Chapt
69 Mom?
Chapter 69 Mom?
*Mia’s POV**
+25 BONUS
The world started spinning the moment Taylor was wheeled away My lungs seemed to forget how to work, each breath coming in short, painful gasps. I stumbled backward until my shoulders hit the cold hospital wall, legs threatening to give out. Seven weeks. They’d known for seven weeks.
The fluorescent lights overhead buzzed too loudly, the sound drilling into my skull. My stomach rolled violently as fragments of Taylor’s words played on repeat: Kyle’s baby… our son… the nursery…
“Focus,” I whispered to myself, pressing my palms flat against the wall. The rough texture grounded me slightly, giving me something real to concentrate on. “Just breathe.”
But my body had other ideas. Black spots danced at the edges of my vision as memories crashed over me in merciless waves my own blood on marble stairs, Kyle carrying Taylor away while our babies died, and now this. Their baby. Their son. Their future.
The dizziness hit harder. I slid down the wall, not caring about who might see. The cold floor seeped through my clothes as I drew my knees to my chest, trying to make myself smaller, trying to disappear.
“Mrs. Branson?” Someone touched my shoulder – probably a nurse. “Do you need medical assistance?”
37
Ishook my head, immediately regretting the movement as nausea surged. “I’m fine,” I managed, the lie bitter on my tongue. ” Just need a minute.”
Time stretched like taffy, meaningless in the fog of my panic attack. People passed, their footsteps echoing on tile, conversations reduced to distant murmurs. I focused on counting my breaths, the way my therapist had taught me. In for four, hold for seven, out for eight. Again. Again.
“Mia.”
That voice. I’d know it anywhere, even through the haze of my anxiety. My eyes felt too heavy to open, but I forced them anyway, looking up to find Kyle crouching before me.
He looked wrecked – tie loosened, usually perfect hair disheveled, worry lines carved deep around his mouth. “Can you stand?”
My laugh came out more like a sob. “What are you doing here?”
“Mia-”
“Don’t.” The word scraped my raw throat. “Go take care of your pregnant girlfriend. I’m sure she needs you more than your almost–ex–wife.”
“It’s not what you think.” He reached for me, but I jerked away.
“Isn’t it?” Anger gave me strength to push myself up, using the wall for support. “Get out.” My voice shook. “Get out and take her with you. I don’t want either of you in my life anymore.”
“Would you just listen?” Frustration edged into his tone.
“To what? More lies?” The world tilted dangerously, but rage kept me upright. “The great Kyle Branson, always three steps ahead. Well congratulations – you got everything you wanted. An heir with the woman you actually love.”
He made a sound. “That’s not true.Mia, please-”
“The biggest mistake of my life,” I cut him off, each word precise and cutting, “was falling in love with you.”
Something flickered in his face? Regret? But I was done trying to read Kyle Branson’s emotions. Done trying to find meaning in meaningless gestures.
“Go,” I whispered. “Just go.”
Chapter 69 Mom?
+25 BONUS
He stood there for a long moment, tension radiating from every line of his body. Then, without another word, he turned and walked away. Each footstep echoed like a goodbye.
The moment he disappeared around the corner, my legs finally gave out completely. I caught myself on the wall, sliding down until I hit the cold floor. The tears I’d been holding back burst free hot and unstoppable. Every breath felt like swallowing shards of glass, my chest so tight I could barely get air.
I don’t know how long I sat there, watching my tears darken the fabric of my skirt. Minutes? Hours? Time lost all meaning as memories of Kyle’s face played on endless loop – the way he’d looked when I told him I regretted loving him, the flash of something in his eyes I refused to name.
“You need to breathe, honey.” A gentle voice broke through my spiral. One of the older nurses Martha? Marie? – knelt beside me, her hand warm on my shoulder. “That’s it, nice and slow. In through your nose, out through your mouth.”
I followed her instructions mechanically, focusing on the steady pressure of her hand. Gradually, the vice around my chest loosened slightly.
“I’m okay,” I managed, though my voice sounded foreign to my own ears. “I just need a minute.”
“Take all the time you need.” She pressed a tissue into my trembling hands. “But maybe somewhere more comfortable? The chapel is quiet this time of day, or we have a family room-
11
“Mrs. Branson?” Emma’s familiar voice cut through my fog of misery. She appeared around the corner, slightly breathless like she’d been running. Her face broke into a relieved smile when she saw me. “Oh thank goodness – I’ve been looking everywhere! Your mother’s out of surgery. Everything went perfectly.”
Mom. The word acted like a lifeline, pulling me back from the edge of complete breakdown. I forced myself to straighten, to wipe my eyes, to put one foot in front of the other.
Mom’s room was quiet except for the steady beep of monitors. She looked peaceful against the white sheets, some color already returning to her cheeks. I collapsed into the chair beside her bed, taking her hand in mine. Her skin felt warmer than before, more alive.
“I really need you to wake up now,” I whispered, resting my head on the edge of her bed. “I can’t do this alone anymore.”
Exhaustion crashed over me like a wave. I closed my burning eyes, just for a moment…
“…ia? Mia?”
The voice seemed to come from far away, familiar yet strange. I struggled toward consciousness, my neck protesting the awkward angle I’d fallen asleep in.
“Mia, sweetheart?”
My eyes flew open. Mom’s hand had moved in mine – not the limp weight I’d grown used to, but actively squeezing my fingers. I looked up to find her watching me, her green eyes – my eyes – clear and focused for the first time in months.
“Mom?” My voice cracked. “Are you really…”
She smiled that smile I’d missed so much, the one that made her eyes crinkle at the corners. “Hi, baby.”
