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“Thanks, Vicky. I owe you big time.”
“Nah, I’m just a romantic at heart. I do want an invite to the wedding, though.” She chuckles, and my mouth drops in surprise. “Please, these are things I know.” She winks at me before letting go.
Just as I sit down, my phone vibrates and Kiara’s name pops up. Crossing my fingers, I plead for good news. “Hey.”
“Hi.” She sounds out of breath. “I found it, Mae.”
The excitement in her voice makes me sit up. “What?”
“Remi, my brilliant shithead brother, filed papers for me to have medical power of attorney should he be incapacitated.”
My mouth pops open. “Why did he do that?” It’s almost like he knew something was going to happen.
“Because he’s that weary of our father. But he never gave it to me to sign, so Cody called his friend, Sal, to help us file it. Turns out, the judge is a personal friend of his. We got it, Mae.” Her voice cracks, but it’s more relief than sadness. “The paperwork is notarized, and I have a copy for the hospital. My father doesn’t stand a chance.”
My chest opens, and I take a deep breath. “That’s great news. What about your mother?”
“Well,” Kiara hesitates. “That’s a little bit different.” I wait, biting my thumb nail, for her to continue. “This could be my chance to get her away from my father. If she spends time with Remi, maybe she’ll want to get better. My father won’t be looming over her, using every move she makes as a transgression against him. If there’s any possibility, I have to take it. Please understand.”
A thread of trepidation tightens around my throat. While I’m pretty sure Mrs. Fairchild only wants her son happy and healthy, could she be persuaded to sneak her husband in? Especially if what he told me was true.
“I do. But I need to tell you about something.” I move to just outside Remi’s room because I don’t want him to hear what I have to say.
I tell her about yesterday. About the bruises on my arm and what he said regarding her mother. About filing a restraining order and writing a statement of the incident, with audio evidence.
She gasps and chokes, “No.” I hear her quiet sobs through the receiver. “I’ve always known he was cruel, but this … this is a new level of evil.”
My heart goes out to Kiara right now. Her brother is in a coma, her mother is addicted to opiates, and her father is the dealer. I’m not sure how much more she can take.
“I’m sorry.”
“It just sucks, you know. I hate the man,” she grumbles. “It’s why I moved across the country as soon as I could and persuaded my baby brother to do the same. But in spite of everything, he’s still my father and there’s a very small piece of me that loves him and wants to see the good in him.” She sniffs. “That fantasy is gone now. There’s no redeeming him after this.”
It’s true, but it’s also really sad. “I know,” I whisper. “I wish circumstances were different.”
We end the call with a promise that Kiara will be here in a couple of hours with Cody, who is insisting on bringing dinner. It’s sweet, but my stomach cramps at the thought.
Taking Remi’s hand in mine again, I run his fingers across my lips, giving little kisses to his knuckles. “We’re all waiting for you. Come back to us.”
Helpless, I smooth Remi’s blankets and make sure he’s warm, hating that I can’t do more. That I can’t make it all better with the click of my heels. Why is life so brutal? First, the betrayal of Brad and my step-sister. When I finally find the love of my life, he gets hit by a car. Not to mention, his lunatic father.
“It’s so fucking unfair.” I fist the liquid pouring out of my eyes. “Please don’t leave me,” I choke, lifting my head to the ceiling, pleading with the universe. “I’ll do anything, please.” My chest caves in with a tsunami of anguish. “I know I haven’t been the best kind of person. I’m mean, abrasive. Impatient. Egotistical. Not to mention, a terrible mother.”
My ribs crack wide open and my heart spills out, flopping like a dying fish on the floor. Gasping for air. For life. For Remi.
“There’s so much I regret. So many things I wish I could take back.” My words are strained by the lump of sorrow in my windpipe. “But not him. Don’t take him. He’s done nothing but put his life on the line for someone he loves.”
As if Remi’s telepathically communicating, his voice floats around my mind. “I promised you I wouldn’t leave Isabel, and I keep my promises.”
“You promised me, Remi.” My shoulders tremble, and my stomach quakes. “You said we’d never be without you. I didn’t say I had enough. That was the bargain. Remember?” I beg in vain. “I haven’t had enough yet. I’ll never have enough of you.”
The decimated organ on the floor is tempered glass, cracking with every pulse, fragmenting into a million tiny pieces. But I don’t have it in me to pick up the debris. I’m not sure I’ll want to if Remi doesn’t wake up. I’ll be a queen with a broken crown, reigning over a kingdom of misery, as empty as any figurehead.
“You promised.” My voice is a strangled whisper, slowly suffocating me. My body is heavy, and it takes great effort to keep me sitting straight, so I slump.
I’m half draped on Remi’s side when I feel it. It’s faint, but it’s there.
I fling upright in a shock of hope. “Did you just squeeze my hand?”
