fatal.
At the sound of my voice, Frederick froze, back rigid, but he didn’t look back.
Jasper looked at me as if struck by lightning, wild with disbelief. “Claire Green, what did you just call him? Look at me! I’m your brother! Me!”
Frederick’s hunched figure struggled on, step by agonizing step, disappearing into the swirling
snow.
I fought to break free from Jasper, shouting, “Let go! Let me go!”
With a bitter laugh, Jasper–eyes rimmed red–spat, “Do you really think that stranger brought you here out of kindness? I did some digging. He had a sister, you know. She died years ago…”
Crack.
Not far away, Frederick’s figure suddenly stopped again.
A violent gust of wind swept across the yard, and, stumbling, he collapsed face–first into the
snow.
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