Chapter 18
The doctors couldn’t pinpoint the exact cause of the condition, so they simply attributed it to a rare, unidentified recessive genetic disorder within the Talley family. Both Rosalie’s mother and uncle had, unfortunately, fallen victim to it.
This genetic flaw led to the progressive loss of cortical brain function, eventually leaving its sufferers in a vegetative state.
For the past two years, Rosalie had been working on developing a drug aimed at repairing damaged neural cells in the cerebral cortex.
If successful, it would give Dominik a real chance of waking up. More than that, it could offer hope to other patients trapped in the same unresponsive state.
As usual, she sat by Dominik’s bedside and talked to him for a while.
With the lab not requiring her immediate presence these days, she finally had time to pay a visit to Graham Villa and settle some overdue accounts.
Stepping out of the hospital building and heading toward the parking lot, she unexpectedly ran into someone at the
entrance.
“Rosalie?” The surprised voice made her look up.
A gorgeous young man with striking features was walking toward her, his expression laced with disbelief.
She recognized him immediately–Sean Perry, the heir to the Perry family, one of Hasmond’s four most powerful families. More importantly, he was one of Julian’s closest friends.
“Hi, Mr. Perry,” she greeted politely.
Sean chuckled, waving off the formality, “Come on, Rosalie, no need to be so distant. Just call me Sean. If you keep calling me Mr. Perry, then I’d have to call you Mrs. Galloway, wouldn’t I?”
His tone was easygoing, filled with warmth. He had clearly already guessed why she was here, given that she was coming from the direction of the inpatient ward. “You came to see your uncle?”
“Yes.” Rosalie nodded before something crossed her mind. “Mr. Perry,” she added, her voice calm but firm, “Julian and I are divorced now. From now on, you can call me Ms. Talley or just Rosalie.”
She thought to herself, “That title–Mrs. Galloway–no longer belongs to me. Julian wouldn’t like hearing it, and frankly, neither do I.
Sean visibly froze for a second, his eyes widening in disbelief. “What? Julian actually went through with the divorce?”
Last week, Sean had heard from his friend Matteo Robinson that Roseanne Palmer was coming back from abroad, and Julian was planning to divorce Rosalie. At the time, Sean had scoffed, refusing to believe it.
Now, seeing Rosalie standing before him, he thought, Julian actually divorced the girl who truly loved him for an ex who dumped him? What an absolute jerk.‘
His gaze lingered on Rosalie’s calm expression, and another thought surfaced. He wondered, ‘She’s not even angry, not complaining, just standing there like it doesn’t faze her at all.
If I were in Julian’s shoes, I’d be counting my blessings every day to have a wife like her. Who in their right mind would throw away something so good for a past that’s already gone?‘
“Yeah, it’s done. I’m no longer Mrs. Galloway,” Rosalie said, shrugging as if the whole thing was nothing more than a trivial matter. She gave Sean a casual reminder before saying goodbye and turning to leave.
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Chapter 18
It wasn’t until she was nearly out of sight that Sean suddenly remembered something. He pulled out his phone and snapped a few photos of her retreating figure.
B
