[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":10},["ShallowReactive",2],{"viewer-data-260322A01459-501":3},{"id":4,"number":5,"name":6,"content":7,"isLocked":8,"price":9,"hasRead":8},501,8,"Chapter 8: Wishing You Success With Your Proposal","\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Vienna Cruz got into a fender-bender and spent the entire time hysterical, sobbing over the phone.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Desmond Knight bolted to her side, and he didn’t set foot back home for an entire week.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I didn’t feel a thing. I spent the time packing my bags, handing in my resignation, and taking a flight out to tour the new office at the Southside Branch.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I walked through the front door just as Desmond was coming in.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He was carrying a cake.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"It's your birthday today. You didn't forget, did you?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I flashed him a smile. \"Actually, I completely did.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Desmond tipped his chin toward his briefcase, a silent cue that there was more. Inside, nestled in a blue velvet square box, was a unique, pear-shaped diamond ring. Beside it lay a Cartier bracelet.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Thanks, Desmond,\" I said, fastening the bracelet onto my wrist. \"It’s the latest collection.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Desmond’s eyes scanned my face, searching for a reaction. \"Do you like it?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I grinned and nodded. \"Of course I do.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"Wishing you success with your proposal, by the way!\" I took a massive, indulgent bite of the cake.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">The pain in my stomach kicked in at midnight.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I dressed in silence and caught a ride to the ER.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Once I was in the car, my phone buzzed. It was Desmond. \"Where are you? I made you some hawthorn tea.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">\"I'm in a cab. Heading to the hospital.\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">His tone sharpened with urgency. \"Why didn't you call me?\"\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I froze.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">Why didn't I call him?\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">In the past, if I even had a mild stomachache in the middle of the night, I would have been stumbling over to his bedside, tugging on the hem of his pajama shirt. Desmond, it hurts, I’d whimper.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He would grumble about me being a nuisance, but he’d still get up to brew that tea. He’d wrap me in his duvet, the lingering scent of his skin still clinging to the fabric.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I looked at my own reflection ghosting across the dark car window.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I realized then that my body had accepted the truth long before my heart did.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">He was no longer the person I was allowed to disturb. He was no longer the person I had the right to lean on.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I was already hooked up to an IV when Desmond finally rushed in, his fingers wrapping around the plastic tube to warm the cold saline as it dripped into my veins.\u003C/p>\u003Cp class=\"chapter-paragraph\">I drifted into a hazy, medicated sleep. I didn't wake up until the sharp, stinging smack of a palm across my face brought me back to reality.\u003C/p>",false,0,1774272915916]