Chapter 3
After selling the house, I drove back to the place I shared with Austin and opened the done to an eerie stiffness.
It seemed Austin hadn’t been around for a while–heid been busy taking care of Rosemary at the hospital.
I couldn’t help but smirk, a little, Honestly, that was fine by me. I’d rather not run into him.
Most of my stuff was in the second bedroom, and over the years. Ed hard my fair share of arguments with Austin about Rosemary
1 had spent my time in that room during the rough patches and felt like I was constantly keeping my head down
Abitter smile crept across my face as I packed up my things, remembering how submissive I used to be
I didn’t bother keeping anything that reminded me of Austin. Two hours later, I wiped the braids of sweat off my forebead with a true, feeling a mix of exhaustion and relief
Then, my phone rang. 1
I glanced at the caller ID and saw it was my
was my mom. I hesitate for a second before answering “Hey, Mom”
Her voice was filled with that familiar mix of excitement and nostalgia. “Laurel, how’s it going? Have you gotten the license yet! Have you and Austin talked about the wedding plans?”
1 felt something tighten in my throat as I opened my mouth, but nothing came out.
There was a long, awkward silence, and when my mom began to press me, I took a deep breath, fighting back tears. “Mom, I’m not getting married
“What do you mean, Laurel? What’s going on Her tone turned anxious
I tried to explain. “I just don’t think Austin and I are right for each other.
Her voice rose slightly. “But Laurel, you’ve been together forever! Why say this now, right before the wedding! Come on, you’re 27, not a kid
invinore
It struck me that without even asking what I was feeling, she just urged me to get married.
Tears titled my eyes, and I had to cover my mouth to keep from breaking down. After what felt like forever, I found my voice, “Mom, I really just don’t want to marry him.”
you want, then? Just
then? Just give up on all these years?”
My mom didn’t hold back her frustration. So what do you
When she heard my firm answer, her tone shifted. “Laurel, how can you just say you don’t want this after all this time?”
“Well, I just said it,” 1 shot back, feeling overwhelmed.
My mom’s voice suddenly went all high–pitched, probably still trying to convince me, and before she could make a sound, I heard a dull thad from the other end of the line
“Mom!” I called out but got no response.
A wave of panic hit me like a freight train. “Mom! What’s wrong? Please answer me!”
All I could make out was a faint moan of pain coming from her. My heart clenched tight, and I hung up in a hurry, thipping on the home security feed
In my panic, my phone slipped from my shaking hands, sliding under the couch like it was covered in grease.
I dropped to my knees, desperately reaching for my phone. The security footage showed my mom, clearly in distress, clutching her chest and reaching for her medicine on the table
All I wanted to do was dive through the screen and hand her the pills she needed
I had only one thought racing through my mind: save my mom, I quickly opened my contacts and dialed my aunt, Bonnie Porter, who loved in th same building with my mom.
“Come on, pick up I pleaded, praying she’d answer fast
The ten seconds felt like an eternity, but finally, Bonnie picked up. I burst into tears, sounding like a total mess as I exclaimed, “Aunt Bonnic mom is having an attack! You need to hurry!”
Bonnie sounded surprised but jumped into action, heading over to my mom’s place while trying to calm me dow
1/3
3:34 PM
Chapter 3
1 hung up and immediately called for an ambulance, anxiously venching back to the feed, post hoping someone would get to my mom in time
At that moment, I regretted everything about moving to Newton Cary alone and leaving my mom all by herself. Watching her suffer through a screen fek like a nighmare.
I couldn’t help but blame myself for being so hasty in talking to her and pushing her bottom,
The self–loathing and regret were overwhelining. 1 shouldn’t have done that. I was so wrong. I promised myself, never again,
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of two minutes, Theand the doubell chime, signaling that Ronnie had entered the hoone
She rushed in, looking almost like an angel descending from alener, and quickly administered the medicine from the table en my mom
Through the monitor, I watched as my mom’s pale expression started to ease up wisle my phone slipped weakly to the floor
Bonnie raßed me to let me know that my mom was out of danger, and I insisted she take her to the hospital for a follow up
It wasn’t until I hung up that I felt like I’d regained my sanity, and my heart, which was racing like c
be crazy, finally calmed down
Taking a deep breath, I picked up the pace with my packing. The thought of leaving Newton City was getting harder to shake off.
The moving guys were still on their way, so I was waiting and checking in with Bonnie about my mom’s condition when, out of nowhere, Austin appeared right in front of me.
The sound of the bouquet hitting the floor snapped me out of my phone trance, and I was taken aback by his sudden presence.
He was all dressed up in a sharp suit and tie, with his hair styled just right, showing off a smooth forehead that gave him a touch of mature charm. A bunch of delicate roses by discarded at his feet.
His eyes looked story, filled with suppressed anger as he gritted out, “Laurel, what do you mean by that?”
“Didn’t I tell you? I want to break up. Do you not get it?” My emotions were all over the place, and I was starting to lose my patience, a
sying whatever
popped into my head
He lacked the coffee table in frustration, sending glass flying, and pointed at the photo 1 had tossed in the trash, shouting angrily. Tim going to get marriage license with you today. What do you meani
So that was why he dressed up–be thought we were heading to get a license. I assumed he dressed to the nine to pick up Rosemary from the hospital.
“I don’t need that I tried to shoot back.
Before I could finish, he cut me off, “Didn’t I promise to marry you! What do you want? Are you done with your line tantrum If you don’t marry me, what are you going May your mom?”
Looking at his smug face, I couldn’t help but think he knew how much my mom had been looking forward to my wedding for ages.
So he knew all the time. He kept me waiting for three long years before finally agreeing to marry me, fully aware of my mom’s situation
It was just heartbreaking. What was I even doing falling for him?
I found myself staring at Austin in silence, my eyes reflecting a deep emptiness.
His anger started to fade as he seemed to regain some composure, and he began to softly coax me, “I was wrong to stand you up. Laurel Can we
My resolve started to waver, but not because of him–it was all about my mom. I really worried that she would get so upset over everything that it would send her into another health scare
She’d been adamant about me starting a family, and she’d definitely prefer Austin, the guy I’ve been in love with for years, over some blind date she barely knew
ant reminder that I shouldn’t just give in. Hut my mom was still stuck in that hospital bed, and it stopped me
That bruise on my neck was a constant colil
Just as I was about to crack, something unexpected happened that helped me decide what to do.
