AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“What?”
“I’m moving her to another facility. One more… experienced in dealing with the care your mother needs.”
“What the fuck? You can’t do that – mom!” I tried to push past him toward the van, but he stopped me with his body and then painfully gripped my upper arm. One of the orderlies in the van looked out curiously, but Eli held me at such an angle that it looked more like he was embracing me in comfort than anything else.
“You took more of my money than I offered and more than you deserved. I’m a generous man, Callie, but not that generous.”
“That’s your own damn fault for paying twice,” I snapped, trying to drag my arm free but failing. “I tried to cancel your first payment, but I couldn’t because…” I faltered.
“Because you didn’t have enough money in your own account to cover the bill,” Eli sneered, keeping that sickeningly charming smile on his face. “Money is power, Callie and you have neither. You’re lucky I even allowed a double payment. I thought there’s no way she’d take advantage of me like that, but when you didn’t call to thank me, I decided to remind you.”
“You’re full of bullshit; you can’t just cart my mother away like this because I couldn’t pay one bill!”
“Two,” he corrected smugly, and his eyes narrowed.
This couldn’t be happening. The air felt thin and my heart tried to break through my ribs with how hard it was beating.
“Honestly, I expected more gratitude.”
“This can’t be legal!” I gasped, fighting for air. An iron band tightened around my chest and my vision swam.
“Money is power,” Eli repeated, then he leaned in and pressed a chaste kiss to my cheek. “My, what would Sawyer do if he found out we were helping each other?”
“This isn’t helping,” I snapped breathlessly. “You’re forcing my hand! This isn’t anything!”
I finally ripped my arm away from his grip as the van roared into life and moved off down the street. Panic surged, and my heart leaped into my mouth.
“You stay the fuck away from me!”
“On the contrary, you might want to be a little nicer if you want to learn the name of the new facility!”
I turned and sprinted into the hospice, not stopping until I reached the front desk where I slammed my hands down on the wood. The receptionist nearly jumped out of her chair.
“Where the hell is my mother going?”
“Where you requested,” she said, turning the monitor toward me so I could see all the information on the new hospice. The place alone looked eye wateringly expensive.
“How has this happened? I never asked for this, I never agreed and I sure as hell didn’t sign anything! I’m going to sue you, you hear me? I’m going to sue the ever-loving hell out of?—”
“Actually, ma’am, your husband signed everything.”
The words died in my throat and an oddly calm chill washed over me.
“My… husband? I don’t have a husband.” Even as I spoke, I had a sickening feeling that Eli was responsible.
“You can see here.” The receptionist pulled up another window. “When the paperwork went through for the change in billpayer, it was stated that he was your husband and the reason for the change was a joint account. Given our policy with the bill paper, he’s well within his right to remove your mother from this facility.”
“But we’re— we’re not married!”
They didn’t believe me. There was nothing I could say that persuaded them otherwise since the paperwork was all they needed. All they cared about. In the end, all I could do was jot down the information about the new facility and trudge out of the building.
The parking lot was empty. Eli was gone.
So was my mother.
What was I going to do? My first thought was to call Sawyer and get his help but my thumb hovered over the button. I couldn’t press it because Eli’s earlier words span in my mind.
How would I explain this to him? It was insane—beyond insane. Would he even care? Or would he only see that I had become entangled with Eli, a business rival and a man I had stated I couldn’t stand? None of this felt real.
