Chapter 25 +25 BONUS This was a threat Duncan wanted to push her to the edge All the assets had been secretly moved , but none of it had escaped his notice .
Those properties were the Leverton familys last lifeline .
Without them , the entire family would be left destitute .
Could she really tell him the truth ? If she did , would she even survive afterward ? Duncan , we were almost married .
Please , let my family off the hook .
We have nothing left , just a small emergency fund .
We cant lose that , Duncan .
Im begging you , Heather said , dropping to her knees , nearly prostrating herself before him .
Duncan turned , his gaze darkening .
He remembered Audrey once kneeling like this , her forehead bloodied from bowing so hard .
He had forced her to apologize to the wonth now groveling before him : Heather .
In hindsight , he realized how utterly desperate and resentful Audrey must have been .
He owed her a debt he could never repay in this lifetime , Without a word , Duncan began walking upstairs , Heathers pleading voice echoing behind him .
Duncan , please ! Let me go , let the Leverton family go ! Just for old times sake , please ! Old times sake ? The thing he regretted most was using Heather to hurt Audrey .
Audrey had died such a horrible death , and every time he closed his eyes , all he saw was her lying in his arms , covered in blood , smiling as she said , Thank you .
That thank you left him feeling utterly ashamed .
He had hurt her so deeply , betrayed her so thoroughly , that he didnt deserve her gratitude .
He could never atone for his sins in this lifetime .
Fine , Ill forgive you .
But on one condition : you must knee here for an entire night , Duncan said coldly .
Audrey had knelt before Heather once , and now it was Heathers turn to repay that debt .
Ill do it , Heather quickly agreed , wiping away her tears .
She wasnt afraid of kneeling for a night , as long as it meant Duncan would stop going after the Leverton family and digging into Audreys poisoning .
But Heather had miscalculated .
Duncan had already investigated everything about her , from her preschool days to her college years .
He had compiled a detailed list of everyone she had been close to , especially her fellow pre med classmates .
Duncan locked himself in his room .
His gaze fell on the neatly made bed , where Audrey had once slept , where they had shared so many intimate moments .

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Im willing to be your mistress … no , your escort , Audrey had once said .
As long as I can stay by your side , I dont care what I am .
At the time , all she wanted was to stay by his side , no matter what title she held .
She simply wanted to spend her remaining days with the man she loved .
But he had been consumed with hatred and had cruelly punished her .
Duncans chest tightened , making it hard to breathe .
His eyes burned with tears he tried to hold back .
He opened the closet where her clothes had once been stored .
After she left a year ago , he had thrown everything out .
Now the closet was empty , void of any trace of her existence .
Duncan closed the closet door and slid down , leaning against it .
Audrey , why did you bear the burden of your illness alone ? Why did you hide it from me ? Why couldnt we face it together ? Dont you know how much you meant to me ? Why didnt you understand ? Chapter 25 +25 BONUS On the nightstand were the medical records Josh had given him .
Duncan hadnt dared to look at them even once .
He was afraid of the pain it would bring , though not reading them didnt spare him from that pain either .
Finally , he opened them .
He couldnt imagine how she had managed to come back to him , enduring his hatred , with her body in such a deteriorated state .
All her organs were failing .
She had been unable to manage even basie daily tasks , yet in front of him , she had acted as if nothing was wrong .
Chapter 26