by Cassia Leo
I couldn’t so much as look at the food Trey brought us as I took my time telling Petra how incredible it felt to finally tell someone what had happened two years ago. How I had brushed off all the little signs that something was off about Daniel. How desperate I was for something to go right, for someone to take care of me.
How I wished I had known Daniel and I were from the same neighborhood, so we could bond over our shared misery and nostalgia. How I wondered if I would have fallen so hard for Daniel if I’d known he wasn’t wealthy.
That was when I stopped. I had been so worried that Daniel only fell for me because he knew about my inheritance. I never considered that he probably wondered if I had fallen for him because of his pretend wealth. If I was being honest, his wealth was one of the many qualities in Daniel I found so fascinating.
Petra smiled. “You look like you’re having some kind of epiphany.”
I sat up straight. “I am,” I said, staring at nothing in particular for a moment before I snapped my focus back to Petra. “There are no do-overs.”
“Damn fucking straight,” she replied.
I smiled. “Yes, you and I failed. Daniel and I failed. But there’s no path around failure, only through it. There are no do-overs. I just have to keep doing.”
Petra wiggled her eyebrows. “Ooh, are you gonna do him in his hospital bed?”
“Petra!” my mom’s voice startled me.
Petra laughed as Leslie pushed my mom next to her and they hugged vigorously. “Mom!” Petra bellowed as she squeezed harder, unconcerned with the dirty looks she was getting from our fellow diners.
I scooted out of the booth so Leslie could have my seat, and excused myself to allow my mom to catch up with Petra. “I have to check if Daniel’s out of surgery,” I said, kissing my mom’s forehead. “Don’t have too much fun without me.”
As I walked away, I took one more glance over my shoulder. I never thought I’d be this happy to discover Petra had found someone to love her and take care of her. She was right. I had to move past the mistakes and make things right with Daniel, not just for me, but for Petra and my mom. They deserved to feel as happy as I felt right now.
I deserved it, too.
* * *
The elevator doors opened, and I stepped out into the corridor to make my way to the intensive care unit. My stomach curdled with the familiar sensation of guilt as I realized the last time I was here was to see my mom, and I was with Daniel. It seemed the people I loved were dropping like flies around me.
I wasn’t the praying type, but I said a silent prayer for Daniel that he would be okay. I didn’t think I could bear it if Daniel was permanently disfigured—or worse, died—while trying to protect me.
After a brief inquiry, a harried ICU nurse informed me that Daniel was in room 422. She didn’t even ask me for identification. I wanted to question this lack of security, but I figured I probably should keep my mouth shut if I wanted to see him.
“Kristin! Kristin! Over here!”
I whipped my head around at the sound of my name being called, only to find a reporter with a microphone and a cameraman trailing behind her. “What the fuck?” I whispered.
“Kristin,” the woman called out to me again as she approached with her microphone. “How does it feel to know you’re the sole heiress to a $400 million fortune?”
“Ma’am, you can’t be here,” the ICU nurse said, rising from her swivel chair and coming around the desk toward us. “Media is not allowed in the hospital. You have to wait outside in the parking lot.”
The reporter yanked her arm out of the nurse’s grasp. “I’m just asking a few questions.”
The nurse gave her a scathing look. “Well, you can go ask your questions in the parking lot. Now go!”
The reporter rolled her eyes at the nurse, then looked me in the eye. “I’ll be right outside. We can pay you for an interview!” she yelled in haste as the nurse herded her and the cameraman back into the elevator.
As the nurse pressed the button to take them down to the ground floor, I shook my head. This woman was offering to pay me for an interview right after informing me that I was the sole heiress to a $400 million fortune. She was either a liar or an idiot, and I had no desire to find out which it was. I was beginning to understand why people hated reporters.
The nurse waited until the elevator doors had fully closed before she turned around and returned to her desk, shaking her head. “Sorry about that, honey. They’re sharks. Go into a damn feeding frenzy at the first sign of blood,” she said, taking a seat in front of her computer. “Who did you say you were here for again?”
I swallowed hard as I realized she was going to probably ask for identification now. “Actually, you already gave me the room number,” I replied with a smile. “Thanks for taking care of that. I’ve never actually been approached by reporters before. That was kind of weird.”
She looked up at me with her lips pursed. “Honey, you’d better get used to it with that kind of money.”
My smile faded as I spun around, setting off down the corridor before turning the corner. A large group of people were gathered at the end of the hallway, talking animatedly among themselves. As I read the ever-increasing room numbers on the doors, I realized they were likely standing outside Daniel’s room. They were probably his family.
I wanted to turn around and leave. I had no right to be here. Not only was I not family, but I was the reason Daniel was in that room, possibly clinging to life.
Before I made up my mind, a guy who appeared to be about the same age as Daniel noticed me standing motionless in the middle of the corridor. He broke away from the group and began walking toward me. My heart raced as I realized there was rage in his dark eyes. This could be one of Daniel’s siblings or cousins coming to hit me, or worse. I closed my eyes and braced myself for whatever was about to happen.
After a brief moment of silence, he finally spoke. “Danny’s gonna be so happy to see you.”
I opened my eyes, realizing that what I had mistaken for anger in this man’s eyes was actually grief. His eyes were slightly puffy, as if he had recently been crying.
“He was scared shitless of something bad happening to you,” he continued, blinking furiously, probably to hold back more tears. “You don’t know me, but I’ve been helping Danny keep an eye on you this week. I’m Zane.”
He held his hand out for me to shake, but I hugged him instead.
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He chuckled as he gently pushed me away. “Yeah, no big deal,” he said, looking over his shoulder at the group of people.
“No, I mean, thank you for not being mad at me,” I clarified.
His thick eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. “Why would I be mad at you? Unless you’re the one who shot him?”
I smiled and shook my head. “Definitely not. I just thought you guys might be mad at me because he got shot protecting me.”
He waved off this suggestion as a skinny guy with big ears came over to join us. “Girl, you should know by now. Nobody can stop Danny from trying to be the hero. It’s just in his nature. That motherfucker thinks he’s Batman.”
“For reals,” the skinny guy replied, shaking his head as he turned to me. “Who’s your friend, Zane?”
“Remember that chick Danny was trying to tell us about the other night at Tino’s?” Zane replied, then he addressed me. “This is Ollie,” he said, indicating the skinny guy. “Actually, I don’t think we properly introduced ourselves. Danny never told us your name.”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I’m Kristin.”
Ollie smiled as he looked me up and down. “Pleased to make your acquaintance. You here to see my boy?”
I glanced at the group gathered outside Daniel’s room. There were two young girls who looked to be in their teens, one older woman who looked about Daniel’s age, and another guy who looked a lot like Daniel, only younger.
“I don’t know,” I replied hesitantly. “Looks like there�
��s already a lot of people here to see him. I don’t want to get in anyone’s way.”
Zane and Ollie looked at each other, a silent exchange happening between them before Ollie spoke. “You think Danny wants to see his brother and sisters when he wakes up? He sees those little fuckers every damn day of his life.”
I tried not to laugh at this, but it was difficult. “Do you know if Daniel’s…okay?”
It felt strange calling him Daniel when they clearly all called him Danny. It made me feel even more like a stranger who didn’t belong there.
Zane smiled. “Don’t tell him I said this, but that fool could probably take a dozen bullets and be okay.”
Ollie laughed. “Thank you for that blackmail material.”
“Fuck you,” Zane replied, rolling his eyes, though he was clearly uncomfortable.
I glanced at the group of people outside Daniel’s room again, then I turned to Zane, my new ally. “Can you introduce me to his family first?”
A huge smile spread across his sharp features. “It would be my pleasure.”
Pretend
Daniel
My first thought, as my eyelids fluttered open, was that I’d never felt this thirsty in all my life. Then, my vision began to focus and I had to speak my next thought aloud.
“You’re still in your pj’s,” I croaked, my voice hoarse with thirst.
Kristin bolted up out of the chair she had been slumped in just a second ago. “Are you thirsty?” she asked urgently. “The nurse said you might be thirsty.”
I nodded, watching in amazement as she made the simple act of pouring water from a plastic pitcher look beautiful. “Are you okay?” I asked, hardly able to muster more than a whisper.
I wasn’t just thirsty. I was drowsy, but not the kind of drowsy that came when you took too much cold medicine. I felt as if I’d been out partying until five a.m., then I got run over by a train and injected with a horse-sized dose of morphine. I was fucked up.
Kristin laughed as she held the cup with the straw up to my mouth for me to sip. “You’re asking me if I’m okay?”
I could only manage a couple of sips before the liquid in my belly began to curdle. “I hurt you,” I said, my voice clearer now that my throat was wet. “You’re not okay.”
Her smile disappeared as she pulled the chair closer and took a seat. “Yes, you hurt me. But we can talk about that later. You have to get your strength up first.”
“So you can punch me?”
She laughed. “No, I don’t want to punch you. Well, maybe just a little.”
I flashed her a lazy grin. “You’re so beautiful.”
She looked down, as if she was trying to hide her face. “Yeah, well, you’re really high on pain meds right now.”
“I’m sorry I lied to you,” I said, reaching out to grab her hand with my good hand. “I thought I was doing what was best for my family. But it all got so complicated when I started to imagine you as part of my family.”
She looked up again with tears in her eyes. “I just met your family and friends outside. They love you so much.” She paused for a moment, then she smiled. “Zane said you think you’re Batman.”
I tried to shake my head, but a sharp pain in my clavicle stopped me. “Zane is a liar. Don’t believe anything he says.”
“He also said that you’re so strong you could probably take a dozen bullets and still be okay.”
I smiled. “I take that back. Zane always tells the truth.”
She squeezed my hand. “Thanks for saving my life, Danny.”
I chuckled at her use of my nickname. “I never got paid for that, you know.”
She let out a short burst of laughter, which was followed by a heavy silence.
“I didn’t expect to fall in love with you. That changed everything,” I said, squeezing her hand. “I got into this for the money, but no amount of money is worth losing you. You know…” I took a moment to compose myself, swallowing hard as my throat began to ache. “After my mom died, I had to start pretending to be happy around my siblings. I wanted to be their rock. But…I never had to pretend to be happy with you. I hope you can forgive me for pretending to be someone I’m not.”
She wiped tears from her cheeks, which were looking a bit hollow. “I can forgive you, if you can accept my thanks for saving my life, even if you don’t get paid for it.”
“You don’t have to thank me for that. I had no choice.”
She tilted her head. “Why?”
I smiled. “Because you’re not like the high-value targets I normally protect. You’re not high-value at all. You’re priceless.”
Never Again
Kristin
As I helped my mom up the stairs to our fifth-floor apartment, it struck me that this might be the last time we would ever have to do this painful dance. Then, I thought of the many times Leslie and I had helped my mother up these stairs. I thought of the many times I’d come home from work and stood under a shower of scalding hot water in a vain attempt to wash away the dirty feeling I got from putting up with men like Roger for the tips. And all the times I sat at my mother’s bedside in the hospital, worried sick about her, and the eventual medical bills, as she recovered from yet another surgery.
Angry tears stung my eyes as I opened the door to our apartment and helped her into her bed in the living room.
“You’re mad at me,” my mom said as she adjusted the pillow behind her back. “And you have every right to be.”
I wanted to shout at her, “Admitting you’ve hurt someone doesn’t make the hurt go away!” But as soon as the words entered my mind, I thought of my conversation with Daniel, which had occurred less than two hours ago.
“I hurt you… You’re not okay.”
“Yes, you hurt me. But we can talk about that later.”
If I could show Daniel mercy after how thoroughly he’d deceived me, I had to do better for my mom.
I yanked the hair tie out of the loose bun on top of my head, letting the brown, tangled mess fall over my shoulders as I sank into the recliner. “Mom, even if you tell me your ‘long story,’ the truth is that I’ll probably never understand why you kept me from knowing him,” I began, pulling my legs up onto the chair to sit cross-legged. “But there’s no sense in letting it get between us now. You’re my only mom. I have to trust that you did it for the right reasons, because I can’t lose you and my father at the same time.”
My mom was silent for a long while as she wiped tears from her pale cheeks. She had hardly seen the sun for two years straight, spending most of her time in this apartment or in hospital rooms. She had also suffered. Nothing would make me happier than to take her to that beach house and see her basking in the sun on that beautiful stretch of sand.
“Not a day went by where I didn’t question whether I was doing the right thing,” she said, her voice thick with regret. “I used to work for your father. We had a brief fling that ended when I told him I was pregnant. I was young and stupid. I thought he really cared about me. I didn’t care that he didn’t take me on dates or introduce me to his non-existent family. I didn’t care that most of our time together was spent in the bedroom. I was charmed by his charisma and, very stupidly, enchanted by his riches.”
I cringed as I realized I had been just as foolishly captivated by Daniel’s pretend riches. Like mother, like daughter. It seemed the only thing I could be angry about was that she didn’t share this story with me in time for me to learn from her mistakes.
Her voice took on a hard edge as she continued. “When I told him I was pregnant, he fired me on the spot. He told me I’d better get a lawyer if I ever expected to get a dime out of him. Then, he laughed, because he knew I couldn’t afford a lawyer.” She looked up at me with shame in her eyes. “You were about four months old. I was feeling particularly overwhelmed and lonely one day, and I called him to ask if we could meet. He told me he was in the Hamptons, and invited me there to hash out the visitation details over brunch.
“So I b
uckled you into your car seat and I drove all the way to his beach house to offer him another chance to be a part of your life. But when I got there…I found him having sex with not one, but two women in his hot tub. He invited me there to humiliate me.” The shame in my mother’s eyes turned to steel. “And I decided right then and there that I wouldn’t allow it. Never again.” Her gaze locked on me as her eyes pleaded with me to understand. “He proved to me that day that I didn’t know him at all. You might as well have been conceived in a one-night stand with a random stranger. The thought of allowing a stranger to have unsupervised visits with you terrified me. In my mind, my only choice was to forget him.”
I gritted my teeth, still attempting to temper my anger. “But you didn’t know if he would have been a good father. You never gave him a chance to try,” I said, feeling sick with myself for defending this man who was obviously an emotional sadist.
My mom stared into the distance, thinking carefully before she spoke again. “You’re right. Maybe he would have done a complete 360 and turned into the Father of the Year.” She shrugged as if this was a vague possibility. “I honestly believed it was much more likely that he would have toyed with our emotions and our livelihoods. I’m almost certain he would have reeled us in and tossed us back out over and over again for his own personal enjoyment. Then, his lawyers would have terrorized us until I agreed to some kind of settlement that would only devalue your true worth. You didn’t deserve that.”
I glanced around the apartment, very obviously taking in the value of our furnishings and the decrepit apartment they were housed in. “This is what I deserved instead?”
She beckoned me to her side, patting the mattress for me to sit next to her. “Come here, sweetheart.”