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“I’ve missed you so much. I thought I was going to lose you.”
She sighs softly, the tiredness returning to her face. “You weren’t going to lose me. I was in good hands all along. Alan, here, realized what was happening, told me, and we came up with a plan to break me free from his control. Got me out of the endless loop of crooked medical staff he hired and made sure I could finally get the help I needed.”
The thought hits me like a punch to the gut. “You...are you going to die? Or is this curable?”
The doctor leans over and checks some vitals, his fingers grazing my mother’s wrist dare I say intimately. I don’t have the mental bandwidth to open that can of worms at the moment, so I choose to keep the thought to myself, and I’ll ask about it at a later date.
“No, she won’t die. I think whatever he did to your girlfriend’s mother was where he started. It was worse at that time since he didn’t know how to control the doses properly. I’ve implemented a plan to get your mother back to health, but it’s going to take some time.”
I nod once and turn back to face Bel, who is now sitting on the couch, her eyes carefully avoiding the dead body on the floor.
I kick one of the guards in the side with my boot before spouting off a demand. “You help, or you die, it’s as simple as that. Get his body out of here. I don’t care what you do with it.”
The two goons push up off the floor and rush toward his body without question. I feel nothing but relief as they lift him by the arms, and drag his deceased carcass out the door, leaving a trail of blood behind.
It’s over. It’s really fucking over.
I suck a ragged breath into my lungs, and it’s like I’m breathing for the first time. The weight on my shoulders, on my fucking heart, has lifted. I’m no longer held down by this imaginary brick. Tears prick my eyes. It’s the most fucked-up thing ever, and I can only describe it as a blanket of calm overcoming me.
I snap out of it, and blink back the tears before they can fall. I notice Richard standing near the door. He looks like he’s about to bolt.
“Are you going to be a problem we need to get rid of?”
He shrugs, and then pulls a pack of cigarettes out of his pocket, along with a lighter. He lights one up right there, sucking on the end of the cancer stick like a straw. I can’t really blame him. At this point, I need something stronger than whiskey to drink.
“Nope. I won’t be a problem to you or your family. As far as I can tell, your father deserved it. When it’s time to do the paperwork and transfer everything over, feel free to reach out. I’ll even do it without charging you.”
Bel cuts in beside me. “How can you say you won’t be a problem when you just witnessed what you did? When you tried to force us to marry each other? A person willing to do bad things doesn’t just change.”
Barely glancing at Bel, he replies, “You’re right, but a person who is smart and doesn’t want to die does what they must to adapt. I don’t know about you but when someone holds a gun to your head and says do this or else, you choose the option that’s going to keep you alive the longest. I have a daughter who needs me more than I need a bullet in my head. I won’t be a problem.”
I’m reminded in an instant that we all make choices. We all do what we must, choosing between the lesser of two evils in our lives simply to get ahead and protect those we love. It’s never personal. Sometimes it’s kill or be killed.
Bel’s body sways against me, like she’s lost the last of her fight. I feel a similar exhaustion threatening to take me out at the knees, but I need to be strong, at least until everything is cleaned up and any potential risks are dissolved.
I circle an arm around her waist. “I got you, Flower,” I whisper, lifting her, and cradling her in my arms. She lets out a grumble but doesn’t try to stop me.
“I’m okay, just a little tired. Someone injected me with a tranquilizer.” Sarcasm clings to her words.
I cringe. “Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I’ll make it up to you. I promise.”
Bel turns, resting her cheek against my chest, and in her eyes, I see the trust and forgiveness I’ve been fighting for since the very beginning.
“Oh, I’m counting on it.” She smiles.
I hold on to her a little tighter, just to confirm this is all real and not a dream. That we made it out of this unhurt and content. With a sigh, I can only smile with tears in my eyes. It’s finally over. I’m finally free. And Bel is mine.
36
BEL
I’m adrenaline and fear braided to a fine point, and I know once it wears off, I’ll be nothing but an exhausted mess. My hands tremble, and my brain reels with all the information revealed. Drew’s father, Lyle, is really Sebastian’s father, and my own mother was arranged to marry him? My father is a man who my mother fell in love with after he saved her life, but that’s disappeared off the face of the earth? I can’t wrap my head around it all. It feels like someone took my brain and put it in a blender. Even thinking about it now gives me a headache. Still, I wish I had my mother to ask these questions.
All the lies, hate, and pain. There’s so much darkness in this room.
I’ll never say Lyle didn’t deserve every bullet, but that doesn’t mean I don’t mourn the scar his death will leave on Drew’s and Sebastian’s souls. More than anything, I feel bad for Sebastian, for the loss he’s suffered, and now I worry about the impact it will have on him. He already carries the weight of the world on his shoulders.
Drew holds me in his arms, and we sit on the couch and wait for the car. The doctor already wheeled Victoria back to her room so she could rest. I know at some point Drew will need to discuss with his mom who his real parents are, but after everything that came out tonight, I don’t know that we could handle another reveal.
