After the passion, Averi needed to go back to her apartment to change clothes, and Dallas drove her there.
Both of them had not taken a shower, and there was a faint trace of sexual desire on their bodies. The train was enclosed, and the air gradually became suggestive.
Averi turned his head slightly, gazing out the window. No one knew what he was thinking. He remained quiet throughout the journey.
The streetlight cast a glow on her face, creating a soft, fuzzy halo. She had washed off the remnants of her makeup, revealing the natural color of her lips. The paler her face looked, the more pronounced the dark shadows under her lashes became.
Halfway down the road, Dallas's phone started vibrating, and he answered it, his face suddenly taking on a serious expression.
His phone was not connected to Bluetooth, so Averi had no idea what was being said on the other end of the call, but she could tell by his reaction that it must be something serious.
The phone call was over quickly, and Dallas told her, "Chloe is having some issues and needs me to sign something."
Averi nodded immediately: "Then let's go to the nursing home first."
The words "we" touched Dallas' heart, but he doesn't have so many romantic thoughts now.
He made a sharp turn and slammed the gas pedal to the floor.
When the two men arrived at the nursing home, two nurses were standing at the entrance looking out. The older of the two immediately handed over the documents when she saw him.
"Dallas, it's an emergency. We called you and went straight to the hospital leadership to get approval for the operation, and it has already begun."
He often comes by, and his distinctive appearance makes him easily recognizable. Many people in the courtyard know that he is the brother of the beautiful person who is a vegetative patient.
"I understand, thank you."
There are more than one copy of the document, which contains various contents such as power of attorney and consent for self-pay. Dallas glanced at it briefly and went straight to the bottom to sign. When he turned to the last page, he hesitated before putting pen to paper.
Averi looked closely and noticed that the white paper had the words "Critical Health Alert" written in bold letters.
"Come with me, please." After signing the papers, the nurse led them inside, moving faster and faster until she was almost jogging.
The elevator was taking too long. Dallas pushed open the door to the stairwell, taking the steps three at a time.
Averi instinctively ran a few steps after him but suddenly stopped. She stood still in the middle of the hallway, watching Dallas's figure get farther away until he finally disappeared around the corner of the stairs.
The young nurse noticed she had fallen behind, glanced at her high heels, and doubled back. "We can take the next elevator up."
Since Fiona's transfer and admission were handled by Jordan, this was the nurse's first time seeing Averi, assuming she was one of Fiona's relatives.
Averi shook his head, his legs remaining completely still.
The nurse thought she was just in shock and was about to offer more comforting words when she heard her say, "I'm not her family."
Averi asked, "What are the chances of the surgery being successful?"
The young nurse hesitated. "I'm sorry, we can't disclose patient information to non-family members."
Averi nodded gently, not pressing her further.
The nurse said, "Even if you're not family, you can still wait outside the operating room."
Averi hesitated for a moment before replying softly, "Thank you, but I won't go up."
She took one last look at the closed stairwell door before turning and walking away.
Averi never prayed or sought divine help, but she believed in seventy percent human effort and thirty percent fate—with fate often outweighing effort in the end.
First, Odin exposed her. Then Eli had his accident, and Milo proposed marriage. And now, the original bond between her and him was about to break as well—once Fiona was gone, there would be nothing left tying them together.
One thing after another, all of it coming together at once.
By the time Averi had been exposed by Odin, she already knew exactly what she needed to do. It was only Cristopher's stroke that gave her a reason to delay. Not answering his calls was just another way of avoiding him. Later on, Milo came along to "help" her make up her mind.
Walking out of the hospital, that brief moment of exhaustion dulled her reason, and once again she allowed herself to be weak, to avoid facing everything until now.
But no matter how far she tried to run, eventually, she would have to face it.
Outside the hospital room, Dallas waited anxiously. Back when Fiona was first admitted, the doctor had gently warned him that nearly half of patients in a traumatic vegetative state would pass away within the first year due to various complications and organ failure. He was mentally prepared.
But when it actually happened, Dallas realized he was far less composed than he had imagined.
In a daze, he seemed to sense something and turned to look at the elevator.
The metal doors were closed, reflecting a faint, cold light.
He was alone in the long hallway.
The car was still parked at the entrance of the nursing home. Averi got into the driver's seat, planning to return to her apartment to shower and change before heading to the office.
Severe sleep deprivation had given her a pounding headache, so Averi took two more painkillers.
Jordan noticed she looked unwell and suggested, "Boss, these meetings aren't that urgent. We could reschedule them for tomorrow."
Averi shook her head. "Tell them to meet in the main conference room. I'll be there in ten minutes."
Jordan knew her temperament and didn't press further. Just as he was about to leave, he heard her voice behind him. "Jordan, take care of Dallas's resignation paperwork."
Jordan was secretly surprised and turned back to ask, "Alright, when does it take effect?"
Averi opened the documents for the upcoming meeting, her head down. "Now."
Jordan said, "If it's a unilateral termination..."
"I know. Compensate him however we should." Her eyes remained on the documents, her tone casual. "By the way, continue covering Fiona's expenses as usual. That doesn't change."
Jordan asked again, "Boss, if Dallas asks, what should I tell him?"
There was a brief silence before Averi replied softly, "He won't ask."
Dallas indeed didn't ask—at least, Jordan didn't relay anything to her.
Later, it was Averi who asked Jordan if Dallas had said anything. Jordan said no. Dallas hadn't said a word when he learned he was fired. And, Boss, Miss Fiona passed away—cardiopulmonary failure, they couldn't save her.
Averi was looking at documents at the time and barely nodded without lifting her head.
During the meeting that day, she uncharacteristically pointed out issues with the project department's proposal and even suggested that if anyone wanted an easy life, they might as well go manage a nursing home.
Her voice wasn't loud, nor was her tone particularly harsh. Yet anyone who had worked with Averi knew she was at her breaking point.
The atmosphere in the conference room was suffocating, and no one present dared to breathe too loudly.
Averi's life had fallen into a strict routine—either at the office or at the hospital. After Cristopher was discharged, the hospital was replaced by the old family house.
When Mareli returned, she was furious that no one had informed her about the situation. Of course, in front of Cristopher, she played the part of the wounded party, hinting that it had been intentional.
Averi apologized calmly, saying she had simply been too busy and had accidentally forgotten.
Cristopher knew what she had been busy with, so even though the excuse sounded weak to Mareli, he accepted it.
Now Cristopher could barely manage a few syllables, and he relied on caretakers for everything—eating, drinking, basic hygiene. "Someone like him, who had dominated for half his life, found it hardest to accept what he had become. It made his temper grow worse by the day. When Mareli tried to complain about it again, he cut her off with an irritated snort.
Cristopher understood that ignorance excused Mareli, but it still bothered him. While Mareli was busy shopping in France, Teagan had rushed over overnight to visit and had stayed by his bedside ever since. Comparisons were inevitable, especially when they were this stark.
It wasn't until Eli's situation had mostly settled that Averi finally had the chance to return to her own apartment and catch her breath.
The security guard handed her a package, saying that if she hadn't come to pick it up soon, he would have thrown it away.
The sender information was completely blank. Inside the package was a check and a small, separately wrapped pouch. Averi didn't know how much Dallas still owed her, but she knew the number on the check had to match exactly.
Where did he manage to get all this money? The question flashed through her mind, but Averi scoffed at herself for even wondering.
She put down the check and opened the small pouch. When she saw what was inside, she froze, unable to recover for a long time.
Inside the pouch was a delicately wrapped box embossed with the words "La Perla."
It was a pair of panties—burgundy lace, a thong.
"I still haven't settled the score with you. La Perla, burgundy thong style, remember to replace it for me."
The memory suddenly came alive, catching her off guard. The sunlight that day, the scent of the air, the feel of his shirt, the warmth of their bodies, the rhythm of their breathing... every detail, every reaction surged back all at once.
She remembered it all.
Her chest tightened sharply, her heart cramping as if it were folding in on itself, squeezing out a bitter ache.
After staring for a moment, Averi stepped into her bedroom and put the check, along with the panties, deep inside her wardrobe.
No matter how much it hurt, she was still Averi.
