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Chapter 16 Mom
Chapter 16 Mom
Mia’s POV
+25 BONUS
“I brought your favorite flowers today, Mom.” My voice echoed in te sterile hospital room as I arranged fresh lilies in the vase. “The florist said they just got them in this morning. Remember how you used to grow them in our garden? Before…”
I trailed off, settling into the chair beside her bed. The monitors beeped steadily, their rhythm a poor substitute for her voice.
“The doctors say you can hear me,” I continued, taking her hand. hope that’s true because I need to tell you something. I need to tell you how sorry I am.”
My thumb traced patterns on her palm, the way she used to do when I was little. “I failed you, Mom. Everything you warned me about, everything you tried to protect me from – I walked right into it anyway.”
“I know I have told you a lot of times. Mom, you’re the only one I can talk to about this. I married him, Mom. I married a man who doesn’t love me. Just like you and Dad.” My voice cracked. “I thought I could change him. Isn’t that ridiculous? I watched what loving Dad did to you, and still, I…”
The door opened, and a nurse entered to check Mom’s vitals. She offered a sympathetic smile.
“How is she today?” I asked.
“Her vitals are stable,” the nurse replied, making notes on her chart. “That’s good news.”
“But she’s not waking up.”
“These things take time, Mrs. Branson. Keep talking to her. It helps.”
After she left, I turned back to Mom. “Did you hear that? I’m Mrs. Branson now. Bet you never thought I’d marry someone like Kyle. Rich, powerful… cold.”
My hand drifted to my empty stomach. “I lost his babies, Mom. Your grandchildren. I couldn’t protect them. Just like I couldn’t protect you from Dad.”
Tears spilled down my cheeks. “Remember that night? When Dad came home drunk, raging about your trust fund? You locked me in my room to keep me safe, but I could hear everything. The crash when he threw your mother’s vase. Your cry when he…”
The monitors beeped steadily as I wiped my eyes. “You came to my room afterward, your lip split, but still smiling. You held me and said everything would be okay. But it wasn’t okay, was it? Nothing was ever okay after that.”
I stood, pacing the small room. “And now look at me. I married a man who looks at me the same way Dad looked at you. Like I’m nothing. A convenience. A contract.”
Returning to her bedside, I brushed her silver hair back from her forehead. “Remember what you said when Taylor and her mother moved in? ‘Sometimes, baby, love isn’t enough.‘ I should have listened. God, I should have listened.”
My voice dropped to a whisper. “But you know what’s funny? Even after everything – after watching Dad destroy you, after seeing what love did to you – I still wanted it. Still believed in it, And when Kyle hired me as his secretary…”
The memory of that first day in his office made me laugh bitterly. He didn’t even recognize me, Mom. All those years of watching him with Taylor in high school, and he didn’t have a clue who I was. Just another employee. Just another contract to sign.”
I squeezed her hand gently. “I wish you’d been at the wedding. Though maybe it’s better you weren’t. No white dress. No flowers. Just a registry office and his assistant as witness. He was texting Taylor the whole time, did I tell you that?”
The afternoon sun cast long shadows through the window as I continued my confession. “Three years, Mom. Three years of pretending. Of hoping. Of watching him run to her every time she calls. And now…”
My hand pressed against my flat stomach again. “The babies are gone. Our babies. Your grandchildren. I couldn’t even give him that. Couldn’t even…”
Chapter 16 Mom
+25 BONUS
A sob escaped before I could stop it. “I need you, Mom. I need you to wake up and tell me what to do. Tell me how to stop loving someone who’ll never love me back. Tell me how to be strong like you were.”
The monitors beeped steadily, mockingly.
“Or maybe not like you,” I amended quietly. “Because you never stopped loving Dad, did you? Even after he left us for Taylor’s mother. Even after everything he did. You loved him until the day you…”
་་
My voice caught. “Is that my future? Loving Kyle while he loves someone else? Watching him with Taylor like you watched Dad with her mother?”
I stood, moving to the window. The city sprawled below, indifferent to my pain. “You know what the worst part is? When he touches me, when he kisses me, I can pretend. For just a moment, can pretend it’s real. That he sees me. That I’m more than just a contract to him.”
Turning back to her still form, I whispered, “But then Taylor calls, and the spell breaks. Just like it always did with Dad. Just like…”
The tears came then, silent and hot against my mother’s cool hand “I’ve made my decision, Mom. I love you, Mom,” I whispered. “Please don’t leave me. Please don’t let me end up like you.”
But she didn’t answer. She never did.
The door burst open behind me. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. I’d know those footsteps anywhere.
“What are you doing here?” Kyle’s voice was cold, controlled.
I didn’t turn around. “Visiting my mother.”
“You should be resting.”
“Don’t pretend to care now,” I said softly, still facing the window. It doesn’t suit you.”
His footsteps crossed the room, precise and measured. “You’re my wife.”
“Your contract,” I corrected, finally turning to face him. “Let’s not pretend it’s anything else.”
His jaw tightened. “We’ve discussed this.”
“No, you’ve dictated. There’s a difference.” I moved to gather my purse, but he caught my arm.
“Mia…”
“Don’t.” I pulled free of his grip. “Just… don’t.”
The monitors beeped steadily as we stood there, the air thick with unspoken words.
“I bring the contract.”
Kyle looked up, “What?”
