All Chapters of Bleeding Out Alone, I Return His Ring: Chapter 1 - Chapter 8

8 Chapters

Chapter 1

The nurses finished their gossip and glanced back at me, lying helplessly in the hospital bed, unable to move. Their expressions shifted from envy to contempt.They filed out of the room, but their deliberately lowered voices still carried through the door."A miscarriage at her age? Then why'd she go and get knocked up in the first place?""I asked when I was filling out her forms, and she's not even married.""Gosh. Who knows what she's been getting up to out there?"I lay numb on the bed. My heart felt like it had been torn apart so many times there was nothing left to tear.My phone buzzed. It was a message from my mother."Have you finally come to your senses? I've told you a thousand times, sticking with a man while he builds himself from nothing is the worst deal a woman can make."You've been together for five years. You were carrying his child, yet he hasn't said a single word about marriage. What more proof do you need?"Come home. We have more than enough money. You

Chapter 2

"Keira Prescott! What the hell are you doing?"Garrett grabbed a towel and frantically wiped at the mess, but the second it touched Sienna's face, she screamed again."It hurts! Garrett, my face, it hurts so bad."He rounded on me, finally losing what was left of his patience. "What is wrong with you? Sienna's too nice to fight back, so you just dump all your anger on her? Is this how you were raised?"He scooped Sienna up in his arms and brushed past me without sparing me a second glance. The sound of the front door slamming shut echoed through the apartment.I didn't know how long I stood there before my phone chimed.Sienna had put up a new social media post and tagged me in it. The photo was taken at a hospital. It showed her stomach, still flat, with a large hand resting on it. The watch on that wrist was the one I'd given Garrett for our anniversary."The baby is three months along! And just between us, the daddy is kind of a big deal."A handful of comments from coworker

Chapter 3

I pulled the photograph from his hands and tore it in half right in front of him. Then I placed the resignation letter on his desk."Mr. Holloway. Sign this."Garrett's brow furrowed deeply. He instinctively reached for the torn pieces, but the moment he registered the words "resignation letter", his expression twisted into fury."Enough! Keira, what the hell do you want?"I met his gaze calmly. "To make room for Sienna."That shut him up for a second, and his face went white with anger. Then something clicked, and his voice dropped low."Did you go running to your mother? This is her idea, isn't it? She's never liked me, always finding some new way to make my life difficult. If she's got that much free time, maybe she should keep a better eye on her own husband and clear some space on the tabloid front pages instead of—"The slap landed before he could finish.My voice was ice. "Garrett Holloway, a man pathetic enough to get his mistress pregnant has no business talking about

Chapter 4

Before I could even react, Garrett had my wrist in a death grip, squeezing hard enough to snap it."Keira Prescott. You explain this to me right now," he demanded. "What does the doctor mean, miscarriage?"I wrenched my hand free and looked into his bloodshot eyes. Something deep and vindictive stirred in my chest. "It's exactly what it sounds like. It's over between us, Garrett."He looked like he couldn't understand what I had said. "What the hell are you—"Sienna rushed to calm him down, slipping in her usual brand of concern. "Garrett, don't get worked up. Keira, how could you do something like this?"Garrett cut her off before she could say more. "Stay out of it!"His eyes locked on mine, wild with confusion and rage. "When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me? Keira, did you think this was your decision alone to make? What gave you the right to decide whether our child lived or died?"His voice was loud enough to shake the hallway. The doctor handed me the chart and the

Chapter 5

Mom was lounging on the couch with a sheet mask on. Her eyes drifted over to me and went still.She sat up, the mask sliding off her face, and walked over. Her perfectly manicured hands traced my face, my shoulders, and finally came to rest on my roughened hands. Her eyes turned slightly red."You've gotten so thin."She called the family doctor immediately and had him give me a full checkup. The miscarriage had taken a serious toll on my body, made worse by years of overwork and poor mental health.Dr. Taylor Foller frowned and let out a sigh."There's barely a part of her that's in good shape. For the next six months, she needs to follow my treatment plan exactly."Mom waved for the housekeeper to bring over a bowl of soup. She stirred it slowly and sighed."For the time being, you're not leaving this house. I don't care what's happening out there or who's calling your phone. Don't pick up, don't engage, and just focus on getting better. If someone doesn't know how to apprecia

Chapter 6

And just like that, one step at a time, I fell in love with his drive and his sincerity.What I'd forgotten was that those were simply who Garrett was. They had nothing to do with whether he loved me. When his attention finally shifted away from me, all of those qualities that had once shone so bright stopped belonging to me either.I didn't regret it. Not because I still held out hope for him, but because I didn't want to pretend that what I'd felt back then hadn't been real.After a few days of resting at the estate, I decided to get out and clear my head. I'd barely stepped through the gate when I found Garrett camped outside.The second he saw me, he shot to his feet and launched straight into an interrogation."Prescott Group acquired my company. That was you, wasn't it? Keira, what the hell are you trying to do? You got rid of our baby, and now you destroyed my company."Do you want to drag me back to the days when I couldn't survive without you? Is that what it takes to

Chapter 7

When I got back inside, Dad was there, which surprised me. He was sitting on the couch chatting with Mom, and I caught a snippet of him asking how her facial had gone."I heard from a friend about a great place overseas. There's a holiday coming up in a few days. I could take you."Mom's eyes crinkled, and she smiled warmly. "Thank you, honey."Dad raised his eyebrows, clearly pleased with himself. "What do you want for dinner?""Don't you have a client dinner tonight?" Mom asked.He paused. "Canceled it. I just realized it's been a long time since I've spent an evening with you and Keira."He waved me over. Once I sat down, he smiled. "So, are you satisfied?""With what?""Holloway Group."I understood. The acquisition had been his doing.Dad was rubbing Mom's feet, his tone casual. "Nobody gets to push my daughter around."I smiled and settled into the seat across from them. "Thanks, Dad."Mom took a sip of her tea. "We're going abroad in a few days to unwind. Do you want

Chapter 8

"Holloway Group got absorbed into Prescott Group. Garrett was let go a long time ago.""So what's he doing now?""Who knows? Haven't seen him since."I took a sip of my drink and felt nothing.The man across from me smiled. "So what's next for you, Keira?"I snapped back to the moment without letting it show. "Mr. Lambert, would you be interested in expanding into international markets with me?"A flicker of surprise crossed his face. "International markets? That's no small undertaking. Are you confident you can pull it off?"I raised my glass toward him. "If you're willing to trust me."The reason I wanted out of the country was that I was tired of people like Lambert calling me by my first name as if I were still just my father's daughter tagging along.My company had gotten to where it was without leaning on a single one of his resources. Going abroad and shedding the label of a woman who'd built her life around a man was all I wanted now.Lance Lambert was quiet for a mom

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