Burn Me Once, Burn With Me novel Chapter 32

Everything before her eyes blurred into a wash of gray and white, the chaos around her so overwhelming it seemed to drown out all sound.

The only color that stood out was Gennifer's cheeks, flushed a delicate pink like the first blush of spring—almost painfully vivid in all that monotony.

Watching the two of them, so lost in their own world and completely oblivious to everyone else, made Ruby—still Cassian's legal wife, not yet divorced—feel like nothing but a cruel joke.

But whatever girlish affection she'd once had for Cassian had long since vanished, replaced by nothing but hatred.

She hated him for wielding the power of a corporate titan only to squeeze the lives and livelihoods of ordinary people—his own daughter among them.

Mira was burning up in her arms, her tear-streaked little face a mirror image of Cassian's.

Those wide, grape-dark eyes, brimming with tears, looked up at Ruby and then back at the spectacle unfolding before them.

Even back when Ruby was still the lead counsel at Veyne & Co., she'd never once received so much as a glance of genuine affection from Cassian.

Maybe that was the difference between being loved and unloved.

She bit her lip, letting her hair fall to hide the bitter, mocking glint in her eyes.

Dressed simply, Ruby stood out among the sea of white coats. Cassian's gaze eventually drifted from Gennifer and landed on her in the corner.

A sharp wave of recognition swept through him. Narrowing his eyes, Cassian felt a chill prickle down his spine.

The woman's pale profile was just barely visible, and even from across the room, he could sense the note of disdain hidden beneath her lashes.

Something twisted in his chest, and his gaze darkened.

He drew a shaky breath, but in the next instant, she turned and slipped away.

Mira's fever was raging. If Ruby didn't get her help soon, the consequences could be dire.

She couldn't wait any longer.

Forcing her thoughts away from the man she despised, Ruby decided to hail a cab back to the staff dormitory.

"Aren't we supposed to go into the exam room?" he asked, regaining his usual calm.

Gennifer's eyes filled with wounded reproach. "Why'd you leave? You know how much I hate going through hospital checkups alone, Cassian."

He seemed distracted, not leaping to comfort her as he usually did.

"What's going on with you?" she pressed, following his line of sight, but saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"Just thought I saw someone I knew," Cassian replied coolly, taking hold of Gennifer's wheelchair.

"I see…" Gennifer nodded uncertainly, glancing back one last time before they entered the examination room.

Outside, Ruby flagged down a cab, climbing in with Mira clutched to her chest, her urgency palpable.

She barely noticed the sting of cold air on her cheeks as the cab sped off, urging the driver to go faster, desperate to get her daughter the help she needed.