08
But it wasn’t just her condition that broke me, it was what the doctors had told me, the last words she’d spoken
before slipping away into the silence of her coma.
*She seemed upset about some flowers,” one of them had said gently when I asked about when and how she
was rushed to the hospital.
*She said she was unhappy that they got crooked and asked us to fix them before delivery. Then she said her
son–in–law was a great man, just very busy, and she wanted to surprise her daughter with the flowers he’d asked her to bring. The doctor had said.
She had probably thought the flowers were meant for me? She wanted her daughter to be happy? She thought
she was helping?
Those words played in my mind on a cruel, endless loop. Mom, even in her final conscious moments, had believed in Ash. She had bragged about him, trusted in his kindness, and seen him as the man I once thought he
was
Tears welled up in my eyes as I imagined her saying it. My heart was filled with anger, I was devastated. All this was my fault. I had fed that illusion. I’d lied to her, over and over again, assuring her that our marriage was fine.
That Ash and I were happy, that there was nothing to worry about. I had painted a perfect picture to ease her mind, while my world crumbled behind closed doors and now it has brought this to her.
“I
“Mom” I whispered, clutching her hand, my voice breaking. “I’m so sorry”
Ash, she had always defended him, reassuring me that Kate was just like a sister to him, urging me to believe in my husband
I leaned closer, resting my forehead against her hand “I should’ve told you the truth,” I sobbed “I should’ve been honest Mom I just didn’t want to hurt you
–
Her face was still, peaceful in its stillness, yet very pale.
“I’m sorry.” I whispered again, over and over, the words falling from my lips.
After a while, exhaustion was catching up to me Days of tending to Mom, ignoring the throbbing pain of my own injuries, and running on nothing but sheer willpower had finally started to take a toll
For a brief moment I stepped out of the hospital room to freshen up, the air in the hallway felt heavy, suffocating I splashed cold water on my face, the icy shock grounding me for a moment. When I raised my head, I caught. sight of Ash He was standing a few feet away with Kate and her son
He looked worried His face twisted with concern as he hovered over them, murmuring something softly to
Cate Her could’s ces pierced the hallway, and Ash’s attention never wavered from them.
shook my head. But what about us? What about Mom? Doesn’t he care?
had been days since he last asked about her, no calls, no messages, no sign that he cared. And now, here he
as, playing the attentive centleman for someone else while my family was crumbling.
Aat’s gaze flickered to me then, just for a moment I thought, maybe, just maybe, he might say something But just as quickly, he turned back to Kate, as if I were nothing more than a ghost.
The dismissal stung, but I swallowed the lump in my throat and turned to leave. After all, what was the point?
I was halfway back when his voice stopped me
tumed around, weary and wary Kate was nowhere in sight now. Ash took a step closer, his expression
unreadable
“Stop following me.” he said coldly.
A bitter laugh escaped my lips. “Following you? Don’t flatter yourself, Ash. I have more important things to deal
with than keeping tabs on you.
He sneered, crossing his arms. Then why are you always where I am? If you’re not following me, maybe you’re
just desperate for attention.”
My anger flared, but I kept my voice even. “Desperate for attention? Ash, I’m here because my mom is in a
-coma- Remember her? The woman who loved you like her own son?”
He rolled his eyes “Don’t start, Astrid. You didn’t even bother coming to my mom’s birthday, and now you’re
throwing tantrums like a child.”
My jaw tightened, every word he said and I wanted to scream at him, to tell him about everything he had missed my injuries, our last child, Mom’s suffering. But before I could even form a response, a baby’s wail cut through the
tension
Ash’s head snapped toward the sound, his concern immediate. Without a second glance, he left me standing
there rushing back to Kate and her son
I stood frozen for a moment, the absurdity sinking in. I laughed, though it sounded more like a sob.
This was the man I had married. The man who, twice now, had seen me after everything I’d been through kidnapping, injuries, heartbreak–and didn’t even know Didn’t care.
