Chapter 392
‘Daddy and I saw you talking to that man in the wheelchair.” She glanced at Adrian. “Daddy said you might not come home tonight.”
“But I knew you’d miss me too much! See, Daddy? I know Mommy better than you do!”
Adrian gave a tight smile and lifted Emma into his arms. “Bedtime for you. Mom needs a shower first.”
He turned to me. “Go ahead. We’ll be in the bedroom.”
“Adrian,’ I said. “Blake was only there because of William.”
His back stiffened as he held Emma.
“William saw the livestream today and wanted to see me,” I explained. “I was going to call you about staying out, but I decided not to go.”
“Why not?’ Adrian asked without turning. “William means everything to you.”
“Because Blake wanted me to pretend Rachel and I are loving sisters.” I sighed. “She’s been playing me to William all this time. The livestream confused him
now he thinks Rachel and I are twins. Blake wanted us to act like we care about each other, and I couldn’t do that.”
Adrian stood motionless for a moment.
‘You really are becoming more like her,” he finally said. “Go shower. I’ll put Emma to bed.”
He carried her to the master bedroom, closing the door behind them.
After my shower, I returned to find Emma alone in the big bed, Adrian nowhere to be seen. She held up a storybook.
‘Read to me? The Little Mermaid!”
I slipped under the covers and pulled her close, reading until I finished the story.
‘Daddy doesn’t feel safe,” Emma announced, completely awake.
I blinked. “What?”
“When you were saying goodbye to Auntie, he kept checking his watch.” She looked up at me. “Then he saw you with the wheelchair man and told me you weren’t coming back tonight.”
“But I knew better. I saw this on TV. When people don’t feel safe, they expect the worst. You need to show him you won’t leave.”
I stared at this tiny four-year-old who suddenly sounded like a therapist.
“You think so?” I asked, fighting a smile.
She nodded solemnly. “You need to give him more hints that you’ll stay. Then he’ll feel better.
I pinched her cheek gently. “When did you get so smart?”
‘So you’ll help him feel safer?”
“I will. But I’ll need your help too. Can you tell him sometimes that I’m not going anywhere?”
Emma’s face brightened. “Yes! We’ll do it together!” She flipped to a new page in the book. “Now read Thumbelina!”
112
I woke up early the next morning before my alarm went off. The sky outside was barely light.
Emma was still sound asleep. I slipped out of bed, fixed her blanket, and grabbed my purse. Some fresh air and coffee sounded perfect.
The hotel lobby was nearly empty when I stepped out of the elevator, then I froze mid-step.
William Parker sat in a wheelchair right at the entrance, wearing striped hospital pajamas with an oxygen mask hanging from his face. He looked impossibly frail in the morning light, his hands trembling slightly on the wheelchair arms.
Charles stood behind him, his face tight with worry. Four medical staff hovered nearby, including Dr. Bennett who was checking monitors attached to William’s chair.
My throat closed up. In all the scenarios I’d imagined, William coming to find me had never been one of them.
The moment William spotted me, his eyes lit up. He grabbed his wheels and pushed forward with surprising speed.
“Sir! Your oxygen!” Charles called, rushing after him.
William skidded to a stop, blocking my path. Even in his weakened state, the determination in his eyes was unmistakable.
“Mrs. Knox,” he said, his breathing ragged without the mask. “I’m William Parker. We met before.”
Divorce Me Before Death Takes Me, CEO
