“Lucas brought you here, to the hospital. He still cares about you, but he will never go to you again. His mother made sure to drum into him how unworthy he was from an early age. I’ve never seen a woman so thoroughly evil, and I’m glad she’s not in his life anymore.” Elizabeth sighs. “The ball’s in your court. Only you can decide if you’ll regret not fighting for him and you.”
I close my eyes. “It’s too late.”
I feel her hand grasp mine. “It’s not. Be honest and fight for what you want. Lucas deserves a woman who’ll fight for him.” She releases the hand, and the chair creaks. “I hope you feel better soon, Ava.”
She walks out before I can gather my wits.
How can Lucas think he doesn’t deserve whatever his heart desires? He’s rich, handsome and smart. Yeah, so his father’s a jerk, and it sounds like his mother is too, but that’s just one minor aspect.
On the other hand, I’m a real mess. I’m an imposter—a crow tarred with peacock’s feathers. It’s only a matter of time before people see the truth.
I notice my phone in my peripheral vision and pick it up from the bedside. My fingers tremble as I navigate to the selfies we took. We’re both smiling at the camera, then into each other’s eyes—oh so painfully happy in that autumn field in central Virginia.
But there’s more—something I’ve never let myself see. Happiness isn’t the only thing on Lucas’s face. There is love, adoration. He is looking at me as though I’m everything that matters in his universe. And it isn’t just in one shot. Every shot of us… He is gazing at me with love so naked and vulnerable that it guts me.
A sob breaks free of my tight throat, and I shudder as pain wracks me. Hot tears flow freely down my temples and wet my hair.
Could this have been mine if I hadn’t pushed him away with the “test”? How do I reconcile the slice of heaven of that and the hell of finding out I was just someone he needed to marry to get the inheritance?
I don’t want to end up like my mother—broken and dried up. I want to be better than that for myself…and for Mia.
So are you letting Faye have him instead? Give this happiness to her without a fight because you’re afraid he’s going to use and dump you?
I shift, rolling to my side. My heart aches so much I can barely breathe. It wants to try again. If he won’t come for me, I’ll go to him. I can tell him I didn’t really mean it when I called him toxic. I didn’t really want him to go.
What I wanted was to be his number one…and a guarantee of forever.
Chapter Twenty
Ava
One good thing about working at a medical center is the benefits. I don’t have to pay a penny for my treatment. The notion is stunning—a first-rate hospital that doesn’t charge? I’ve always known our mission, what we were doing. But knowing it and actually experiencing it are very different. I feel a swell of pride to be associated with an endeavor like this.
The feeling lasts until I’m out by the exit in my nightshirt and realize that I don’t have a car…or money…or even the keys to my apartment. The only thing I do have is my phone. Unfortunately, I don’t know anybody in L.A. except Lucas—whom I can’t call—Jon and my coworkers. I feel awkward about asking Jon for help when I haven’t spoken to him since the opening, so I mentally cross a line through his name. It’s about four o’clock, though. Maybe if I wait another hour, someone going off shift can drop me at my place…
“Ava!”
I turn around to see Robbie trotting toward me. The collar of his white dress shirt is undone. “One of the nurses told me you were here. Why didn’t you call?”
“Um…” I pull my lips in, unsure what to say.
“You don’t have a ride, do you?”
“Well…no. But I know you’re busy—”
“It’s no bother. What kind of boss would I be if I let you go like this?” He glances down at my feet, which are in the hospital’s slippers.
We walk out to employee parking where his car—a sleek new BMW in dark gray—is waiting. As we pull out of the parking lot, I say, “I hate to bring this up, but don’t you have an appointment with your wife right now?”
“She canceled. An emergency surgery.”
“Oh, okay.”
“She’s saving lives.” His mouth is tight, but the smile is unmistakable.
“And you’re proud of her.”
“Very.”