AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Mercy drove us to the hospital. Damon told us over the phone that everyone would meet us there. I didn’t know what to think or feel. Why in the world had my mom been climbing that cliff face? And with no safety equipment?
All I knew was that I was grateful Noah saved her life. I just didn’t understand why she had felt the need to do the very thing that had sent my brother to his death.
Chapter Thirty-One
Noah
We waited in the hospital lobby. I hadn’t gone with Ella’s mom in the ambulance, but Kayla had. The EMTs wanted to check me out separately. I was shaking, and I knew I was in shock. I’d refused to receive any care until Ella got here.
When she came through the door, I finally felt like my world was right again.
She pulled me into a hug, helping me up from the chair. “Are you okay?”
I held her close. “Yes.” As long as I had this, I would always be okay.
She pressed her hand to my forehead, which made me laugh. After ten minutes of checking me out with another doctor, she said, “Let’s go find my mom.”
I went with her, hand in hand, to the room they’d put her mother in. My parents were standing on either side of her, holding her hands.
Her mother turned and gasped. She held her arms out and started crying. “Ella. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry.”
Ella let go of my hand and rushed into her mother’s arms.
The whole thing confused me, but I didn’t say anything. Now that everything was settling, I had time to think. I couldn’t understand why her mother was back in town, and especially why she’d been alone on the face of a mountain.
Where was her father?
Two minutes later, Canyon walked in, carefully holding a bag. “I thought you might want these with you.” His voice was half accusing and half curious. He walked over to the tray table at the end of the bed and placed a familiar set of frames on its surface.
Clearly shocked, Ella picked up the pictures. Then she turned to her mother. “What are you doing with these? I just found them in my house. Like someone had broken in and put them there. Was that you?”
Her mother bowed her head. “Yes.”
Chapter Thirty-Two
Ella
Adrenaline spiked through me. I wanted to be angry with my mother, but at the same time, I wanted to drop to my knees and beg to understand what had happened. Some other person must have forced her to do this.
My mother burst into tears, covering her face and shaking her head. “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry.”
I wracked my brain for any signs, any hints to lead me to a conclusion like this, but there were none.
Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Armstrong stood and left the three of us alone. Noah took me by the hand; his other one grabbed the frames and put them on the table next to the bed. My mother stopped crying, going totally still. I didn’t know how long she sat there with her hands over her eyes.
Compassion filled me. “What happened? Where is Dad?” It was the first time I’d thought of my father. Maybe it was because he never talked to me on the phone and he’d been emotionally distant my whole life.
My mother took my hand and looked at me with red, puffy eyes. She was worn out, and not just from what had happenedtoday. “Your dad and I have been divorced for a long time—since right after you introduced us to Brian.”
Confusion filled me. “You mean since I was married?”
“Yeah. We got into a big fight, and he left. Then I got divorce papers last year, right before Greg’s death anniversary.” She sniffed. “This year, when we talked … I just … I guess I went a little crazy.”
My mind was clicking everything into place. “You must’ve been in town or come straight here.”
She winced. “I was working in New York, but the closer I got to the death anniversary, and the divorce crowded in… I’d been pushing those thoughts away for a long time.” She looked out the window, and a tear slipped down her cheek. “I should have been there for you in so many ways. We should have been better parents to both of you. In fact, that’s what your dad and I argued over. I felt horrible that we had shown up a week late for your wedding. When I said that to your dad, he told me he was done being a parent and done being a husband.”
So many things I’d never understood ran through my mind. It was validating to hear my mom apologize for being a horrible parent, because she’d always sort of gaslit me about that. My father had been absent, both physically and emotionally. The fact he’d left her didn’t surprise me.
