The Billionaire's Forgotten Wife
Chapter 31: If he knows, then he knows..

Chapter 31: If he knows, then he knows..

The next morning, 10 a.m.

Cassidy stepped out of the hotel into the cool breeze of Manhattan, the city alive around her, but she barely noticed. Her thoughts were somewhere else entirely.

With Claire’s hand in hers and a small backpack slung over her shoulder, she called for a cab. The address Georgia had sent her the night before flashed on her phone screen: a prestigious private hospital tucked in the Upper East Side.

The drive felt both too fast and painfully slow. Claire sat quietly beside her, clutching her stuffed bunny, sensing her mother’s tension without understanding it.

When they arrived, Georgia was already waiting in front of the hospital entrance, her figure tall and poised, though her eyes looked tired.

Claire’s face lit up.

"Auntie Georgia!"

She ran forward, flinging her arms around Georgia’s waist. Georgia knelt to hug her tightly.

"My little Claire Bear! Oh, I missed you so much!"

"Where’s Sister Freya and Jonah?" Claire asked eagerly.

Georgia smiled, brushing a hand over Claire’s hairs.

"They’re upstairs. They can’t wait to see you. They’ve been asking about you all morning."

"I can’t wait to play with them," Claire grinned.

"And they can’t wait either, baby," Georgia replied warmly.

After Claire skipped ahead to look around, Georgia stood and faced Cassidy.

The sisters hugged, tight, wordless. Cassidy felt the tension still clinging to Georgia’s frame. And from that alone, she knew: their mother’s condition hadn’t changed.

They walked inside together.

As they headed toward the VIP wing, Cassidy couldn’t stop glancing around, her steps slower, heavier with each hallway. Her heart thudded in her chest. It felt like she was walking toward something she wasn’t ready to see.

"Raymond left earlier with Dad," Georgia said gently, as if sensing Cassidy’s unease. "They were here all night. It’s just family now, taking turns being here."

Cassidy swallowed.

"And Sandro?" she asked.

"Still out of town for work. He’s flying back this afternoon."

Cassidy nodded slowly, a flicker of relief crossing her face. She wasn’t ready, not yet, to face their father. Or to answer the unspoken question that hovered around Claire’s existence.

They reached the room.

The moment Cassidy stepped inside, her breath hitched.

There, lying motionless on the hospital bed, was Teresa, her mother. Pale. Fragile. A beautiful woman who was always well-dressed, now looked pale in a hospital gown, connected to oxygen, IV lines, and machines Cassidy didn’t recognize.

Her knees almost buckled.

This wasn’t the woman who raised her.

Claire stayed close to Cassidy, but was soon swept into the warm greetings of Freya and Jonah, who had been waiting with Thiego. The children laughed and hugged, their innocence cutting through the sterile air.

Thiego gave Cassidy a soft nod. "Cass, welcome home," he said gently, then added, "We’ll give you two a moment."

He left with the kids, ushering Claire along. Claire waved, and Cassidy gave her a brave smile before the door closed.

Silence fell.

Cass turned to Georgia, voice barely a whisper.

"What happened? I thought she was okay... just unconscious. But this..."

Her eyes drifted to the machines, the beeping, the oxygen tube taped to her mother’s face. "This doesn’t look like someone who’s going to wake up soon."

Georgia let out a slow breath.

"I didn’t want to overwhelm you yesterday. You already had too much on your shoulders."

Cassidy stared at her.

"Just tell me, Georgia."

Georgia hesitated, her eyes flickering toward the couch. Then, with a quiet sigh, she walked over and sat down slowly. Cassidy sat down next to her, not too close, just near enough to feel the warmth of her sister’s presence.

"She’s in a coma," Georgia said gently, her eyes never leaving their mother’s still figure on the bed. "After the incident... the doctors ran a full panel—CT scan, MRI, EEG. They found signs of moderate brain damage."

Cassidy’s breath caught.

Her voice, when it came, was barely a whisper.

"Will she ever wake up?"

Georgia nodded slowly. "Yes. The doctors said it’s possible. But... the timeline’s uncertain. It could be days. Weeks. Even months."

Cassidy stayed quiet, processing the weight of every word.

Then Georgia added, her tone quieter, heavier: "They also said... once she wakes up, she might not be the same."

Cassidy turned slowly to her, eyes filled with unspoken worry. "What do you mean?"

Georgia swallowed, choosing her words carefully.

Georgia said. "Her memory, her speech, her movement... all of it might be affected. Some parts of her might be gone." She looked down, voice low. "But she’s alive, Cass. She’s still here. And that means we still have hope."

Cass looked down at her hands. Her shoulders slumped as her throat tightened, guilt blooming like poison in her chest.

"So that’s it? Nothing can be done?"

Georgia shook her head.

"Sandro and Raymond are already reaching out to some of the top neurologists. They’re consulting with specialists, we’re not giving up, Cass. We’ll do everything we can."

Cassidy nodded faintly, but the weight didn’t lift.

She felt like she was falling apart from the inside.

Her lips trembled as she whispered,

"I should’ve been here."

Without a word, Georgia slid closer, wrapping one arm around Cassidy’s shoulders. She leaned her head gently against her sister’s, both of them facing their mother’s sleeping figure.

And in the silence of that hospital room, Georgia murmured,

"We have to be strong. For her."

Cassidy closed her eyes as fresh tears spilled down her cheeks. She didn’t say anything. She couldn’t.

But in that moment, surrounded by quiet beeping monitors and the cold hum of machines, she made a promise in her heart.

To be present.

To fight for her mother.

Even if it was already too late to make things right.

***

Thirty minutes later, the door opened quietly.

Thiego stepped inside with the children trailing behind him, Freya, Jonah, and Claire. The sound of their soft footsteps filled the quiet hospital room, bringing a flicker of warmth into the sterile air.

Claire glanced around, her gaze eventually landing on the hospital bed.

She tugged at Cassidy’s hand. "Mommy... is that Grandma?"

Cassidy nodded slowly, her throat tight. "Yes, sweetheart."

Claire’s brows furrowed as she stepped a little closer, studying Teresa’s still form and the various tubes connected to her.

"Why is Grandma sick?" she asked, her voice full of innocent concern. "Why does she have those things on her face?"

Cassidy hesitated, words catching in her throat. How could she explain something so complex, so heavy, to someone so young?

Georgia stepped in gently.

"Grandma’s just really tired, Claire," she said softly. "The doctors are helping her rest, and those tubes are to help her breathe better."

Claire seemed unsure, but nodded slowly, accepting the answer without question.

She turned back to Cassidy.

"Can I kiss Grandma’s cheek? To make her feel better? Like you always do for me?"

Cassidy felt her chest tighten. Her eyes moved to the oxygen tube secured along Teresa’s face.

She knelt beside her daughter, brushing a hand through Claire’s hair.

"Grandma has something on her face right now, sweetheart. So how about... you kiss her hand instead?"

Claire nodded with quiet understanding.

She tiptoed toward the bed, reached out with her tiny hand, and pressed a gentle kiss to Teresa’s hand.

"Get better soon, Grandma," she whispered, her voice barely audible.

The room went still. Even the machines seemed quieter for a second.

Cassidy looked at her daughter with tears pricking her eyes, grateful for her tenderness, and aching that her mother couldn’t see it.

After Claire returned to quietly play with Freya and Jonah in the corner of the room, Cassidy sat down beside Georgia, who was briefly checking her phone.

Her eyes wandered back to their mother’s unmoving figure on the hospital bed. Then softly, she asked,

"Are you staying here? With Mom?"

Georgia nodded and set her phone aside.

"Yes. I’ll stay until Sandro gets here this afternoon. And Dad will be back tonight to take over the night shift."

She glanced at Cassidy.

"We’ve made a schedule to take turns. We don’t want her to be alone. Even if she’s still unconscious."

Cassidy nodded in understanding.

"I’ll come again tomorrow."

She took a long, shaky breath before continuing, this time, her voice didn’t waver.

"Actually... I’m thinking of coming back. To America. For good."

Georgia froze. Her head snapped toward her sister, brows knitting together in surprise.

"What? Are you serious?"

Cassidy met her gaze without flinching.

"Yes. I didn’t plan it. But... after seeing Mom like this, I just know." She swallowed hard. "I can’t stay away anymore. I can’t keep pretending like none of this matters to me."

Georgia stared at her for a moment, searching her face for any sign of hesitation.

But Cassidy’s expression was clear.

No more running. No more hiding behind distance.

Georgia stayed quiet for a moment, her gaze still on their mother.

Then, with a slight furrow in her brow, she asked cautiously, "What about him? Are you really okay if he finds out about Claire?"

Cassidy went still.

The question hung heavy in the air, wrapping around her chest like invisible chains. She didn’t answer right away.

Then quietly, firmly, she replied,

"If he knows... then he knows. Let it happen."

Her voice was calm, but Georgia could hear the tremor underneath. A quiet war inside her sister, between fear and acceptance.

***

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