Page 59 of Possessed By You

His mother is not what I expected. I expected her to be a blonde beauty, entirely made of plastic. Instead, she’s resembles a conservative housewife with a dull shade of white hair. She’s in a blue suit, a white designer bag on her arm. Her hands are French-manicured and dangling daintily mid-air, and I doubt they’ve ever seen a real day of work. She’s clearly old money. Her intense eyes rake me from head to toe, taking in my disheveled appearance.

“Ah, hello,” she purrs, turning her attention on Benjamin momentarily before she can bestow it upon me. “Finally, we meet.”

Finally?

As far as I know, she’s dreaded the day of meeting the “prison girl” for some time.

Alexander walks into the room behind me. It doesn’t slip past me that Benjamin stiffens noticeably at his entrance, and by the way Alexander instigates him, touching me so he can get around my body blocking the doorway, he looks seconds away from leaping from the bed.

“Benjamin.”

“Alexander.”

Alex plants himself beside his mother. I avoid Alexander’s steady gaze. He’s a jerk for doing this, making it so noticeable something’s happened.

“Glad you’re all right,” Alexander says to his brother, lacking enthusiasm.

“Thank you.”

“We have an appointment in thirty minutes, so we should probably get going,” his mother says, stepping toward Benjamin. I nearly stop her. I’m angry enough to. She leans in, touching his cheek, and presses a kiss to the same spot. He tilts his face away from her forced affection, glaring at the wall.

My hands are balled into fists at my sides.

“We’ll get together sometime.” She looks at me. “All of us.”

Alexander opens the door so they can exit, and before I know it, my legs are pushing me forward after them.

“Darcy.”

Ignoring Benjamin’s warning, I shut the door firmly behind me. Alex and his mother spin at the definitive sound.

“Do you even know what he went through in that accident? Did you even ask him?”

His mother hardens instantly at my tone. “He is all right now. That’s what matters.”

“Your sondiedon a gurney two days ago!” I seethe, horrified by her detachment to a child she birthed. “He has fifty-two stitches on his stomach! Do you not even care?”

“Died?” Alexander asks, looking between us. “What do you mean?”

“He flatlined, and by some miracle they were able to bring him back. You almost lost him, and yet you don’t evenknowhim. Either of you. All you care about is what he can do for you.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about. You don’t know Alexander or me, and frankly, you probably don’t even know your own husband.”

Benjamin’s nurse walks by, her head low to the floor. I’m sure she’s listening. “I know everythingabout him, and what’s more, I love him for him. Not for his money, not for his status.For him.”

“Look, you’re having my grandson. I don’t want to say something to you I’ll regret,” she says through thin, frail lips.

“Mother.”

She glances up at Alexander’s mortified expression and scrunches her face in confusion. “What?”

He whispers in her ear to divulge my unfortunate news, and her eyes flicker to me when the reality sets in. I lift my chin, refusing to be affected by her hollow words.

“Ah, well, I am sorry about that.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Just mind your own business, Darcy. You may be my son’s wife, but that doesn’t automatically make you a part of this family.”