Chapter 4

I didn't say a word but dialed a number.

The call connected almost instantly.

I said, "Go to the hospital of the Grant family and pick up a patient named Mia West. Get the transfer paperwork done today."

The person on the other end said, "Got it."

Samuel looked at me like I was a joke. "Claire, what are you trying to pull? The Goodwin family might be rich, but you're not all-powerful."

Charlotte tried to talk me down. "Claire, don't let your pride get in the way and end up hurting someone innocent."

For the first time, Julian looked uncertain. "Miss Goodwin, I'll handle Mia's situation myself."

"Since you put on that ring, she's family to me now," I said, slipping my phone away. "'Samuel, why don't you head back to the hospital and see if they still dare to hold her?"

Samuel was about to say something when his phone rang.

He answered, and after a few seconds, his expression shifted dramatically. "What did you say?"

The voice on the other end sounded urgent, and I could catch a few words myself. "Mr. Grant, Mia's transfer has been fast-tracked. They showed up with a city hospital vehicle and a team of specialists. The director told you to stay out of it."

Samuel gripped his phone, for once at a loss for words.

Henry whispered, "Samuel, what's going on?"

Samuel ignored him, his eyes locking on me. "Who did you call?"

I straightened Julian's cuff. "That's none of your business."

Without me noticing, Charlotte had let go of Samuel's sleeve, and now she was studying me, her eyes full of curiosity.

Helen steeled herself and pressed on, "Even if the patient's been transferred, you can't treat the wedding like some joke. Claire, who exactly are you marrying today? Did your family sign off on this?"

My mom's wheelchair was wheeled in.

Her voice wasn't loud, but it silenced everyone in the room. "I agree."

Helen was stunned. "Eleanor, do you realize what she's doing?"

My mom looked at me, her eyes weary from her illness, but with a sharpness I'd never noticed in my previous life. "Who my daughter marries is none of the Grant family's business."

Samuel's face turned stormy.

He fixed his gaze on me, his words cold and deliberate. "Claire, if you walk out that door today, don't ever expect me to come back."

I laughed. "This hall is the one I booked. Samuel, if you're leaving, don't forget to pay the rest of the bill."

*****

By the time we got back to the Goodwin residence, night had already fallen hard.

Julian stood in the entryway, refusing to step inside. "Miss Goodwin, I'll help clear things up about today. Don't worry. I won't take advantage of the Goodwin family."

I kicked off my heels. "Too late, you already did."

He froze.

I raised my hand, flashing the ring on my finger. "I've got the ring, but we still haven't made it official. Tomorrow morning at nine, County Clerk's Office."

Julian nearly tripped over the threshold and almost crashed into the shoe cabinet. "You seriously want to make it official with me?"

"The wedding's done. If we don't get the paperwork, are we waiting for the Grant family to come after us?"

He opened his mouth, but stopped himself.

I knew what he wanted to ask, why him.

In my previous life, I wondered the same thing.

Why did I put everything the Goodwin family had on the line to save Samuel, only to be left freezing in a cold storage overnight?

And why did Julian, who was paid to be my groom, end up with a broken leg from digging for the truth for me?

The answers didn't matter.

In this life, I only trusted what had been done.

My mom had the caregiver wheel her in. "Claire, come with me to the study."

Julian immediately said, "I'll wait outside."

Mom shot him a look. "You're coming, too."

In the study, my mom slid an old file across the desk to me. "What happened with the Grant family today wasn't some spur-of-the-moment thing."

I opened it up and saw the Grant family's loan records from the past six months, along with a few collection notices.

My mom said, "The Grant family's been struggling for years. Samuel only wanted to marry you for the Goodwin family's money."

Julian frowned. "So he thought he could have someone else stand in for him at the wedding, thinking the Goodwin family would accept it, no matter what?"

"He was betting on Claire's love for him," Mom said, looking at me. "And he was betting that with me sick, the Goodwin family wouldn't dare make a scene at the wedding."

I closed the file. "Mom, you knew about this?"

My mom was quiet for a moment. "I knew the Grant family was strapped for cash, but I never thought they'd go so far as to humiliate you like this."

"Then why did you still let me marry him?"

My mom gripped the wheelchair's armrests so hard that her knuckles turned white. "Back then, you wouldn't take no for an answer.

"I tried to stop you once, and you went two days without eating. My health was hanging by a thread. I couldn't fight you anymore."

Her words pierced right through me, and I had nothing to say.