I was up on my feet immediately. There was no way she could begone. Brian was probably mistaken. He had to be!
I rushed out of the room. My bare feet padded over the cold tiles, reaching the suite adjacent to mine.
My mom lay on the bed, looking like she was asleep. Noah kneeled by the bed while Corey and Caleb stood in the corner. Their grim expressions sent a chill through me.
“Mom,” I whispered in a shaky voice.
Noah turned his head toward me. Fear swirled in his silvery eyes as he met my gaze.
“Milla, you’re awake,” he said in a low voice. Getting to his feet, he moved toward me.
“Get away from me,” I shouted before he could touch me.
Walking past him, I reached my mom’s bedside.She’s just asleep, I told myself.Brian made a mistake. She’s just sleeping.
“Mom,” I called loudly. “Mom, wake up.”
She didn’t even stir. I called out again, shaking her by the shoulder. “Wake up, Mom. Don’t scare me. Even these guys think you’re dead. Get up now.”
“She’s gone,” said Noah.
“Shut up,” I snapped. “She’ll wake up.” Turning my attention back on Mom, I shook her hard. “Get up. Get up right now.”
Corey and Caleb stood like silent specters as I shouted and screamed for my mother to wake up. Noah tried to get me off her but I threw him off.
There was no way Mom could be gone. Not like this. We didn’t even get to see each other, didn’t even get to say goodbye. She was supposed to be at my graduation. She couldn’t begone.
“Milla, sweetheart,” Brian’s gentle voice called from behind me.
I turned around, tears pouring down my face. “She’s not gone,” I shouted.
His sorrowful expression made the pain in my chest feel worse. He shook his head and looked down at his feet. “I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry.”
“I don’t want your apology,” I screamed. Stomping toward him, I grabbed his collar. “How can this be real? She was so happy. How could she die like this?”
“Milla, stop.” Noah’s hands were on my shoulders, pulling me away from his father.
“Don’t touch me,” I spat, throwing his hands off. Rage and pure hatred flowed through me as I turned to look at him. “I hate you. I fucking hate you, Noah Amhurst. It’s all your fault!”
“I know,” he said, looking sorry. It was the first time I saw such an expression on his icy, handsome face.
“You could’ve told me where they were,” I shouted, jabbing a finger into his chest, wishing the fleshy thing could turn into a knife so I could stab him instead. “I just wanted to know why they were being late. Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you have to hurt me so badly I’d be passed out for so long? You wanted this to happen, didn’t you? You’ll never be satisfied until you see us both dead! Well, Mom is gone now. Are you happy? You must be!”
All logical thought seemed to have left me. I was letting my mindless rage take over.
“How could you be so cruel?” I screeched, feeling like my throat would tear if I kept shouting this way. “Are you even human?”
“Milla, I—”
“Shut up! Shut the fuck up! There’s nothing you can say to me.”
“Please, everyone!” a stranger’s voice spoke out. “You can’t be so loud in here. This is an intensive care unit. There are other patients here!”
I glanced at a male nurse who’d come in to berate me. What did he know? He hadn’t just missed the chance to say his last goodbye to his mom.
The reality of what happened crashed over me. I wanted to shout, scream, and break everything around me.
I didn’t know what I was doing as I rushed out of the room and ran down the hallway like a lunatic. My only intention was to get as far away from the person who caused me the biggest loss in my life, because if I didn’t, I’d kill him right this minute.