Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 142764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142764 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 714(@200wpm)___ 571(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
As if he's finally trusting I won't get up and sprint out of the room, he slumps into the cushy armchair beside my bed. "Don't worry about how much it’s going to cost. What you need to worry about is your health.”
I shift against the bed and try to hide my wince while I glare at him. "Only someone who doesn't have to worry about money says don't worry about money."
A dark spark enters his eyes, reminding me of the first time I saw him at The Hunt. Sebastian might appear kind and courteous, but everyone knows his true nature. His beast lingers just below the surface, waiting for the moment he can come out to play. "I said don't fucking worry about it, so don't fucking worry about it. It's all covered. You're not alone anymore, Bel."
My jaw aches as I grit my teeth, and I narrow my eyes at him to make sure he sees the anger, the pain, all of it. I want him to know what it’s like to have your still beating heart ripped out of your chest. "I’m not alone. I have my..." A sob rips from my throat, and the pain of the words gouges me, a never-ending wound that refuses to stop bleeding. I clench my jaw tightly and stare up at the ceiling while blinking back tears. "I have my mom. Yeah, I might be poor, but I was never alone. I have the one thing that no amount of money could ever buy—love."
Silence surrounds me, and after a few seconds, I risk glancing at him, even as hot tears slip down my cheeks. There's a crinkle in his brow as he stares at the wall, and it hits me all over again.
My mother is gone.
Gone.
For good.
But I'm not the only one who lost her. Dammit. Shit. In a world full of filthy rich assholes, he’s the last person I should feel a sliver of sympathy for, but that’s not who I am. I might have lost my mother, but so did he. It doesn’t matter if he knew less about her than I did. He didn’t have to deal with infinite hospital visits and medications. He didn’t have bedtimes when she read to him and sang him lullabies.
He didn’t have any of those things, but he lost her all the same. At least I had those memories, but he didn’t even get that.
I rub my cheeks to wipe at my tears, causing the IV in my hand to pull tight and pinch. The pain helps bring me back to the present.
"If it’s okay with you, I’d like to get out of here. I doubt a hospital stay is suitable for the treatment of a concussion."
"It’s not, but I wasn’t sure what your mental state would be once you were awake, and with the concussion, if you happened to lose it, then medications to sedate you would’ve been my only other option. The doctor advised me that you should have someone with you for the next couple of days to monitor your condition and make sure you’re okay.”
Great. Yet another reminder that now, without Mom, I am truly and completely alone. I don't know anything about this man, my so-called brother. Only that he's a dick, and one of Drew's miserable friends, which makes me weary and anxious. I thought I could trust Drew, and look where that fucking got me.
I feel around the sheets for the button to call the nurse and press it hard. The effort makes me pant, and I slump against the soft mattress, my vision going hazy for a moment.
The nurse bustles in, her dark braids coiled on top of her head like a crown. "Oh, you're awake. Let me check your vitals quick, and then I'll get out of your hair."
I roll my head to the side to look at her. Lifting it is just too much effort. "Actually, would it be possible to get the discharge papers going? I’d like to leave.”
She gives me a soft smile that doesn’t quite reach her eyes. "Sorry, sweetie… but I can’t let you leave until the doctor gives me the clear. Last I checked, he was waiting for your scan results.”
I clench my jaw hard enough that it makes the ache in my head worse, then I shift to face Sebastian again. "Okay. I guess since I’m stuck here, would it be possible to go see my mom?”
His forehead creases, concern etched into his features. Oh god, what now? He leans over to brace his elbows on his knees. "Bel, this isn’t a conversation that either of us really wants to have right now, but your mental state is very important. I need to make sure that you understand that on our way to the hospital, your mother… our mother passed away. Peacefully."