Chapter 33

***

As Noah gazed at Grace's motionless form on the bed, his heart plummeted even further. The doctor's words echoed in his mind, ‘She needs to rest but call me when she wakes up,’ but it had been seven long days since she last woken up.

He couldn't shake off the guilt and self-blame that gnawed at him. If only he had acted sooner, if only he hadn't loitered outside her apartment for hours.

The audio clip his mother sent earlier that day, replayed in his thoughts. It was a conversation between her and Grace. Yes, it pissed him off that his mother would dare approach the woman he loved; he was glad she could stand up against her.

While he admired her courage, her words stung. He knew she likely told them to protect him, yet they pierced his heart nonetheless. He couldn't avoid the truth any longer. He needed to hear it from her directly, no matter how painful it might be, or he wouldn’t be able to focus.

Despite the pressing demands of an important conference in Paris and James's persi