Chapter 36: A toast to family
Five days had passed since Ashley's last encounter with Lorenzo. His offer still lingered in her mind, tempting her more with each passing moment. One thing she wanted more than taking out her revenge on christian Harrington was finding her daughter.
But the fear that Lorenzo might not be open to helping her again, especially after how harshly she'd spoken to him the last time, held her back. The words she'd thrown at him in her rage haunted her, making her wonder if she'd burned that bridge for good.
The absence of his gift was her answer– it had stopped coming right after their fight. She hadn't felt the relief she'd expected from it
She sighed, her desperation and patience grow thinner by the second. Nicolas hadn't made any progress, and she was starting to lose hope.
She sat at her desk, staring blankly at the papers in front of her. Her mind was a whirlwind, consumed by thoughts of everything going wrong around her. She had thought things were finally going to get better now that she'd found a family that showed her care. But she was wrong—the universe seemed to hate her more than she ever knew.
Two days ago, Mikael had been flown abroad to start Disease Modifying Therapy (DMT) at a hospital. After developing muscle weakness and coordination problems, Dr. Nolan suspected he was suffering from multiple sclerosis.
Michelle, on the other hand, had become a shadow of the woman she once was since her husband's illness began—a complete contrast to the cheerful, strong person she had been. Now, all she did was cry, and Ashley hated that she couldn't do anything to help. Her fear grew even more after learning that something similar had happened to Jason before his death. She couldn't bear the thought of losing another person she was starting to care about.
Her gaze caught on the romper peeking out of her handbag—the same one Vanessa had worn the day before she dropped her at the orphanage. Since then, she carried it everywhere.
Another sigh of exhaustion escaped her lips, her vision blurring as tears stung her eyes, turning the words on the paperwork into an unreadable mess.
She reached for the tiny pink garment with trembling hands, her gaze lingering on the delicate fabric. A lump formed in her throat, making it harder to swallow.
She clutched the romper and brought it to her nose, inhaling deeply between shuddering sobs. The lingering scent of her daughter's presence always gave her bittersweet comfort. But today, the scent seemed to be fading, a painful reminder of how long Vanessa had been gone. Her heart broke as her tears flowed freely.