Don’t Fall for the Billionaire Lover

Chapter 616

Chloe initially thought about saying it wasn’t necessary. She knew Connor was worn out too. Work had been overwhelming. Lucas, who was supposed to manage Paradise Resort, had completely checked out after the incident. Connor had shouldered a lot himself. Plus, Claire had been stirring things up lately. Besides dealing with Lisa, she was busy pulling strings and strengthening her network in the company. Actually, at least half the folks at Sartori Corporation were rooting for Claire to step up. Connor was feeling the heat, especially with the upcoming annual meeting, where Jeffery might reveal who’d be the next in line.

Connor had already slipped into the changing room. He quickly swapped his clothes and came back out. Chloe didn’t say a word. They headed to Ryan Hospital together. In the ICU hallway sat Lucas. These days, he was a shadow of his former self—unkempt, with a scruffy beard and vacant eyes, just sitting there, lost. He didn’t speak, just waited. Who knows what was on his mind? The real kicker was that a week had gone by, and Lucas hadn’t even gone to see his child once. Chloe didn’t think he seemed sad. Instead, he looked like he’d been dealt a heavy blow, completely down and out. She had nudged him a few times to go see the child, to pull himself together. But Lucas didn’t budge. Chloe decided to let it go. Honestly, she wasn’t doing much better than Lucas. She just put on a brave face, acting like everything was normal, but she felt a void inside too.

As usual, Chloe changed into a sterile gown and entered the ICU. Connor didn’t follow. “Linda, I’m here again. Why haven’t you woken up?” Chloe sat on the chair by Linda’s bed, taking in her pale face, and sighed. “You really drive me nuts. You’ve put me through hell before, and now you’re taking a bullet for me? What’s wrong with your head?” She continued massaging Linda’s legs. The doctor had advised daily massages to prevent muscle atrophy from being bedridden for so long. “Don’t think saving my life wipes the slate clean. I remember everything, and you know I hold grudges. I’m not going to thank you.”

As Chloe turned her head, she thought she saw Linda’s fingers twitch. She held her breath, watching intently, but there was no more movement. Chloe figured she must’ve imagined it. She

sighed deeply. “Linda, I haven’t been sleeping well for days. I keep dreaming about you. I remember the first time I saw you back in high school, on the first day. Those jerks tossed your backpack into the lake, and without a second thought, you jumped in to get it. Everyone laughed, mocked you, but you just kept your head down, quietly retrieving your soaked backpack from the water.”

“Even then, they wouldn’t let up, crowding around to get their laughs. I thought you’d be crushed. But you lifted your head, calmly looking at each one of them. I saw tears shimmering in your eyes, but they never fell.” Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

“Linda, I was blown away. I admired your guts. You faced everyone’s sneers, so strong and unyielding. You seemed fragile, like a wildflower by the road, easily trampled. But you’d always rise again, despite it all. At that moment, I was moved. I decided I wanted to be your friend, to stand by you. I wanted to give you the chance to look them in the eye, to punch their noses when they picked on you.”

“Linda, you had traits I envied, even your toughness and willingness to do whatever it took.” Chloe poured out things she’d never shared before. In her heart, Linda and Cassie were her closest friends. She spoke about the moments they shared, the rough patches they’d gone through together. She was getting tired, her heart heavy, ready to leave. But as she stood up and glanced at Linda, she realized Linda’s eyes were open. Her gaze was locked on the ceiling, tears silently streaming down her face...