Chapter 9
569words
He stopped pacing, turning to face me. "Work can wait. I'm more concerned about you right now."
"Why?" I couldn't help asking. "We're divorced, Nathan. You don't have to pretend to care anymore."
Something flashed in his eyes—hurt, perhaps, or frustration. "Is that what you think? That I was pretending all these years?"
"I don't know what to think anymore," I admitted, suddenly exhausted. The pain medication was wearing off, and with it, my ability to maintain emotional defenses. "I just know that everything I believed about us turned out to be wrong."
He moved closer, hesitating before sitting on the edge of my bed—close, but not touching. "Not everything, Liv. Not the important parts."
The use of my nickname—the one only he used—sent an unwelcome warmth through me. "Don't," I whispered. "Please don't make this harder than it already is."
"I'm not trying to make anything harder," he said softly. "I'm trying to tell you that despite everything that's happened, despite the divorce papers we both signed, I still—"
The door swung open, cutting off whatever he had been about to say. A tall, slender woman with honey-blonde hair entered, her perfect features arranged in an expression of concern.
Rebecca. My sister. My betrayer.
"Liv!" she exclaimed, rushing to my bedside. "Oh my God, are you okay? Mom called and said you were in an accident!"
I stiffened, pulling away from her attempted embrace. "I'm fine," I said coldly. "What are you doing here, Rebecca?"
She glanced at Nathan, then back to me. "I was worried about you, of course. That's what sisters do." She reached out to touch my bandaged forehead. "That looks painful."
I jerked away from her touch. "As you can see, I'm fine. You can go now."
Rebecca's perfectly shaped eyebrows rose in surprise. "Liv, don't be like that. I know things have been... difficult between us, but I'm still your sister."
"Sister?" I laughed bitterly. "Is that what you call someone who goes behind your back with your husband?"
Nathan stood abruptly. "Olivia, it wasn't like that. I've tried to explain—"
"Explain what?" I demanded, anger giving me strength. "Explain why I found you two in our kitchen, looking like guilty teenagers? Explain why you both disappeared the night I lost our baby? What possible explanation could make any of that okay?"
Rebecca's face paled. "You don't understand what happened that night."
"Then enlighten me," I challenged.
She glanced at Nathan, some unspoken communication passing between them that only fueled my suspicion. "It's complicated, Liv."
"It always is with you," I said tiredly. "Just go, Rebecca. Both of you. I need to rest."
A nurse entered, frowning at the tension in the room. "Dr. Carter needs quiet," she said firmly. "I'm going to have to ask you both to leave."
Rebecca nodded, gathering her designer purse. "I'll come back tomorrow, Liv. We need to talk—really talk."
Nathan didn't move. "I'm staying," he said to the nurse. "Doctor's orders. She shouldn't be left alone with a concussion."
The nurse looked to me for confirmation. I wanted to send him away, to protect myself from the confusing emotions his presence stirred. But the truth was, the thought of being alone in the hospital, vulnerable and in pain, was worse than the discomfort of having him near.
"He can stay," I said reluctantly.
