The Double or more Life of the Fake Heiress (Mirabella) novel Chapter 1829

1829 /1891

In the hospital room, Jim lay there, nerves all over the place, thinking about how he was going to explain everything to his little niece when she showed up. The moment he heard the door creak open, he snapped his eyes shut, playing possum.

On her way to the hospital, Nellie felt a heavy weight of sorrow pressing down on her. By the time she walked into the room, any attempt at keeping it together vanished. As she got to the bed, her legs just gave out, and she sank to the floor, the ache in her chest spreading through her whole body. She leaned against the bed, her hand trembling, not quite daring to reach out and hold the man's hand lying there. She was scared of what she might find if she checked his pulse.

Jim, with his eyes closed, heard the faint sounds but, after waiting a bit with nothing happening, couldn't resist peeking. “Mira, Chester didn’t really mean to—” His words died in his throat as he saw who was standing there.

Jim was floored, his mind reeling. “Nellie?” he mumbled in disbelief.

Nellie's hand hovered in mid-air. She met Jim’s eyes, looking completely stunned. “Weren’t you… didn’t they say you were…” she trailed off, realizing he wasn’t hooked up to any machines. The room was way too calm for someone in a dire state. It dawned on her that Rea had set her up. Just as the realization hit, Jim had already tossed the blankets aside, climbed out of the bed, and, ignoring the pain from his wounds, pulled her into a tight hug.

“Nellie, I’ve missed you,” he said softly, his voice carrying a gentle caution.

There was no anger for leaving without a word, no fury for faking his death, just the sheer joy of finding something precious again. Nellie’s heart clenched painfully. What a fool. Slowly, she wrapped her arms around him too. How lucky could she be in this lifetime?

They stayed like that, wrapped up in each other, not noticing the door being quietly closed. Outside, Grady, usually so composed, had a hint of redness in his eyes. Next to him, Mirabella raised an eyebrow teasingly, “Uncle, now that Chester's off the market, any plans of your own?”