Chapter 3
"Doctor, is there really a good chance my mother could wake up?"
"I've successfully treated patients with the same condition before. Once your mother arrives, I'll run a thorough examination."
"Thank you, doctor. Thank you so much."
Joy flooded through me, electric and overwhelming. I was practically shaking as I walked toward the hospital room.
But there was Rose -- alone at my mother's bedside, holding her hand, smiling that innocent smile.
"I'm going to take everything your daughter has."
"Still hanging on, are you? Hoping to hear your precious daughter publicly grovel and apologize to me?"
Blood roared in my ears. I charged at her, grabbed a fistful of her hair, and dragged her toward the door. She shrieked.
"Adrian! It hurts!"
I tightened my grip and hauled her out of the room.
I eased the door shut behind me as gently as I could. Before I could even turn around, a kick sent me crashing to the floor.
Searing pain tore through me. Something warm trickled down my inner thigh as I lay crumpled on the ground.
I looked up in a daze. Adrian stared down at me, his expression nothing but irritation. His lips moved.
"Clearly the last lesson wasn't enough."
I clutched the fabric of his pants, every word torn out of me. "You know exactly why my mother ended up in a vegetative state."
"Rose stole my residency spot. She stole my work. And after she won the award, she came to rub it in my mother's face."
"How dare you let her anywhere near my mother?"
He said nothing, only pulled his pants free from my grip.
"That's nonsense. Rose was sharing good news with her. She's Rose's family, too."
Then he bent down, scooped Rose into his arms with exquisite care, and walked away.
The last thing I registered was his retreating back -- and the messages Rose had once sent, crashing through my mind one after another.
"Your pathetic mother's pathetic daughter is just as useless. You couldn't beat my mother, and your daughter can't beat me."
"I've already taken her career. Next, I'm taking her man."
"The one who isn't loved is the real homewrecker. Your mother should never have gotten in my mother's way. She deserved to die."
When I opened my eyes again, the sharp smell of disinfectant filled my nose.
Tears slid from the corners of my eyes. My hand moved to my stomach.
My baby. I hadn't even had time to feel joy at its existence before it was taken from me.
Maybe I was never meant to be a mother.
Maybe it was for the best. Adrian and I had long passed the point of no return.
I caught the wrist of the nurse who was inserting my IV. "How is my mother doing today?"
She pulled her hand free. "Mrs. Cole, your own health matters, too."
"I'm just asking about my mother. It'll only take a second."
She went quiet, something like pity flickering in her eyes.
My head buzzed. I ripped the needle from my arm and stumbled out of the room.
But I stood in the hospital corridor, suddenly unable to remember which way to go.
I was crying, frantic and lost, when Adrian appeared in front of me. His gaze dropped to my bare feet, and his brow furrowed.
I didn't care. I seized his sleeve like it was the last lifeline I'd ever be thrown.
"Adrian, I want to see my mother."
My voice was raw and broken.
He swept me up into his arms and headed toward the ward without a word.
"Do you have any idea you just had a miscarriage? Walking around barefoot on these floors -- do you want to ruin your health for good?"
I forced the rising panic down.
When I finally spoke, my voice came out small and cautious. "Adrian... how is my mother?"
He didn't slow down. His expression didn't change. "Mom's fine. I moved her to a better hospital."
I started to struggle in his arms. "Put me down. Which hospital? I need to see her."
He held on tighter, his tone still gentle. "Don't fight me. Once you've recovered, I'll take you there."
Something wasn't right.
Adrian hadn't been that man in a long time -- the one who'd get angry if I walked barefoot on a cold floor, the one who ached over every bump and bruise I got. All he cared about now was Rose. I could still see his back as he'd walked away from me before I passed out. He wouldn't go out of his way to transfer my mother to a better hospital. Not anymore.
I couldn't afford to provoke him again. I went still. Gently, coaxingly, I stroked his hand, the way I used to when things were sweet between us.
"Adrian, I promise I won't pull Rose's hair again."
A pause.
"Did you stop my mother's medication again?"
Chapter 4
He set me down on the hospital bed and held me with such care, as if I were something precious he was cradling in the palm of his hand.
A knock at the door. I caught a flash of triumph on Rose's face before it vanished.
Adrian stood quickly. "Get some rest. You need it."
I said nothing, just nodded -- then quietly slipped out behind him.
"Adrian, Mom's already been taken to the crematorium."
"How much longer do we keep this from Lily?"
"She's emotionally unstable. The longer we can put it off, the better."
My body slid down the wall before I could stop it. I pressed both hands over my mouth to keep from making a sound.
Their voices kept drifting through.
"I only wanted to visit Mom. I didn't mean to lose my balance. I never meant to push her off the bed. I feel so terrible about it."
"Rose, it's not your fault. Nobody could have predicted her head would hit the wall like that. It was an accident."
"You've always been so kind to me. That year I ran out of money abroad, you wired me $500,000 even though you could barely afford to eat."
"I've always felt how much you care about me. But why did you end up marrying Lily?"
After a long silence, I heard Adrian's voice -- utterly devoid of emotion.
"I was bankrupt. Creditors were at my door every day. In business, people need to believe you're settled. Reliable. A wife helps with that. Lily fit the bill."
"She's tough. You're too delicate -- I couldn't bear to put you through that."
"My future was uncertain. You deserved to focus on your studies and make something of yourself."
Rose threw her arms around him.
"But I've made a name for myself now, and so have you. Can't you leave Lily and be with me?"
Adrian gently pushed her back. "I'm not going to divorce her. I do love you. But I know what she's given up for me."
"I can't marry you, but I will always protect you. For the rest of my life."
"I'll do everything in my power to lift you up."
I hid behind the wall, utterly destroyed. Ten years of love, shattered in an instant.
I'd lost my mother. I had nothing left. And in the end, it had all been a lie.
What a joke.
$500,000 -- that was the price of my hands.
One marriage -- that was what cost my mother her life.
Adrian stroked Rose's hair again, his voice impossibly soft.
"Rose, I've never forgotten that day in our first year of high school, when those guys had me cornered. You were the one who secretly called the police."
"All through high school, you'd sneak me your notes and write me letters to keep my spirits up."
"Without you, I'd probably have gone down a very dark path."
I froze. Because all of those things -- every single one -- had been me.
Sounds I couldn't bear to hear drifted from behind the door. I fought down the nausea and fled.
My phone buzzed. A text message.
"Lily, orientation is tomorrow. Have you booked your flight?"
"Yes."
In those final hours, I went to the crematorium and collected my mother's ashes. I returned to the apartment and threw away everything that didn't matter anymore.
Then I placed the divorce papers on the table, walked out the door, and boarded a plane.
Adrian Cole, you will regret this.
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