I took over driving to the hospital. I didn’t want Liam to go at his slow ass speed. I didn’t care if I broke the speed limit, I would pay whatever fucking fine I needed just to get to that damn hospital.
But right when we reached the parking lot, I saw them push Adrianna’s
stretched in the emergency room. My heart dropped, “Hey, your girlfriend is calling me.” Liam said as my eyes shot up at him.
“What does she want?” I said with fully irritated eyes. “Beats me.”
I roll my eyes, taking the phone, “Grayson, I need you home… it’s been eight almost nine hours.” She insisted as I took a slow breath.
“I can’t right now, August.” I voiced as she started to sob, like she was losing her life.
“Why?”
August sniffled, “I think something is wrong with the baby.” I halt, pausing, looking up to the hospital doors, what type of person would I be if I didn’t go to my son or daughter’s emergency appointment.
What type of person would Adrianna preserve me as? I could handle the thought of her being mad, she’s always been mad about every little thing I’ve done.
But this moment was a moment I knew I wouldn’t forget about all of the rest of my life.
I turn to Liam, huffing, “Take me to August’s location.” I pulled up the GPS. Liam didn’t complain, he simply agreed and started to drive me, “August said it’s urgent.”
Liam stayed quiet, “She’s using you, man.”
I stayed quiet.
“And I know you’re going to say, she wasn’t like that, but people can only change for the better or for worst, Gray. August is not someone I would trust in a million years. “
I sigh, “Until she gives full hard evidence…” I swallow.
Liam looked at me with a face that wouldn’t shock others, he was annoyed with my decision of trusting August until proven guilty.
“She would do everything she could just to get you away from Adrianna and you know that.” Liam voiced with irritation.
“My mother just texted me.” I said as I checked my phone to make sure I wasn’t delusional, “They are rushing her to the hospital.”
I pressed on the gas, my head started to pound with a force, I wanted to go to Adrianna, but I knew the nurses wouldn’t let me see her anyways.
I took a breath, hitching at the far distance of whether I really wanted to care about August.
I didn’t give two fucks. But I cared about the type of man my father wants me to be. I know I shouldn’t, I don’t owe him anything. But the bottom line was, I wanted to be a better man than him.
I wanted to be there for my child, even if it wasn’t with the woman I love. I want to be a better man that he will ever be. I wanted to be the best.
For once in my life, I wanted to be number one against him. I wanted to fucking beat him.
Liam knew why I really did it, which made it all the more reason he came with me without fighting me that much.
We got to the hospital. I didn’t run towards the doors, I walked. It wasn’t the type of fear that I felt in my surface of my skin when Adrianna had been discovered.
Liam gets a call from his mother as I walk through the hospital seeing my family there, even my brothers. My mother directed me to August’s room. She was laying there looking upset and yet I didn’t care enough to ask what the matter was.
Instead, I thought about giving Margo a call to see if Adrianna got to a room safely with a stable heartbeat.
“You’re here.” She whispers.
I nod, “What happened to the baby?”
She shook her head, “Nothing, it was just a false alarm.” She smiled as I felt bile build up in my throat, my fist clamping as anger burst through my
veins.
“Are you fucking with me August?!” I sat down frustrated. I looked up at her, tears ran down her face.
“Grayson.”
I shook my head, “This cannot be happening.”
I stood up running my fingers through my hair, “Was there actually something fucking wrong with the baby in the first place?”
She stays quiet and that was all I needed for her to answer my question.
But she sits up, “I want to be everything for you, Gray!”
“I want to be the reason you came here tonight; I want you to tell me I’m the fucking reason you ran through those doors, and not just because of the baby.”
She shakes her head, “This isn’t fair. I had you before. I had all of you and I don’t even know you anymore.”
I only looked at her, condescension ran though my head, “I can’t give you that August.”
She looks down at the ring on her finger, “Nothing.” She seethes. “And I mean nothing hurts more than knowing that if everything was dying, I would only want to call you to tell you how much I truly love you, but it would go straight to voice mail because you would be on the phone with her.”
I truly didn’t know what to tell her, I breath out, I felt bad.
I did but I couldn’t force my feelings and if I did, would she want that? Even if she did accept that I would never do that. It wasn’t my style, and I would never be able to be the kind of person she wants me to be.
“Did you call your mother?” I asked as she looked away tears spilling. One thing I knew about August was that she was pregnant, ultrasounds showed it, her fatigue and the doctor cleared that up.
I started to walk over to her bag, her eyes widen with fear as I did it, “Don’t go through there!”
It was too late for her warning, as I dropped her bag, two phones fell to the ground. I knew and memorized one of them.
It was Adrianna’s phone. It was fucking Adrianna’s phone.
Blood boiled deep inside of me, as I turn my face to August, “This is a sick joke, right?” I laugh harshly as she stood up from the hospital bed, it took all my might not to fucking scream at her.
“I thought maybe if I took her phone, you guys wouldn’t think about why she wasn’t answering.” She reasons.
I shove her shit on the ground, “Adrianna could’ve fucking died!”
The water works started spiraling, “She could’ve fucking died, and you didn’t give a damn! You took her phone and you lied to me about you really needing help!”
“You say you want to be better, and you want me to come back to you and yet you do shit like this!”
She sits down, “I’m sorry, Grayson.” I laugh, near the door, “Don’t say that to me. Don’t you dare fucking apologize to me. Apologize to her.”
“You and I both know that you couldn’t stand up to Adrianna, but if you think it’s just because you brought her down. It doesn’t mean that Margo, Juliette, and Verina aren’t going to make sure you pay for it. You are fucking mistaken.”
She swallows, “I’ll pay for the babies’ expenses don’t worry, but only that. I don’t want you in my house. I want your shit out of my room, and I want you to make fucking sure never to come close to Adrianna, do I make myself clear?”
She closed her eyes, “Yes.”
I breathe out, “Is there something else I need to know?”
She looked at me like she needed to say something, before Liam barged in, locking eye contact with me.
He pulls my brother Elliot in the hospital room, and he had something to say, Liam definitely found out something, “You tell him.”
Elliot looked at me like he was in physical pain, he looked over behind me to August, her eyes showing me everything I really needed to know. I look down at the floor, shaking my head, laughing at how stupid I’ve been.
I look back up to Elliot, “Gray, it only happened once.” I shook my head at how much of a stupid situation I had been put in.
I look back to August, “Were we together?”
She looks away, “It was why I broke up with you.”
My brother and ex-girlfriend fucked behind my back, but that could only mean, “Is the damn baby mine?”
She shook her head, Elliot’s eyes sparkling like he had been dreaming for this. It was pissing me off, I walked up to him, “You love her, don’t you?” I ask as he pauses then nods his head.
I flash him a smile before ramming my fist into his face. I didn’t care that they slept together because the only girl on my mind was Adrianna of course. But it was the fact that they tried to play me like a damn fool believing the baby was mine.
I take a breath, “You two fucking deserve each other.” I began to walk out.
Elliot pulls me back, “Father asked for us to do it.”
I turn my head back, “Why?!” I laugh, “Does he hate me playing hockey that much that he was willing to make me believe that baby is mine, so I take over his business.
Elliot shook his head.
“He doesn’t want you to make a mistake, Grayson!”
I pulled my shoulder away from his touch, “Doing everything daddy says always right?” I pushed him back, “So help me God Elliot. You are fucking lucky you’re my brother, or else your head would be on a damn platter.”
“You wouldn’t do that to me.” He countered as I stepped closer to him, I was taller than Elliot by four inches, I towered over him.
“Wanna bet?”
He stared into my eyes, “Everyone tells me not to make deals with the devil.”
I laughed, “ Look at the blood that’s running down your nose for a reminder.”
 |
Liam and I practically flew on the highway to get to Adrianna and the emergency room, my heart ran faster than the time we were traveling.
“How the hell did you find that shit out?” I turn to Liam.
Be smirks, “A magician never tells, Prince.”
I roll my eyes at my best friend, “You ran DNA tests on her, and you sampled a bunch?” I questioned.
He laughs, “I hired a bunch of men to collect DNA samples from everyone at the ball and run them over to the lab.”
I nod, “Mine wasn’t a match?”
He nods, “I checked yours first.”
I sigh, feeling relieved that I didn’t have to go through leaving Adrianna and again, but did I really deserve her this time?
I’ve put her in large amounts of pain, and I wasn’t sure if I was willing to make her go through it again. I wasn’t sure if it was better to live like we did before when we weren’t a major part of each other’s lives.
It would be difficult, of course, but I wasn’t sure if it was the right thing to do.
We rushed into the doors as everyone was seated outside the emergency room. My heart racing as I passed everyone there.
Opening the door of the glass room the separated from the waiting room, only Margo sat in the glass room that separated Adrianna’s room.
Margo stands up as she meets my eyes, “How is she?” I asked hurriedly. She shakes her head with a scowl, “Where were you?”
I sigh, “I had to check up on—” Margo interrupts me.
“Checkup on August?” She narrows her eyes with annoyance in her voice.
“Get out.” She says with a flat tone. I swallow, “Margo.”
“She woke up for a second. She asked for you, and you weren’t here. You were with August,” She walked closer, “That shows where your true intentions lie, Grayson.”
“Margo, let me see her.” I plead as she looked at me with soulless eyes. “No.”
“Margo.” I almost wanted to get on my damn knees to plead for her to let me see her, I didn’t want to move her myself, Adrianna wouldn’t want it.
“No, Grayson stay away from her!” “Please, Margo.”
She looked at me like she was not going to budge, like a damn statue that wasn’t going to move even in the face of a bulldozer.
Margo was someone that Adrianna needed in her life. She was a part of her, and it was something that was never going to change.
“You don’t meet a girl like Adrianna twice in a damn lifetime.” She says with conviction, “And the worst part is that the only way you’ll lose her is if she does die because she will never let you go, not fully.”
I swallow, “As her best friend, I break at her sobs in the night. I cry for her, and I wish I can take some of her pain away that not even you could
understand, how could you?”
Margo catches her breath, “She’s never let anyone else in, but she let you touch her heart even when she barely shows her true feelings to me.”
“She saw something in you that was worth her time, and I watched her explore it when knew I shouldn’t have.”
“But I did.”
“She put you on a pedestal that she had been standing on her whole life. She decided that you were the right person to help her step down from it, but you fell, and you dragged her with you.”
Margo let out a silent and slow tear, “And yet, she made sure to put cushioned mats and pillows to catch your fall even when she was unprotected.”
I stayed quiet, “When I asked you how you felt about her, I saw how you felt in your eyes. Without needing to say it, I knew how much you cared about her.” She folded her hands, “So tell me this,” She turns to look at the door, “Why should I ever let you walk in there and bring her more pain that she’s already in?”
I couldn’t say anything one wishing to see Adrianna, “Margo, I’m sorry.”
But she cut me off once again.
“My life almost fell apart when Adrianna’s heart stopped beating for twenty-two seconds last year.”
She sounded voiceless and broken as she let more tears fall down her cheek.
“Margo, please. Adrianna needs me.” And she snapped.
“She was finally okay after I helped build her up for the past year. Now she’s in that hospital bed because of you .”
I swallow taking a step back, still staring at the door, terrified of going in now.
“She needs me! She doesn’t need you!” Margo screams at me as I take a step back, closing my eyes as she sits down on the couch, my head spinning.
I sat next to her, her eyes ruby red and her face was flushed with exhaustion. She leaned on the couch’s arm rest, closing her eyes as I swallowed, setting my head on the other side of the couch.
|
I woke up gradually, my senses felt like I couldn’t feel the difference between smell and touch. I heard screams and yells coming from the central waiting room, Margo was still sound asleep next to me as I took
a sneaky look over to the glass barrier from Adrianna’s room.
In the sounds of screams and yells, I hear Liam’s voice. My fight or flight has activated, and I spring forward towards the door to see Liam, Neil, Chris, Verina, Juliette, and of course her father. My parents also sat on the other side. My stepmother running to me and pulling me in for an embrace.
I felt shocked waves through my system as I listened to Liam who looked like he just lost his damn mind.
“This was my mistake!” I looked over to Liam’s mother, a woman with hazelnut colored hair, eyes that showed of honey, skin tan and sun kissed. She looked exactly like Adrianna.
My eyes turn over to Damon Cassian, his eyes looked tired and stressed, “Don’t be so ridiculous, Odessa!”
“No, I should’ve known! I should’ve taken both my children with me, knowing you were selfish and irresponsible. I stayed in my damn house the last time she was hospitalized, Damon!”
I turn around shocked, but not more shocked than Liam who stood right behind me.
“Adrianna is fine!” Damon screams back quieting everyone in the room. She slaps him, “You let her die not once, but fucking twice Damon!”
She runs out of breath, “I cannot stay at home this time knowing my daughter is in there, barely stable!”
My stepmother let go of me as I walked over to Liam. Next to him, I felt my face redden, fire in my eyes as I sought Liam’s eyes that were full of confusion.
“Mom.” Liam voiced with a concerned expression. His eyes were lost, and his mouth stayed still as a damn rock.
I swallowed, as she faced us with her eyes full of anger and anguish turned into pain and shock.
“Liam?” She questioned.
It was almost like she hadn’t noticed that her own son had been sitting there the entire time.
Odessa Brookshire.
Hawthorne’s jewel, she runs businesses in transporting jewelry, designing gowns, and overseeing the creation of jewelry. A perfume was named after her and she was the ultimate trophy wife.
She was none other than Liam’s mother. She was the fiancé of a very powerful man that was the owner of multiple businesses in Philadelphia.
“What are you doing here?” She asked with concern in her voice.
“I’m here for Adrianna, I don’t even know what to ask why you’re here.” He stared with a lack of emotion as he looked over to his right at Adrianna’s father.
It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out what had just been uncovered.
“Liam, darling…” She starts.
Liam swallows, “This is a sick joke, right?”
Damon only looked at him with a stone-cold expression, “Are you telling me that my father has been in front of my damn face for the past eighteen damn years?”
Odessa’s face turned pale, like she had just made the biggest mistake in her entire life.
The whole group knew everything now, Liam’s mother and Adrianna’s father couldn’t keep it in a capsule for that long. It was bound to come out.
Odessa walks towards Liam, kneeling in front of him, her hands around his face, “Sweetheart, I’m so sorry you had to find out this way. You were…”
Liam interrupts her, “I was never supposed to find out, was I?” Odessa closes her eyes, “I did it to protect you.”
“You make me sound like a damn serial killer Odessa.” Mr. Cassian fires back with a scowl.
She casually rolls her eyes.
Liam looks over to Adrianna’s father.
“From whom? My father? Damon Cassian? You want to protect me from a man who was basically in front of my damn eyes my whole life?”
“It’s a lot more complicated than that.” She speaks.
Damon interrupts, “Only that she packed her things, took you and ran to Philadelphia. She left me with your sister. Yes, I tracked her down. I looked
for you, but she kept running and running, until she came back and threatened to leave if I even spoke to you personally.”
Odessa doesn’t waste time to let the tears fall down her face, “It was a mistake I made a long time ago.”
“It was a mistake that cost me a father.” Liam snapped back, “You know what’s even sicker?”
He pauses, “It took Adrianna to face a life-or-death situation for you two to tell one of us the fucking truth.”
“I had a sister my whole life and I didn’t even know. I had sleepovers with Grayson not knowing that my father lived just in front of his house.” Liam stood up.
I heard a door open to see Margo walk out with tears in her eyes like she hadn’t registered what she just walked into.
“Where’s Liam?” She says in a quiet whisper and her voice breaking.
Liam looks over at her, like he wanted to run up to her and stay with her for the rest of his life. But he didn’t, he only stared as Ben walks up to Margo, “I’m sorry darling, it took me a while to get here.”
Her eyes never left Liam’s, but a part of Liam knew that he’d lost her.
He’d lost his battle trying to win her back. He was defeated.
The doctor walks in the room, everyone silent as he spoke. “Adrianna has suffered a hemorrhage, losing a lot of blood from the accident. She will stay in the hospital for a while and needs a blood transfusion from someone that shares the same blood type.”
Odessa stands up, next to Damon with worried eyes, “Of course, we will pay whatever to make sure she’s okay.”
The doctor pauses, “The money isn’t the issue, Mr. Cassian, the issue is that your daughter has a very rare blood type called Rh-null, further known as the golden blood.” The doctor takes a breath, “Her blood type is so rare. It has no antigens and enormous lifesaving capabilities.”
“There are under one hundred people worldwide who have the same blood type as her. Under the small, restricted amount of time we have it will be extremely hard to hunt someone down that can donate.”
“She can’t receive blood from anyone except for the small amount of people who have the same blood type. This is extremely life threatening.”
I felt my heart drop at the thought of Adrianna not making it, and I can feel my body shut down at the thought. Margo’s face drops as well as everyone else’s.
Liam pulled away from his mother’s touch, irritated at mostly everyone. “I’m her brother, I can get tested if I share the same blood type like her.”
The doctor shakes his head, “A sibling—” Liam interrupts again, “I’m her twin brother.”
The doctor stops, as he directs the other nurses to take him into the room full of needles. Margo walks over to me, “What is he talking about?” She asks.
I pull away, “It’s a long story.”
Margo pulls me back, “If it’s about Liam then I have a right to know.” She seethes, my body felt like stone as I take a breath, “How about you ask him when he comes back?”
“Actually, I don’t care.” Margo lets me go.
“If you don’t care, then tell him, so that he can finally stop making a fool of himself.”
She laughs, almost like mocking me right now, “That’s the problem with you guys. You think that just because you do a big gesture then every fucking tear just disappears and never happened.”
I turn to look at her, finally looking into her eyes, “What happened between Adrianna, and I is completely different.”
“Right. Only that you acted like you cared about her then suddenly never talked to her, leaving her alone. She loves you; you know that?”
“And you don’t know how much I want to see her wake up so I can say it first.” I smile at Margo with venom in my words.
She shakes her head, “You don’t deserve her.”
I sit back down, “I know I don’t but I’m not listening to what anyone says about me and Adrianna.”
“All I know is that I need her back. I will blackmail, I will pay, and I will do whatever it fucking takes to make sure that she comes back.”
Margo swallows, she looks back to Adrianna’s room. There was no doubt that Margo loved Adrianna more than anything, they were platonic soulmates.
“You can either help or you can stand by and watch.” I walk towards her, “It’s your choice.”
Moments later Liam walks out back into the waiting room, his parents stand up as well as everyone else. I look up to his eyes, “I’m a match.”
I release a breath, my eyes closing Liam’s getting showered by hugs from his mother as his father sat down to get his composure together.
I felt the same way.
Margo had put all the pieces together and understood the situation, except at this very moment, she had forgave him for every tear that left her eyes, for the return of her soulmate.
