Page 32 of My Horrible Arranged Marriage (Bancroft Billionaire Brothers #20)

ISAAC

I ’d never paced so much in my life. Back and forth, back and forth.

People looked at me. I didn’t care. My heart was pounding in my chest. I felt like I was completely helpless.

I was. My hands didn’t do surgery. Therefore, I had to relinquish all control to a man I met for exactly two minutes an hour ago.

Mina was in surgery.

My fiancée was behind thick steel doors with a team of people cutting her open to take out a ticking time bomb inside her. And I was useless. A rich man with a fast car, expensive watch, and no way to control a damn thing.

I had to call Hectar and let him know what was happening. I knew he would already be in the air. I promised I would call as soon as we knew something.

He answered on the second ring. “Isaac? What the hell is going on!”

When I called him the first time, I simply told him Mina was in the emergency room and he should probably come see her.

I couldn’t answer the million questions he’d shot at me but I could hear the fear and concern in his voice.

I took a deep breath, collecting my thoughts and doing my best to sound totally calm.

“She collapsed this morning while we were having coffee,” I said. “Stomachache. I brought her in. Appendicitis. She’s in surgery right now.”

There was a beat of silence.

“Is she okay?”

“They say she will be. They caught it in time. The nurse assured me it was pretty routine.” My voice cracked, just a little. “But I thought you should know.”

“I’m on my way. I should be there in about four hours. Less if the tailwinds are in my favor. Stay with her.”

“I’m not leaving her side,” I assured him.

I hung up and stared at the wall.

Then I called my father.

“Good morning,” Dad answered.

“She’s in surgery,” I blurted out the words. “Mina. Appendicitis.”

There was a pause. “Is she stable?”

“They said yes. But—” I swallowed. “I’m scared.”

More silence. Then, unexpectedly, his tone softened. “You love her.”

I let out a shaky breath. “Yeah. I do.”

“She’ll come through this. Just stay by her side. That’s your job now.”

I closed my eyes. “Yeah.”

“I’ll postpone the BBQ,” he said.

“We’ll celebrate when she’s well,” he said. “Can I do anything?”

“Nah. The doctor said it was just a couple of hours.”

“She’s going to be fine, Isaac,” he said. “From what I remember when one of you boys had it, Liam or maybe Reese, it’s pretty common and a quick fix.”

“I know,” I sighed.

We hung up, and I sat there in the stiff vinyl chair for exactly three minutes before the pacing started again. I couldn’t sit still. Couldn’t breathe right. My heart was lodged somewhere behind my ribs, punching through bone.

The minutes crawled. I couldn’t look at my phone anymore. Every notification, every buzz, was irritating the hell out of me. Everyone had questions. Everyone was sending their well wishes. It was nice, but I couldn’t deal with it.

Mina was all that mattered.

I kept seeing her face—half-laughing over coffee, brushing her hair out of her eyes as she talked about floral arrangements and food tastings like it wasn’t absolutely insane that we were planning a wedding to take place in a month.

She’d been happy. I should have known something was off.

She was a little pale. And she had been picking at the muffin.

I vowed to be more attentive. I was going to do a better job looking out for her.

God, I needed her to be okay.

Kent showed up about an hour into the wait, his arms loaded with a cardboard tray of coffees and a paper bag that smelled like heaven.

He looked as calm and collected as ever, his dark hair perfectly in place.

He didn’t say much—just handed me a coffee and set the bag of sandwiches on the chair beside me.

“Thought you might need this,” he said.

I took the coffee without thinking. “Thanks. You didn’t have to come down here. I’m just sitting and waiting. And waiting.”

He shrugged. “Not like I have anything else to do. You’re lucky it’s just me. There’s about twenty people all trying to get here. I told them you wouldn’t want an army of Bancrofts.”

“Definitely not,” I muttered.

“How’s she doing?”

“Still in surgery,” I said, my voice tight. “They said it’s routine, but?—”

“But it’s Mina,” he finished for me, his tone understanding.

I nodded, staring down at the coffee in my hands. “Yeah.”

Kent didn’t push, which was rare. After a few minutes, he reached into the bag and pulled out a sandwich wrapped in wax paper.

“Eat,” he said, handing it to me.

I shook my head. “Not hungry.”

“You’re no good to her if you pass out,” he said simply.

I hesitated, then took the sandwich. I didn’t taste it as I ate—just mechanically chewed and swallowed. “I guess that’s one way to get out of the barbecue,” he said with a laugh.

I snorted. “Yeah. I could have thought of a better excuse.”

“I don’t know, surgery is a pretty good one.”

I felt a little better. “Thanks,” I muttered.

“Don’t worry about it,” Kent said.

I liked that he wasn’t making a big deal out of this. He was being cool. Something I appreciated more than I could express. Just having him sitting with me helped. It made me feel like I wasn’t going to totally jump out of my skin.

Two and a half hours later, a nurse approached.

“Mr. Bancroft?”

I jumped out of my seat, knocking Kent’s elbow from the armrest and causing his body to lurch. I heard him curse but ignored it.

“Yes? Is she okay?” My stomach was in knots. Like it physically hurt.

“She’s out of surgery. Everything went well. She’s stable and resting.”

A rush of air left my lungs. “Can I see her?”

“Of course. Follow me.”

“I’ll see you later,” Kent said.

I stopped. “Thank you,” I said again.

“You’ll owe me,” he said and walked down the hall in the opposite direction.

The nurse led me through a maze of corridors until we reached a quiet recovery room. She was hooked up to machines, a thin blanket draped over her, eyes closed and face pale.

But she was breathing.

I sat beside her and didn’t move for a long time. My hand found hers. I held it gently, running my thumb over her knuckles. She didn’t stir, but just being near her calmed the riot in my chest.

I had almost lost her. And the thought of it?—

No. I couldn’t go there.

I knew it wasn’t nearly as serious as I thought, but it felt like it. I couldn’t imagine how I would deal with anything really serious. This was love? Feeling like my heart was beating outside my chest completely vulnerable. It wasn’t a great feeling. It was terrifying.

I stayed there through the beep of monitors, the hushed murmurs of nurses checking her vitals, the slow drip of fluids. They assured me it was all normal. She was fine. Everything was fine. If I heard one more person tell me she was fine, I was pretty sure I was going to lose my shit.

And then finally she stirred.

Her eyelids fluttered open, and her gaze found mine, hazy but real.

“Hey,” I whispered, brushing my hand over her forehead. “You’re back.”

She blinked a few times, trying to focus on my face. “Did I miss the coffee date?”

I let out a half-laugh, half-sob and dropped my head for a second. “Yeah. But I figured you had a pretty solid excuse.”

Her lips curved faintly, and my heart damn near exploded with relief. That smile, even groggy and drugged, was everything.

“You scared the shit out of me,” I murmured, brushing her hair back. “Next time, just slap me if you want attention, okay?”

“Noted,” she croaked.

“You’re staying with me while you recover,” I said, no room for argument. “I’m not letting you lift a finger. I’ll cook. I’ll carry you. I’ll even watch those awful baking shows with you.”

“Even the British ones?”

“All of them.”

A soft huff of amusement escaped her. “You must really love me.”

I kissed the back of her hand. “I do.”

She was moved to a private room that was far more comfortable than the cramped recovery space. Hectar arrived an hour later.

The man looked like he hadn’t exhaled in a week. His suit was immaculate, as always, but his expression was tight, his eyes shadowed.

“She’s okay,” I told him quietly, stepping aside as he moved toward her bedside. “Surgery went well. She was awake a few minutes ago.”

He nodded and took her hand, brushing his thumb across her knuckles. “Mina, sweetheart.”

Her eyes fluttered open again, and the moment she saw him, something in her face relaxed.

“Dad.”

The way she said it cracked something in me.

Because that wasn’t distant or fractured or cold.

That wasn’t a father who had betrayed her, and a daughter who only tolerated him because of bloodlines and obligations.

That was love. Pure and real. Yeah, they butted heads and had arguments, but what parents and their kids didn’t do that?

They spoke in quiet tones, their heads close together. She smiled for him. He laughed once—brief and low—but it made her smile even more. He tucked the blanket around her like she was still his little girl.

And I watched.

I watched and felt the lie growing heavier in my gut.

Because if she loved him that much, how would she feel if she found out this engagement started because of him? She thought we were pushed into a single date. She would be devastated to learn he had planned something much bigger.

He was essentially blackmailing me through my father. But that wasn’t what this was now. This was real. If she found out that it started otherwise, I knew it would destroy her.

Would she forgive me? Or would she walk away?

I didn’t know.

And that terrified me more than anything.

After Hectar left—after the nurses did another round of checks and Mina drifted back into sleep—I sat down again in the chair beside her bed and stared at her.

I wanted to tell her the truth.

Everything. Every horrible detail including me putting up a fight. I had bitched and moaned about having to go out with her. She was going to find out. Mom always told us our misdeeds would be brought to the light eventually.

It burned in my throat, the weight of it pressing against my chest like a boulder. I thought about the first time I saw her at the restaurant. She had gotten pissed and walked out on me. That was probably the moment I fell in love with her.

It had nothing to do with Hectar or my father or whatever favor Hectar called it.

I fell in love with Mina because she made me feel alive.

Because she made me feel seen.

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees and my head in my hands.

“I almost lost you today,” I whispered. “And all I could think about was how I couldn’t imagine a life without you in it. Not now. Not after everything.”

She was sound asleep. Did it count if I told her the truth and she just didn’t remember?

I looked at her again, breathing evenly, her hand curled loosely by her side.

“I want to tell you,” I said softly. “I want to come clean. But I’m so damn scared that if I do… I’ll lose you.”