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“She should be the least of your worries.”
“Where is she?”
“You fucking killed her!” my father roars, and my heart jumps into my throat. Composing himself, he calmly adds, “Her neck snapped when the airbag deployed.”
“No,” I breathe, choking back a sob. “You’re lying.”
“I’m sorry, Chris. She died on impact,” he continues. “We took care of it. You should be more concerned about how your brother married your fiancée.”
“She’s…dead?” He nods. “And the news about Alex, that was real?” I thought it was all a dream. How the hell did Alex end up marrying Jaclyn?
“Jerry and I cleaned up the mess with the accidentandpaid off far too many people who know that you’re here. You’re supposed to be getting ready to go on your honeymoon with his daughter.”
“She actually married him?”
He nods again and sighs. “Yes… and no. Alex pretended to be you. It was that, or politically destroying both of our families. If word got out that you killed someone…” Rubbing his hand over his face, he blows out a long breath. “You’re legally married to Jaclyn as soon as you file the paperwork.”
“And he just did it out of the goodness of his heart?” I laugh, and it hurts my chest and stomach. “I don’t buy it.”
My father shrugs off his jacket and takes a seat. “Your brother and I may not see eye-to-eye when it comes to policy, but he would likely be harmed by your actions—just as much as Jaclyn. He’s not exactly selfless here. You share the same last name; he’d be guilty by association.”
“It was an accident.”
“Don’t lie to me,” he growls. “I saw the evidence before itwas destroyed. We had to stage it so that she got in the accident by herself.”
“And Jaclyn?” I swallow hard. “Does she know?”
“About how the accident happened? No, but it’s only a matter of time before Alex tells her. Jaclyn’s a smart woman; even if Alex does tell her, she’ll remain your dutiful wife… unless it leaks. Then, she’ll have to protect her family.” He stands and puts his jacket back on. “I need to get back to your mother. It’s been a long day. Alex texted me to say that he’ll be here in the morning with Jaclyn. Get some rest and prepare to grovel, in case she already knows.”
Without another word, he leaves, and several nurses and doctors enter. “All right, Mr. Blake. I’ve reviewed all of your tests, and we’ll be discharging you in a couple of days. We’ll need to monitor your heart and do an echo tomorrow to see how it’s doing. You’ll also need to meet with a cardiologist regularly to discuss what can be done proactively to prevent another heart attack. We noticed elevated levels of methylphenidate in your system, so we believe that to be the culprit.”
I shake my head. “I only take my ADHD medication once in a while.”When I remember.“There’s no way it could beelevated.”
“I’ll add a drug test to the mix to see what else comes up. With how it looks now, you seem to have taken significantly more than your prescription dosage of your ADHD medication.” He checks something in his chart,but none of this adds up. Why would I need a drug test when all I do is drink occasionally?
“Maybe I took an extra dose by accident?”
“We’ll make sure there’s no trace of anything else in your system. You should be out of here by the end of the week; hopefully within a couple of days, if everything looks good. Then, we’ll have someone monitor you at home.”
“I’m supposed to leave for my honeymoon tomorrow night.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. Blake. I can’t recommend traveling this soon. You’ll have to postpone, at least until we can get your blood pressure under control.”
I need to get the fuck out of here, or my brother is going to sink his teeth into what’s mine.
Chapter 10
Alex
In our stand-off, Jaclyn’s chest rises and falls, her shaky, deep breaths blowing on my neck and chest. With my hand resting on her hip, I don’t dare pull back. If I do, I know damn well the moment I see the slightest glimmer in those sapphire eyes, I’ll do something both of us will regret.
It’s a dangerous game I’m playing. One where we all lose.
With a delicate touch, her hands slide up my chest, and I fully expect her to push me away. And I’d deserve it. Bracing myself for a shove that never comes, I’m caught off-guard when her palms remain planted on me as she whispers, “I spoke sacred vows in front of family, friends, and God.”
Growing up in a very religious family, I’m faced with the same dilemma. I promised myself to her. Standing at the altar with her felt wrong; I wanted to be up there with her as Alex, not as Chris. I can only imagine how she’sstruggling with this, too. After years of stuffing down my feelings, the moment I saw her in all-white and how her eyes lit up as she saw me, all logic was thrown out the fucking window.
I never should’ve suggested this charade.
