AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She seemed hurt by what I said, but I couldn’t hold back my resentment any longer. It was years’ worth of pain, overflowing out of me.
“You never protected me, Mom. You never defended me.” I fixed my scornful gaze on Rob and said, “You should have left this jerk the first time he laid his hands on me! Do you really think I’ve forgotten? Remember the nights when you used to remove the light bulb in the bathroom and lock me inside while I screamed in terror because I was afraid of the dark? Or the time you beat me black and blue because I accidentally spilled milk on the floor? Do I really need to mention the rest, Rob? Should I expose that demon inside of you? Or are you gonna tell me to shut up and scare me into silence?”
“Aria, stop.” Mom started crying.
“Why? Is it too painful to hear the truth? How do you think I felt enduring his abuse on a weekly basis?”
There were tears in Rob’s eyes, but I didn’t care.
“Funny,” I snickered. “I seem to recall him being more than happy to dump me off at Noah’s nine months ago.”
I wanted them to leave. I wanted to be with Noah and escape everything.
A soft knock at the door caught everyone’s attention; Doctor Peters had stepped inside.
“I apologize if I am intruding at a bad time.”
“Not at all,” Mom said, wiping her tears with a tissue.
“I’ve brought some forms that Aria needs to sign before I can schedule her for surgery.”
“Wait,” I said. “Has Evan spoken to a psychiatrist regarding the transplant operation?”
“Yes, he has,” Dr. Peters replied. “All potential donors must undergo a psychiatric evaluation during the testing process.”
“He’s right,” Mom said. “Your father and I had to speak to a professional, too.”
Dr. Peters handed me some documents before he explained the medical procedures to my parents. If I survived this surgery, I didn’t know if I wanted to pursue an academic career. I just prayed to God that the operation would go smoothly. Everything that had happened in the past three months had been hard to deal with, but this moment felt like a second chance for me and Noah. If that car crash didn’t happen, then the paternity results would never have been discovered. Maybe the universe signaled that Noah and I were meant to be. Fate couldn’t have been so cruel as to give me a glimpse of the possibility of happiness and then have me die on the operating table… or months later. I wanted to live. I wanted to experience life with the man of my dreams.
When Dr. Peters left, I was alone again with my parents. They gave one last attempt at convincing me to move back home with them, but the only person I needed was Noah.
??
A few hours had passed before the man of my dreams entered my hospital room.
“Hey, beautiful.” He smiled. “How are you feeling?” Sitting next to my bed, he placed his coffee cup on the nightstand.
I was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown. Everything was hitting me at once.
“Noah, I’m scared. I’ve never had surgery before. What if I don’t survive this?”
“Don’t think that way.” He leaned forward, hugging me while I sobbed in his arms.
“I don’t want to die.”
“You won’t.” Noah rubbed my back. “We didn’t go through everything we’ve gone through to lose each other now.” Strokingmy hair, he wiped my tears when I pulled back. “I know you’re scared, but everything’s gonna be just fine.”
“You can’t guarantee that.”
“I can guarantee that I love you and would do anything for you. I want you to be strong, Aria. Be strong for me because I rely on your strength as much as you rely on mine.”
“What if the transplant is unsuccessful?”
“Then you’re getting another kidney. I’m not gonna let you die on me. Do you understand?” He cupped my face as I stared into his clear blue eyes. There it was: the tidal wave. It kept rising while I stood at the shore, surrendering to its power as it washed over me. This is what it felt like to love this man: knowing he could destroy me and break my heart. Every day, I had to trust that he wouldn’t. Love was a risk, a leap of faith.
“I love you, Noah.”
He pressed his lips near the corner of my mouth, avoiding a kiss. My body tingled, listening to his seductive voice.
