Total pages in book: 12
Estimated words: 11601 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 58(@200wpm)___ 46(@250wpm)___ 39(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 11601 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 58(@200wpm)___ 46(@250wpm)___ 39(@300wpm)
The world only sees what we show them.
A lavish lifestyle: we had everything we could ever dream of — wealth, prestige, power, a perfect family.
Except, it truly is only a facade. A perfect fucking lie.
Maybe it’s a trademark for rich kids. To have shitty parents who really don’t give a shit about you because they only care about their selfish ambitions and disgusting motives.
But things changed for Maddox when he found out his father had cancer. I guess they are trying to repair their broken relationship before Brad runs out of time. So right now, my best friend needs the love of his life with him. Maddox is stronger with Lila by his side.
Maddox needs Lila.
Riley has me.
And this is exactly how it’s meant to be.
I hear Lila take a deep breath on the other end of the line; her concern palpable even through the phone. She can’t be in two places at the same time. Because while I know if I told her to be here, she’d drop everything to be by Riley’s side, but she wouldn’t want to leave Maddox alone either.
To be here for her best friend, or to stay back for the man she loves. Lila is in a terrible predicament, with either choice leaving her with lingering guilt. She’s always been fiercely protective of Riley, and those she loves. Maddox chose the right woman for himself.
“Maddox may not show it, but he is falling apart right now,” I say firmly. Lila has always been the glue to hold Maddox together. “He needs you more than Riley does.”
There’s a moment of silence before she finally speaks, her voice soft but resolute. “Okay, but please keep me updated on Riley. And Grayson, of course.”
I nod, even though she can’t see me. “Yes, I promise. I’ll talk to you later.”
As we hang up, my eyes land on Grayson’s battered body on the hospital bed. The faint beeping sound of multiple monitors echoes against the sterile walls. He’s hooked up to so many damn machines.
The doctors said he may never wake up, but his family refuses to believe that. And Riley? She’s hanging on to the hope that Grayson will pull through and he will wake up soon.
But goddamn it, the chances look bleak.
I move to the corner of the room, where she is sleeping on the couch. She finally dozed off, after I had made sure she ate a full sandwich. My gaze slides over her weary face, taking in the dark circles under her eyes and her dry, cracked lips. Her cheeks are sunken in, and there’s a fading bruise that Harrison left on her. She looks severely pale, her skin almost translucent.
She has lost weight, and at the same time, her resolve has slowly weakened over the last few days. Riley has barely been sleeping and she also hasn’t left Grayson’s side since he was moved from the ICU to the long-term care unit. She holds his limp hand and stares mindlessly at the wall. Sometimes she’ll talk to him, whispering words I can’t hear.
I know she’s traumatized, hurt and guilt gnawing at her. But fuck, she’s so tender with him…in ways she’s never been with me.
I tuck the blankets around her shoulders, making sure she’s warm and comfortable before moving to the opposite couch. The private hospital room is big enough to fit ten people in here. In fact, it looks more like a hotel room than a hospital.
Money can give you comfort.
But can’t protect you from certain calamities.
Death, for example.
We’re humans, after all. Definitely not as invincible as we like to believe we are. It’s a somber thought.
“You should go home.”
I flinch at the sound of Riley’s tiny whisper. Our gazes meet and she’s looking at me with such desolation in those pretty eyes of her, my heart fucking breaks.
“I’ll go home only if you come with me.” I cock my head to the side, waiting for her answer.
She swallows. “I can’t leave his side.” The same damn response she has given me every time I have tried to convince her to go home. Until I stopped trying.
“Then I’m staying,” I assert firmly.
“Colton—”
“Go back to sleep.”
“You can’t put your life on hold because of me.”
And yet she’s putting her life on hold for him.
“I’m parking my ass right here until you’re ready to go home. ” Until you’re ready to feel alive again. To be alive. But I don’t say those words to her. “You called me that night, and you asked me to come to you. You asked me to stay, Sunshine.”
“But—”
“Riley, this is going to be a useless conversation. You’re stubborn but so am I. Even more than you and you know that already. So, how about we both just get some sleep?”
I scrub my palm over my face and close my eyes. I can’t bear to look at that despairing expression on her face any longer. The Riley Johnson I knew is nowhere to be found.