Stand-In Heiress's Last Sunflower Blooms in Graveyards - Chapter 7: Chapter 7
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Rachel's piercing scream sliced through the snowy night air, making heads turn all across the square. Timothy heard it too.
He looked over for a split second, then deliberately turned away and gripped Katherine's hand tighter, practically dragging her in the opposite direction.
"Timothy, wait—didn't you want to watch the whole fireworks show?" Katherine stumbled to keep up with his sudden pace. "Why are we leaving?"
Timothy's jaw was clenched so tight it hurt. He didn't answer.
All he could think about was that text Rachel had sent yesterday.
*Meet me at Times Square tomorrow night. I need to tell you the real reason Skylar left. You deserve to know the truth.*
Fuck that. He didn't want to know. He didn't *need* to know.
Five years was enough time to kill whatever he'd felt for Skylar Madden. He was completely, utterly over her.
The only reason he'd agreed to come tonight was because Katherine had been so excited about experiencing her first real New York New Year's Eve.
But then he'd seen Skylar in the crowd—laughing, animated, looking like she was having the time of her life.
*Of course she's here,* he thought, anger burning in his chest.
*She and Rachel probably cooked this whole thing up. Probably betting on whether I'd be stupid enough to show.*
That was classic Skylar—always playing games, always pulling strings, always making him feel like an idiot for caring.
Well, not this time.
He wasn't going to let her manipulate him again. He'd learned his lesson.
Timothy kept walking, his grip on Katherine's hand probably too tight, but he needed the anchor.
Behind them, the screaming got louder. More urgent.
He didn't look back.
So he missed the ambulance sirens cutting through the celebration.
He missed the paramedics pushing through the crowd with a stretcher.
He missed seeing Skylar's pale, bloodied face disappearing into the back of an ambulance.
In the Uber home, Timothy's phone started buzzing.
Rachel's name kept lighting up the screen, over and over and over.
She was calling with the desperation of someone who had something life-or-death to say.
"Babe, maybe you should answer that?" Katherine touched his arm gently. "What if something's wrong?"
Timothy stared at the phone, his thumb hovering over the decline button.
*What if this is just another game?*
Meanwhile, at Mount Sinai Hospital, Rachel was pacing outside the emergency room like a caged animal, phone pressed to her ear.
"Timothy, please, just pick up! Please!"
On her sixteenth call, the OR doors finally opened.
That's when Timothy answered, his voice sharp with irritation: "What do you want, Rachel?"
Dead silence on the other end.
Timothy was done with the dramatics. "I don't have time for whatever—"
He hung up before she could respond.
So he never heard the doctor's voice, heavy with professional sympathy:
"I'm sorry. Ms. Madden's cancer had progressed to the final stage. We did everything we could, but she passed away at 12:25 AM."
"My condolences."
And he never saw Rachel collapse to her knees, the birthday bouquet of baby's breath scattering across the sterile hospital floor like fallen snow.
He looked over for a split second, then deliberately turned away and gripped Katherine's hand tighter, practically dragging her in the opposite direction.
"Timothy, wait—didn't you want to watch the whole fireworks show?" Katherine stumbled to keep up with his sudden pace. "Why are we leaving?"
Timothy's jaw was clenched so tight it hurt. He didn't answer.
All he could think about was that text Rachel had sent yesterday.
*Meet me at Times Square tomorrow night. I need to tell you the real reason Skylar left. You deserve to know the truth.*
Fuck that. He didn't want to know. He didn't *need* to know.
Five years was enough time to kill whatever he'd felt for Skylar Madden. He was completely, utterly over her.
The only reason he'd agreed to come tonight was because Katherine had been so excited about experiencing her first real New York New Year's Eve.
But then he'd seen Skylar in the crowd—laughing, animated, looking like she was having the time of her life.
*Of course she's here,* he thought, anger burning in his chest.
*She and Rachel probably cooked this whole thing up. Probably betting on whether I'd be stupid enough to show.*
That was classic Skylar—always playing games, always pulling strings, always making him feel like an idiot for caring.
Well, not this time.
He wasn't going to let her manipulate him again. He'd learned his lesson.
Timothy kept walking, his grip on Katherine's hand probably too tight, but he needed the anchor.
Behind them, the screaming got louder. More urgent.
He didn't look back.
So he missed the ambulance sirens cutting through the celebration.
He missed the paramedics pushing through the crowd with a stretcher.
He missed seeing Skylar's pale, bloodied face disappearing into the back of an ambulance.
In the Uber home, Timothy's phone started buzzing.
Rachel's name kept lighting up the screen, over and over and over.
She was calling with the desperation of someone who had something life-or-death to say.
"Babe, maybe you should answer that?" Katherine touched his arm gently. "What if something's wrong?"
Timothy stared at the phone, his thumb hovering over the decline button.
*What if this is just another game?*
Meanwhile, at Mount Sinai Hospital, Rachel was pacing outside the emergency room like a caged animal, phone pressed to her ear.
"Timothy, please, just pick up! Please!"
On her sixteenth call, the OR doors finally opened.
That's when Timothy answered, his voice sharp with irritation: "What do you want, Rachel?"
Dead silence on the other end.
Timothy was done with the dramatics. "I don't have time for whatever—"
He hung up before she could respond.
So he never heard the doctor's voice, heavy with professional sympathy:
"I'm sorry. Ms. Madden's cancer had progressed to the final stage. We did everything we could, but she passed away at 12:25 AM."
"My condolences."
And he never saw Rachel collapse to her knees, the birthday bouquet of baby's breath scattering across the sterile hospital floor like fallen snow.
End of Stand-In Heiress's Last Sunflower Blooms in Graveyards Chapter 7. Continue reading Chapter 8 or return to Stand-In Heiress's Last Sunflower Blooms in Graveyards book page.