Chapter 7
"Don't go," Liam said. His voice was sharp with urgency.
"If I don't, it looks worse."
I walked out before he could stop me. My heels echoed down the corridor—steady, deliberate—even though my pulse was chaos.
In administration, a man I'd never seen sat behind the department head's desk. Gray suit, silver cufflinks, predatory smile. The nameplate that normally read "Dr. Chen" had been removed.
"Dr. Hudson." He gestured to a chair. "Sit."
"I'll stand. Who are you?"
"Gerald Pike." He folded his hands. "Attorney for the Blackwell estate. I believe you've been treating a patient in our family's care—without authorization from the designated medical team."
"I was assigned by the hospital. His chart was in the system. There was no restriction noted."
"An administrative oversight. One that's been corrected." He slid a document across the desk. "This is a gag order. You are not to discuss the patient, his identity, or his condition with anyone. Violation carries a $10 million penalty and criminal prosecution."
I didn't touch the paper. "You can't gag a physician about a patient's welfare. That violates medical ethics and—"
"Ms. Hudson." His smile widened. "I'm also here to inform you that your medical license is under review. There are... concerns about your three-year gap in practice. Until cleared, you're suspended from clinical duties."
Cold fury flooded my veins. They were methodical. Fast. They'd done this before.
"You can't suspend me without hospital board approval."
"The board approved it an hour ago." He stood, buttoning his jacket. "A word of advice? Go back to your ex-husband. This world is far too dangerous for someone like you."
He left. I stood alone in that office, my nails cutting crescent moons into my palms.
They wanted me powerless. Voiceless. Just like before.
But I wasn't the same woman who swallowed pills on a bathroom floor.
I returned to my apartment and called Rebecca. She answered on the first ring.
"They suspended me and issued a gag order," I said.
"I saw. Pike is fast, but he's sloppy. The gag order has no judicial backing yet—it's a scare tactic. And the license review? I've already filed a counter-motion." She paused. "Penelope, how far are you willing to go?"
"All the way."
"Good. Because I found something on Richard Blackwell. He has a sealed criminal record from twenty-three years ago. Assault charges—dropped when the victim withdrew. The victim's name was redacted, but the case file references a 'Dr. Hudson.'"
My father.
My father was the victim Richard assaulted—the same father who saved Edward's life. And Richard's charges were dropped. Probably because Edward intervened to keep family scandal quiet.
"Richard hurt my father," I said, the words tasting like ash. "And Edward protected him."
"Which means Edward owed your family double. The will clause makes even more sense now." Rebecca's voice was careful. "Penelope, there's something else. Your parents' death—the car accident when you were four—do you know the details?"
"A drunk driver hit them head-on. The driver was never identified."
"The police report lists the other vehicle as a black sedan registered to Blackwell Industries."
The room spun. I grabbed the edge of the table.
"Are you saying—"
"I'm saying Richard Blackwell may have killed your parents. And Edward knew."
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. My entire life—the orphanhood, the loneliness, the years of being treated as disposable—all of it traced back to one man.
And Liam wanted me to give him *time*?
My phone rang. Liam.
I answered with a voice that didn't sound like mine. "Did you know about my parents?"
Silence.
"Did you *know*, Liam?"
"...Penelope—"
"Yes or no."
"I found out six months ago."
I hung up and threw the phone against the wall. It cracked, but didn't shatter.
Neither would I.
"If I don't, it looks worse."
I walked out before he could stop me. My heels echoed down the corridor—steady, deliberate—even though my pulse was chaos.
In administration, a man I'd never seen sat behind the department head's desk. Gray suit, silver cufflinks, predatory smile. The nameplate that normally read "Dr. Chen" had been removed.
"Dr. Hudson." He gestured to a chair. "Sit."
"I'll stand. Who are you?"
"Gerald Pike." He folded his hands. "Attorney for the Blackwell estate. I believe you've been treating a patient in our family's care—without authorization from the designated medical team."
"I was assigned by the hospital. His chart was in the system. There was no restriction noted."
"An administrative oversight. One that's been corrected." He slid a document across the desk. "This is a gag order. You are not to discuss the patient, his identity, or his condition with anyone. Violation carries a $10 million penalty and criminal prosecution."
I didn't touch the paper. "You can't gag a physician about a patient's welfare. That violates medical ethics and—"
"Ms. Hudson." His smile widened. "I'm also here to inform you that your medical license is under review. There are... concerns about your three-year gap in practice. Until cleared, you're suspended from clinical duties."
Cold fury flooded my veins. They were methodical. Fast. They'd done this before.
"You can't suspend me without hospital board approval."
"The board approved it an hour ago." He stood, buttoning his jacket. "A word of advice? Go back to your ex-husband. This world is far too dangerous for someone like you."
He left. I stood alone in that office, my nails cutting crescent moons into my palms.
They wanted me powerless. Voiceless. Just like before.
But I wasn't the same woman who swallowed pills on a bathroom floor.
I returned to my apartment and called Rebecca. She answered on the first ring.
"They suspended me and issued a gag order," I said.
"I saw. Pike is fast, but he's sloppy. The gag order has no judicial backing yet—it's a scare tactic. And the license review? I've already filed a counter-motion." She paused. "Penelope, how far are you willing to go?"
"All the way."
"Good. Because I found something on Richard Blackwell. He has a sealed criminal record from twenty-three years ago. Assault charges—dropped when the victim withdrew. The victim's name was redacted, but the case file references a 'Dr. Hudson.'"
My father.
My father was the victim Richard assaulted—the same father who saved Edward's life. And Richard's charges were dropped. Probably because Edward intervened to keep family scandal quiet.
"Richard hurt my father," I said, the words tasting like ash. "And Edward protected him."
"Which means Edward owed your family double. The will clause makes even more sense now." Rebecca's voice was careful. "Penelope, there's something else. Your parents' death—the car accident when you were four—do you know the details?"
"A drunk driver hit them head-on. The driver was never identified."
"The police report lists the other vehicle as a black sedan registered to Blackwell Industries."
The room spun. I grabbed the edge of the table.
"Are you saying—"
"I'm saying Richard Blackwell may have killed your parents. And Edward knew."
I couldn't breathe. Couldn't think. My entire life—the orphanhood, the loneliness, the years of being treated as disposable—all of it traced back to one man.
And Liam wanted me to give him *time*?
My phone rang. Liam.
I answered with a voice that didn't sound like mine. "Did you know about my parents?"
Silence.
"Did you *know*, Liam?"
"...Penelope—"
"Yes or no."
"I found out six months ago."
I hung up and threw the phone against the wall. It cracked, but didn't shatter.
Neither would I.