Page 73 of Hacking His Code

I narrow my eyes at the doctor. “Are you just saying that because you’re worried about your precious trial?”

“No, Ma’am.” A man in a business suit steps forward from the recesses of the room. “My name is Greg Carter, and I’m here from the FDA.”

“What areyoudoing here?”

“LaviTech Labs makes it a point to be open and honest with all of their medical innovations. The drug your mother was placed on was technically no longer in trial, which made it significantly easier to get your mother approved for it. At the first sign that something was off, he gave me a call. The drug your mother received could change the way we treat patients, which is why I’m here. We need to know everything about why this is happening because there are a lot of people that could benefit from it.”

As if I didn’t feel guilty enough. Having the weight of thousands of sick people on my shoulders makes me want to crawl inside a sewer.

“Can I pull up a chair and sit with her?” I ask.

“Actually, you being allowed inside this room is a favor to Cassius,” the doctor says. “There is no waiting area on this floor because it’s for special cases. Like your mothers.”

“Which floor should I go to?”

“I think it would be better if you went home,” the doctor says.

“Home? While my mother—”

“She’s in a medically induced coma. She can’t wake on her own, and she’s not in immediate risk of danger. The moment that changes, we’ll give you a call.”

“But I’m not going to be able to do anything knowing she’s here all alone.”

“She’ll be in the best care, Cassius will see to that,” Greg says. “But this isn’t going to be quick. She’ll probably be in this state for at least a week.”

I look down at my mother and all the tubes coming out of her. “I’m so sorry, mom.”

“I promise, she won’t be alone,” the nurse says. “I’ll take good care of her.”

I clear my throat. “I guess I’ll go home. Please call me if there are any changes.”

“Of course.”

I exit the room in a daze, unsure if my legs will carry me where I need to go.

“Ari,” Hunter says, but I can’t even look at him.

I don’t deserve his arms holding me, his kind words, or his shoulder to cry into. Not after I told my mother to sign on for a new treatment without so much as attending a doctor’s visit with her.

Now, she’s going to spend her final days being poked and prodded without her family here to comfort her.

I walk past Hunter and Cassius to the elevator at the end of the hall.

I’m done with Davies Corporation. I’m done with Hunter. I’m done with school. I’m done with whatever money he transferred into my account.

I don’t deserve any of it.

I’ll work the lunch shift at the diner down the street that’s always hiring, and I’ll do entry-level coding jobs at night. I’ll make my life work without any of the comforts Hunter afforded me, and I’ll do it alone.

Because now I know the price of happiness is not worth the cost.

Arinessa

It only tookthree days to destroy my nicely manicured nails. Between hand washing dishes, nail biting, and typing, they didn’t stand a chance.

Disenrolling from college was bittersweet, but it had to be done. Luckily, I’ve been able to snag a few freelance jobs formatting manuscripts. They only pay twenty-five-dollars a script, but it takes me less than an hour to complete the work, so it’s a good use of my time.

Looking over my bills, I know I’m going to need a roommate soon. Even though the apartment is only one bedroom, it shouldn’t be too hard to find someone. I just hope they aren’t obnoxious.