The Last Time I Cried Your Name novel Chapter 143

Laura hadn’t seen Franco in three days, not since he’d left her with those words on Saturday night.

She tried to ask him to dinner that evening, hoping maybe things could go back to normal, but Franco just texted back that he was busy. She ended up sitting alone in the dining room, staring at her untouched food, feeling more and more lost as the minutes dragged by.

It was late when her caretaker started to wheel her upstairs. Just outside the elevator, Laura blacked out, hitting the floor before anyone could catch her.

By the time they got her to the hospital, she was awake again, but everything was hazy. The doctors moved her into a room that reeked of antiseptic. When a needle slid into the crook of her arm, she finally blinked, half turning her head to watch blood fill the tube.

She frowned, her voice barely above a whisper. “Why are you taking blood?”

“Mr. White asked us to,” the nurse said, gentle and patient. “He wants to check if your anemia is getting any better.”

So it was Franco’s idea after all.

Laura’s lips curled into the faintest smile.

He still cared, even if he was mad at her.

All she’d done was send a message to Petty that night, just a little trick to get Franco’s attention. Of course he’d be annoyed—no one likes being confronted like that in front of other people. It made sense that he’d need time to cool off.

Now, three days later, his anger seemed to have faded. If something happened to her, he still showed up. That was just how he was.

“Where is he, then?” Laura glanced around the room.

The nurse pulled out the needle and pressed a cotton ball to her arm. “He’s outside.”

The nurse left and someone else stepped into the room. Laura’s vision blurred and for a second, she thought it was Franco—tall, straight-backed, that familiar silhouette. She felt her heart leap and tried to smile, her lips pale and shaky. “You’re here… so late?”

But when her eyes focused, it wasn’t Franco. It was Jay.

Franco and Jay looked a little alike, both tall and serious, but Jay had a bigger, tougher build from his years as a mercenary. In her daze, Laura had just hoped it was Franco.

Jay stood at her bedside, expression blank. “Mr. White is with the doctor. Are you feeling any other discomfort, Miss Laura?”

Laura turned away, making it clear she wasn’t in the mood to talk to Jay.

More time passed, but Franco still didn’t come in. Finally, Laura spoke to her caretaker. “I’m feeling better. Help me up.”

The caretaker helped her sit up slowly.

“Bring me my wheelchair,” she told Jay.

Jay’s eyes got colder. “Mr. White wants you to rest.”

“I said I feel better. I don’t need to lie down anymore. Didn’t you hear me?” Laura’s tone was sharp, her patience gone.

Jay didn’t move. “Miss Laura, Mr. White is only thinking of your health.”

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