The Hide and Seek Game That Lasted a Lifetime novel Chapter 26

Chapter 16

During the days Chase spent in the hospital, Nora made two visits to see him—and on both occasions, she brought Dominic along. The sterile scent of antiseptic filled the air as she stepped into the room, her expression calm but resolute.

“Thank you for saving me,” she said, her voice steady yet firm. “Let’s be clear, Mr. Whitmore—your life is yours to live, but mine no longer includes you.”

Chase’s eyes were rimmed with red, betraying the exhaustion and pain he felt. He reached out suddenly, grasping her hand and pressing it against his chest as if anchoring himself. “Nora, I’m not well. The pain is unbearable. Can’t you stay with me a little longer?”

Dominic’s reaction was swift and sharp. He slapped Chase’s hand away with a loud smack that echoed in the quiet room. “Chase, we appreciate that you saved her, but that doesn’t give you the right to cling to her now. Show some dignity. She’s engaged to me.”

A bitter laugh escaped Chase’s lips, dark and hollow. “Even if she’s engaged to you, she’ll always belong to me.”

There was no point in continuing this futile exchange.

Nora turned on her heel and left with Dominic, their footsteps echoing down the sterile hospital corridor. But just as they reached the entrance, they collided with Camila.

Nora barely recognized the woman before her—disheveled, eyes wild with desperation. “What happened to you?” she asked, her voice laced with surprise.

Without hesitation, Camila dropped to her knees, clutching Nora’s legs, tears streaming down her face. “Chase is a monster! He threw me into a lake—I almost drowned! Then he left me there, where snakes could bite me. After that, he brought a group of men to—” Her sobs choked her words. “I’m ruined. The doctors say I don’t have long to live. Nora, please, I’m begging you—help me get revenge!”

Nora looked down at her, her gaze cold and unyielding, devoid of even a flicker of sympathy. “Isn’t this exactly how you all treated me back then?” she asked quietly.

“You want me to avenge you? Who ever avenged me?” Camila’s voice cracked with bitterness.

Nora’s eyes flicked toward Dominic, her tone calm but edged with steel. “If kindness is met with hatred, then what remains for kindness to repay kindness?”

Camila froze, struck silent by the weight of Nora’s words.

Without another glance, Nora turned and walked away.

She would never pity those who had once caused her pain—never offer sympathy, and certainly never forgiveness. Whatever suffering Camila endured now was the consequence of her own choices. To show mercy now would be a betrayal of the girl who had nearly drowned in that lake years ago.

***

Nora quickened her pace, the cool hospital air brushing against her face as Dominic hurried to keep up beside her.

“Nora, things aren’t looking good at the Whitmore Group. Chase’s injury has the board circling like sharks,” Dominic said, concern creasing his brow.

She nodded, her jaw tight. “Leaving Camila ranting mad at the hospital entrance—that was revenge enough for both him and the Whitmore Group.”

That afternoon, news of Camila’s public breakdown spread like wildfire. The Whitmore Group’s stock plummeted, losing a staggering hundred million dollars in value.

Chase didn’t care. He picked up his phone immediately and called Nora again.

“Nora! I’ve got bad news—the Whitmore Group is on the brink of collapse!”

But Nora could hear the twisted satisfaction in his voice and frowned. “What ridiculous stunt are you pulling now?”

“I’m serious! It’s real! Check the news if you don’t believe me!” Chase insisted.

She pulled out her phone and scrolled through headline after headline screaming about the Whitmore Group’s stock collapse.

This time, she didn’t hang up.

Instead, a slow, deliberate smile spread across her face.

“All right. Let’s set a time. Face to face. I insist.”

The bigger the storm, the pricier the catch.

It was time to close the net.