CHAPTER 55: IN SICKNESS AND HEALTH

Julian had always had a weak stomach. His earlier checkups showed nothing more than a small ulcer nothing that should’ve become life-threatening. Back then, when I still loved him, I spent so much time making sure he stayed healthy. I searched up remedies, adjusted his meals, even reminded him to take his pills.

That was a year ago.

After what he did... I stopped. I stopped checking in. Stopped caring. Stopped feeling responsible for someone who threw me away.

And somehow, in that single year, everything collapsed for him.

Lewis didn’t react much as he closed the report. "No one else has seen this yet. What do you want to do about it?"

I froze.

It felt like he was putting the choice in my hands like he was testing something he already sensed in me.

And even though I trusted him, something about his calm expression made me tread carefully.

I took a slow breath. "What do you think we should do, Mr. Hale?"

If we kept this hidden, time would make all the decisions for us. The cancer would spread, the kidneys would worsen, and Julian would suffer without me ever having to speak a word.

It was... tempting. Too tempting.

But Lewis didn’t let the silence stretch. His voice was steady. "He’ll get the report. He deserves a chance to seek treatment."

I wasn’t surprised. I’d expected this. No matter how much Julian failed as a mate, he was still Hale blood. Lewis would never let someone in his pack fall without trying to pull them back up.

"This isn’t the outcome you hoped for," he added, his tone gentle but firm. "But I have other matters to deal with."

His words left me uneasy. Earlier he’d stood firmly behind me. Now he felt... distant. But Lewis wasn’t someone who acted without reason. If he stepped back, it was because he saw something I hadn’t.

"I understand," I said softly.

He nodded. "I haven’t forgotten the repair shop lead. I’ll send someone to investigate."

"Thank you. You should rest."

He studied me for a moment, something unreadable flickering across his eyes. But he didn’t say anything more. "Good night."

When he left, I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep refused to come.

My mind kept circling one name Camilla.

What was she planning?

She’d already fooled Grandma into handing over company shares. Now she wanted something bigger a permanent place in the Hale family. She didn’t care what she risked. Her reputation, her body, her future she was ready to burn all of it just to climb higher.

Even though she used her pregnancy to force her way into the family, she wasn’t entering as a respected woman. Everyone already knew the scandal. If she truly cared about how she was seen, she would’ve waited. She could’ve laid low, allowed the memory of my death to fade, and returned a year or two later. People might have pitied her. Maybe even supported her bond with Julian.

But she rushed in headfirst.

It wasn’t about marrying Julian. Not really.

Whatever Camilla was after... it was bigger than a marriage, bigger than love, bigger than fear.

The thought hit me hard.

She wasn’t just trying to replace me. She wasn’t after the Morrigan shares either.

She wanted power.

Real power.

And she had her eyes on the Hales.

Everything she’d done, every step she took it all pointed to one thing. A long game. A dangerous one. And if I didn’t move first, if I didn’t dig up proof soon, she’d secure her position and then no one would be able to touch her.

The next morning, Julian’s medical report came out.

He hadn’t slept at all. Pain had drained him dry his skin pale, his body slouched, his scent faint like someone losing himself piece by piece. When the doctor said "stage two stomach cancer" and "kidney failure," Julian nearly slipped off the couch. His whole world seemed to collapse in front of him.

James froze. His face went blank, shock swallowing him whole.

"My son’s still young. How can he have kidney failure already?" he asked, voice shaking.

The doctor adjusted his glasses. "The results were checked twice. They’re accurate. But don’t panic both conditions are still in early stages. They can be managed."

Julian lifted his head slowly. His voice trembled. "So... I can still be treated?"

"Yes," the doctor said. "The cancer hasn’t spread far. Surgery is possible. If you follow the plan and take care of yourself, your chances are good. The first few years will be the most important."

Julian let out a breath, barely holding himself together. "Okay. I’ll do it. I’ll follow everything."

James nodded, then asked something none of us had thought of. "Will this affect his ability to have children?"

Silence.

Then the doctor answered, carefully, "Yes. Fertility may drop as the condition worsens. Not completely gone, but reduced. If children are something you’re planning soon, you must consider this."

James nodded slowly. "Prepare the treatment. As soon as possible."

The doctor gathered his things and left, and the room fell quiet again.

James turned to Jeffrey. "Dad, you heard him. If Julian keeps getting worse, he might not be able to have children at all. The child Camilla carries... might be his only one."

Jeffrey didn’t speak. He sat still, calm on the outside, but his eyes... his eyes were cold, calculating, as if pieces were sliding into place.

I sipped my tea, trying to seem composed, even though my heartbeat was pounding in my ears.

The clues were lining up, one after another, forming a picture that made my stomach twist.

Now I was starting to wonder if she’d touched more than just my life.

What if she’d touched Julian’s health too?

My hands trembled. The teacup slipped, spilling hot water across the table.

"You okay?" Lewis asked quietly, offering me a tissue.

"I... I’m fine," I whispered, wiping the water even though my heart was racing.

But I wasn’t fine.

I finally understood.

Camilla wasn’t fighting me for a man.

She was playing for everything.