by Alice Ward
Without a word, I turned and stormed away. I didn’t look back, but stepped onto the elevator and watched the doors slide closed in front of me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Talen
My entire body was frozen in place as I watched Dani disappear onto the elevator. She didn’t look at me as the door closed, but I could feel every bit of her fear and anger. Immediately, I knew I’d fucked up. There was a split second when my father was railing on me that I could have spoken up, told him to shut up and back off. But I didn’t. I just stood there like a kicked puppy and let him yell at us both. Dani had every right to walk away from us. From me. The boy cowering in front of his father.
Fuck me. This needed to stop. Now.
“Her mother is in the hospital,” I snapped, finally interrupting my father’s tirade. He had been ranting since the second he walked out of the boardroom. “Lay off.”
“I don’t care if her mother just died!” my father hissed. “No one interrupts a board meeting. Who the hell does she think she is?! You obviously did not take the time to tell her how things work in this company and in this family. It was your responsibility to keep her in line, and you couldn’t do it. Yet again, you failed.”
My father’s words hit me hard, but instead of cowering again, I saw red. My entire life had been spent desperately trying to live up to his expectations. Nothing I did was ever good enough. No matter how hard I tried, I could never gain his approval. Still, I stood by him and his company. I never made any waves or put up any fights. I let him have control over everything and everyone. It ended now. I couldn’t do it anymore.
“I thought that maybe, you were finally ready for a more active role in this company, but I was wrong. You will never be ready. Definitely not with that little idiot by your side. I can’t believe you—”
“Shut the fuck up, Dad,” I said, taking a step toward him. I’d had enough.
My father’s eyes widened in shock. “Excuse me?” Then his eyes narrowed, and he opened his mouth to speak again, but I wouldn’t let him. I refused to listen to anything else he had to say.
“You have no right to talk about Dani that way,” I roared. “She is twice the person you or I will ever be. She’s generous and kind and loyal. She’s understanding and empathetic. She’s beyond talented, and she’s smart as hell. But you don’t care about any of that. The only thing you care about is your precious company.”
“This company has given you everythi—”
“Shut your fucking mouth, or I’ll shut it for you,” I growled. “I’m not finished. You’re nothing more than a bully. You walk through life like you’re untouchable, stomping over anyone who gets in your way. I’ve let you do it my entire life, but I’m done. You will never talk about Dani that way again, do you understand me? I deserve better than that, and you know what? So does my mother. She deserves better than this shitty life you’ve given her. She deserves better than you. And you know what… so do I.”
My father’s anger was at its boiling point by the time I finished talking. I watched as he clenched his fists, and I knew he was ready to hit me. Without a word, I spun around and stormed down the hall. When I stepped into the elevator, I looked back at him with a challenging smile. His face flashed dangerously, but he didn’t move. He just stared at me while the doors slid closed, separating us from each other once and for all.
It wasn’t until I reached my car that I was able to breathe a sigh of relief. I sat behind the wheel and let all the tension fade from my body. For the first time in my life, I stood up to my father. I stood up to him, and there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it. I smiled as I put my car in reverse and backed out of my parking space. The smile stayed on my face as I left the parking lot and drove toward the hospital.
I was happy that I finally shut my father down, but I was also terrified for Dani. Her mother was in the hospital, and I didn’t know why. I could see it in her eyes that she was scared. Dani wasn’t the kind of person to interrupt an important meeting for no reason. The second she poked her head inside the boardroom, I knew something was really, really wrong. Nothing else could have propelled me from my seat and out into that hallway.
As I pulled into the hospital parking lot, I hated myself for not immediately leaving with her. She needed me, that much was clear, but I’d just let her go. I stood there and listened while my father ripped into her. I didn’t say a word. Worse still, I let her leave. I watched her disappear into the elevator, and I didn’t take a single step toward her. Dani deserved better than what I’d given her, and I was determined to show her that.
I ran into the emergency entrance and hurried toward the counter. There was a nurse sitting behind a computer. She didn’t look up until I began tapping on the counter. I didn’t mean to be impatient, but I needed to find Dani and her mother.
“Can I help you?” the nurse asked.
“I’m looking for Brooks.” Shit. I couldn’t remember her mother’s first name, if I ever knew it at all. “The last name is Brooks.”
The nurse lifted a brow. “And how are you related to the patient?”
“She’s my mother-in-law.”
The nurse tapped at the computer again and I wanted to snap at her to hurry. “She’s been transferred to another wing. West wing, fourth floor. They can direct you from there.”
“Thank you so much.” I turned and ran down a hallway to my right. There were arrows pointing toward the west wing. It didn’t take long for me to find the elevators. I jumped on and rode up to the fourth floor. There, I found another information desk, and I asked for Brooks again. They directed me across the hallway to a waiting room. They said a doctor would be out with more information for us soon. Without thinking, I ran to the waiting room, searching frantically for Dani.
When I saw her, she was sitting in a chair at the back of the room. Her head was in her hands, and she tapped her foot nervously. I walked over to her slowly, not wanting to startle her.
“Dani.” I knelt in front of her and put my hand on her back.
Dani’s head snapped up, and her eyes locked on mine. Her eyes were bloodshot, like she’d been crying. My guilt worsened at the sight. I should have been there with her the entire time. I should have left when she did.
“What are you doing here?” Dani ground out, jerking away from me.
I couldn’t blame her for being angry. After everything she’d been through today, she had that right. Still, I wished she would let me comfort her. The only thing I wanted to do was make sure she was okay. I desperately wanted to make her life easier and better, in any way I could.
“I’m sorry about my father,” I said quickly. “He never should have said those things about you.”
“I don’t care what he thinks of me,” she said, practically spitting the words. “He’s nothing to me.”
“I know. He’s an asshole, and I’m so sorry.”
“You don’t have to apologize,” Dani said, her voice cold and distant. “I don’t even know why you’re here.”
“For you,” I said simply. I tried to reach for her again, but she jumped out of her seat and walked away. I hurried after her. “Dani, I’m here for you. I just wanted to make sure you were okay. I want to be here for you. And for your mom.”
“You can’t.” Tears brimmed in her eyes. “You can’t be here. You need to leave.”
“No,” I said firmly. “I’m not leaving.”
“Yes, you are,” she insisted, pushing against my chest. “I don’t want my mother to see you, okay? That’s the last thing she needs. I don’t want her to ever meet you.”
Her words were like a slap to my face, but I didn’t fight back. I knew she was scared and angry. I didn’t want to make her feel worse, but I couldn’t just leave her.
“I understand that you’re scared,” I said. “But let me help you. Please. I just want to help.”
A lone tear snaked down her cheek. “This was a job. That’s all. You don’t need to stay here and comfort me. You don
’t need to help me take care of my mother. You just need to leave.”
“It’s not just a job. Not—”
“It is,” Dani insisted, holding out a hand. “It was just a job, and now, it’s over. I went to that damn meeting, and I pretended to be your wife.”
“You are my wife,” I said softly.
“Not anymore. I did my part. I did everything you asked me to do, and now, I’m done. It’s done. Over. I just want my money, and I want you to leave me the hell alone.”
“Dani,” I said, taking a step toward her. “Don’t do this. Don’t push me away. Look, I know I messed up earlier. I should have defended you when my father went off like that. I never should have let him say those things, but I just froze. I’m so sorry. I froze. I don’t know why it’s so hard to stand up to him.”
“It doesn’t matter,” Dani said and swiped the tear away. And just like that, everything about her changed. She pulled her shoulders back and lifted her chin. “It isn’t your job to defend me or protect me. In fact, it isn’t your job to do anything except pay me. So, do that. Pay me and give me the annulment or divorce or whatever I asked for.”
I stared at her. Everything she said was harsh and cold. She didn’t even sound like herself anymore. She sounded like a completely different person. The Dani I knew would never have dismissed me this way, and yet, here she was, wanting money. Just like everyone else.
“This isn’t just about the money,” I said. “It can’t be.”
Her hands clenched at her sides. “All I want from you is the money I was promised and the annulment. That’s it.”
I reached for her shoulders, but she jerked away. “I don’t believe you. I don’t believe that this, us, means nothing to you.”
“Well, it doesn’t,” she insisted, pulling her shoulders back and facing me with grim determination.
I shook my head and stared at her, searching her face for some sign that she was lying. This didn’t feel real. Nothing she said felt real. Everything about our conversation was wrong, horribly wrong.
“Look me in the eye, and tell me you don’t care about me,” I said, moving closer to her still. “Tell me that I mean nothing to you, and then, I’ll do whatever you want.”
Dani’s eyes locked on mine, but she didn’t really see me. It was like she looked straight through me. I wanted to reach out and touch her face, to remind her what it felt like between us, but I knew I couldn’t.
“I don’t care about you,” she said without emotion. “You mean nothing to me.”
The universe shifted beneath my feet at her words, and it was like all the oxygen had left the room. At first there was only blessed numbness, then a driving pain in my gut. Part of me wanted to argue, but I didn’t have any arguments left.
“Okay,” I said softly. “I’ll put the money in your account today. The annulment papers will be drawn up this week. I’ll take care of it.”
Dani just nodded and turned away from me. She walked down the hallway, leaving me standing there alone, watching her go.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Dani
I spent the night at the hospital that night in my mother’s hospital room, not leaving her side throughout the entire night. Seeing my mother lying in bed helpless and alone was too much for me to take. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her there. When I arrived at the hospital yesterday, no one could tell me what happened. I wasn’t even allowed to see her for a while. The doctor finally came out to talk to me, and I found out that my mother had fallen and hit her head. Her neighbor found her and called an ambulance. They rushed her to the E.R. and ran all kinds of tests, but she hadn’t woken up yet.
On Tuesday morning, she was still unconscious. There wasn’t any life-threatening brain damage that they could see on the CT scan, but they were concerned for her mental well-being. She had a concussion, but that was the least of their concerns. Mostly, the doctors were worried about her not being able to function normally on her own. Her dementia was progressing quickly, and the worse it became, the higher her chances were of becoming seriously injured.
My fears were stronger than ever when I woke up that morning. The nurses had told me to go home and get some rest, but I knew I couldn’t do that. She was my mother, and she needed me.
I had failed her on Monday. I wouldn’t fail her now.
When she woke up, I wanted my face to be the first she saw. It would only scare her if I wasn’t there, if there were only doctors and nurses surrounding her. My guilt was already at its peak, and if I left, it would swallow me whole. No matter who insisted I leave, I refused. I wouldn’t move until her eyes opened.
“Dani,” a voice said from the doorway. I whipped around to see my mother’s doctor standing there. He smiled at me and gestured for me to join him in the hallway. I rose to my feet and followed him without a word.
“There are just a couple things I want to talk to you about,” he said. “If that’s okay?”
“Of course,” I said with a nod.
“Well, I feel fairly confident that your mother will wake up,” he said. “Right now, her body is simply trying to recover from the trauma she suffered. She was lucky. There was very little damage, and we didn’t need to operate. However…”
He paused, letting his last word hang in the air between us. It felt menacing in a way, almost as if he were intentionally trying to scare me. Part of me wondered if doctors somehow got off on scaring their patients’ family members. I knew I wasn’t being fair. He was only doing his job, but I hated everyone and everything right now. My world was crumbling around me, and I was powerless to stop it.
“However, I’m worried about her living situation,” he continued. “You said she lives alone?”
“Yes, but I check on her often,” I said defensively, guilt causing my back to go even straighter. “And her neighbor does too. That’s who called the ambulance yesterday.”
“And that’s great,” he said with the same gentle smile. “But, at this point in her life, it might be better to start looking into assisted living. She would benefit greatly from around the clock care. If anything like this happens again, it could be far more serious.”
I was nodding before he even finished speaking. He wasn’t the first person to think of assisted living homes. I’d been touring homes for a month, and after today, I was finally able to pay for one. But the doctor didn’t know that. He couldn’t have.
“I’ve already taken care of it,” I said. “I’ve been touring nursing homes and found an assisted living place I really like.”
I gave him the details and was relieved to see him nod in agreement. “I can work with the owners and get you a deal,” he said confidently. “Your mother’s care is far too important to leave up to chance.”
I smiled my first genuine smile. He wasn’t an asshole like I previously let myself believe. He was just a doctor doing his job. He cared about my mother, and I couldn’t fault him for that. I was immediately grateful for his help.
While we stood out in the hallway, we heard a clatter coming from my mother’s room. I ran toward the door first, throwing it open and hurling myself inside. My mother was awake, her eyes wide with fear, a pitcher of water on the floor. I hurried toward her and grabbed her hand.
“It’s okay,” I promised. “I’m right here. You’re fine. Everything is fine.”
The doctor was right behind me. He walked to the other side of the bed and used his light to peer into my mother’s eyes.
“She looks great,” he said after listening to her lungs. “Just great. I think a little more rest, and then she’ll be good as new.”
“What happened?” my mother asked weakly, looking from me to the doctor and back again.
He patted Mom’s shoulder. “I’ll let your daughter fill you in, but I’ll be back to check on you soon.”
“Thank you,” I said as he left the room. I turned back to my mom and smoothed the hair off her forehead. “You fell. You had an accident, and they brought you here, but you�
��re going to be fine. You’re going to be perfect.”
“An accident?” she asked blankly. “I don’t remember that.”
“That’s okay,” I said quickly. “Don’t strain yourself. You hit your head hard yesterday. Everything is going to be a little foggy for a while.”
“Things were already foggy,” she said with a soft chuckle.
“Seriously?” I asked, but her eyes were already beginning to close again. I thought about shaking her awake, but I knew better. She needed to rest, and I wasn’t going to take that away from her.
Instead, I waited until she was sound asleep again, and then I made my way to the cafeteria. I picked us up some food for when she woke up. I was certain she would be hungry, and I didn’t want her to have to ask for anything. While she was here, I was going to be right beside her the entire time. I wasn’t going to let her out of my sight.
My fears overwhelmed me. When I arrived back at her room, I checked to make sure she was breathing before I sat down. She was still asleep, so I had time to let my mind wander. I thought about my discussion with the doctor on the assisted living home, but my heart pounded at the thought. Just days ago, I’d been in complete agreement. After all, I was looking into places for her. Now, everything felt different. The reality of putting her into a home made my skin crawl. I couldn’t stand the idea of her being there, all alone.
While the logical side of my brain knew it was the best thing for her, my heart was saying something different. As I sat there, I seriously considered getting rid of my apartment and just moving back home. With the money Talen promised me, we could live off that for a long time. That, plus any money I made selling my paintings would be enough. I could live with her and watch her twenty-four seven. And if I did need to go out, I could hire a sitter. She would never have to be alone.
I was struggling with the decision when my mother finally woke up again. She turned her head to face me and smiled weakly.
“Are you hungry?” I asked. She nodded. I put some food in front of her and watched her pick at it. I knew I should eat too, but I couldn’t. My stomach still felt sick.