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Chapter Nine
Miranda’s suite inthe hospital was luxurious by most standards, with cream-colored walls and paneled wood flooring. Unfortunately, the monitors and IV stationed next to the bed, connected to Miranda’s body through various tubes, ruined the sight.
Danny let him in and left right after with a nod, giving them privacy that Nik wasn’t certain he wanted.
A silent, pale-faced Miranda watched him approach. Taking the seat next to her bed, he said quietly, “I came here as soon as I heard.”
“I told Danny he shouldn’t have called you.” Miranda’s voice was weak.
“He was right not to heed you.” Nik shook his head. “Why did you try to take your life?”
Miranda looked away. “Because I couldn’t take it anymore.”
He stiffened. “Miranda—-” He had a feeling he knew what she wasn’t going to say, and he didn’t want to hear it.
Miranda’s eyes filled with tears. “I love you, Nik. I didn’t mean for it to happen, but I do.” She mustered the strength and courage to reach for Nik’s hand and wanted to cry in relief when he didn’t let go. “You always knew, didn’t you?”
Nik didn’t answer, his handsome face expressionless.
A painful laugh spilled past her lips. “You don’t have to pretend,” she whispered. “I tried to deny it for a long time, but the more I saw you with her, the harder it became to lie to myself.” She took a deep breath. “But you see, I couldn’t stop myself from hoping. I knew that because you felt guilty for not feeling a thing for me, you let me get away with so much. You gave me so many things, and I took it all because I thought...” A self-mocking smile touched her lips. “I thought, eventually, you’d learn to love me. But you didn’t.”
Whatever hopes she had remaining then were crushed when Nik carefully pulled his hand away. He looked at her, his eyes still not as bright as they were when he was gazing at Daria. Those eyes already gave Miranda her answer, but it still hurt when she heard him say flatly, “I didn’t. I can’t.”
She shook her head wildly. “But you fell in love with her.”
The truth in Miranda’s words fell on his brain like acid, but he didn’t allow himself to answer. Why bother when they both knew that it was something neither of them wanted to hear?
“You can’t lie to me,” Miranda cried out. “I’ve known you for a long time, and even if you don’t want to admit it, loving you has made me understand you more than you think I do, and I know – I just had to see your face, and I knew. You loved her!”
Next to her bed, the monitors started beeping.
Nik stood up. “I can see I’m only agitating—-” He broke off as the door opened, worried nurses filing in, Danny following behind them.
“Just tell me please,” she begged before the nurses could make Nik leave. “If you care for me the slightest bit, please tell me, how can you love her knowing the kind of person she is? She fucked them for money. You told me yourself, Nik. She wasn’t poor like I was. She didn’t not have a choice like me. How can you love her and not me?”
One of the nurses reached Nik. “Sir, I must ask you to leave.”
Nodding, Nik didn’t look back at Miranda as he turned away, didn’t let the sound of her sobs stop him from leaving.
Danny suddenly blocked his way. “You can’t leave her like this!”
“Your friend is better off without me.”
Danny was enraged at the way Nik’s voice was devoid of expression. How could he bear to leave when Miranda was so obviously suffering?
“So you’re going to leave, just like that? You’re going back to your mistress like someone didn’t try to kill herself over you?” The desire to avenge Miranda’s heartbreak consuming him, Danny heard himself say, “Go back to her then. Just know that bitch’s the reason behind this. Miranda went to her, you know.” All lies, but Danny couldn’t stop himself. All he knew was that Nik and Daria didn’t deserve to be happy while Miranda suffered. “Miranda told her she wanted you back because she was so depressed, and that bitch laughed at her face. She told her she could go to hell because she already has you following her like a dog!”
****
“THIS IS SUCH A BADidea, I don’t even know which word to use to describe how bad it is.”
Ignoring Yanna’s unusual lack of optimism, Daria continued to drag her smallest suitcase out of the closet. “He needs to learn his lesson,” she said stubbornly. “This is the way to do it.”
“If you really wanted to talk to him last night, why didn’t you just call him and not be passive-aggressive with your text?” The iPad, propped next to the TV on the console, showed Alyx rolling her eyes as she spoke.
“Because.” Daria pressed down on the handle to extend its length.
“Well, that explains a lot,” Alyx said sarcastically.
