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CHAPTER FORTY-ONE

"Marla, can we talk for a minute?" I call out to Alexis’s mother as soon as she steps out of her daughter's room.

Her eyes instantly fill with worry. "Is it about the surgery? Is Alexis okay?"

"Nothing about her recovery. Your daughter’s doing great. If everything keeps progressing like this, she’ll be discharged by the end of the week, just like we planned."

"Then . . . I don’t understand. Is it about the apartment? If you changed your mind . . .” She trails off, avoiding my eyes, and I wonder why. She looks uneasy, like she’s hiding something.

"It’s not about the apartment. I haven’t changed my mind, and I won’t. I just need a few minutes of your time."

She follows me silently into the private elevator that leads to my office floor.

"Please, have a seat," I say, pointing to a chair and taking the one across from her. "Can I offer you something to drink?"

"No, thank you. I need to get back to the hotel."

Again, she looks at me like she’s carrying a secret, and it puts me on high alert. But before I dig into that, I need to find out just how much damage Lois has done. "Did Alexis talk to you today?"

"No. She slept the whole time I was here, and I didn’t want to wake her up."

"The reason I brought you here is because I don’t think your daughter’s strong enough yet to have this conversation herself. My youngest sister went into her room earlier today, looking for me, but the moment Alexis saw her, she got upset and asked me to get her out of there."

"I wish I’d been there. I would have loved to tell your sister exactly what I think of her."

"I know Lois told her lies."

" Lies ?"

I nod. "Almost two years ago, I spent a weekend with your daughter at my cousin’s place in Cape Cod."

"I know. Alexis doesn’t keep anything from me, Lazarus. Please, just get to the point."

"As I said, today I found out that my sister lied. During that weekend with Alexis, I got a call from my brother saying that my cousin and an ex-girlfriend of mine had been in a car accident. I won’t go into all the details—it doesn’t matter for this—but you need to know that this woman, Jodie Walton, was pregnant with my child.

I had no idea until she was brought into the hospital.

I won’t get into everything because that’s between me and Alexis, but Lois admitted today that she told your daughter my 'fiancée' had died. "

"Yes, that’s what Alexis told me. That’s one of the reasons she hates you so much."

" One of them?"

"Your words, Lazarus—it’s between you and Alexis. I think you two have a lot to talk about. But go on. I want to hear more about your wretched lying sister."

"I pressed her, and she admitted she deliberately told Alexis that my fiancée and our baby had died. There was no engagement, and even if there had been, by that point it would’ve been over between us. Jodie couldn’t accept that it was finished."

"The newspapers?—”

"Newspapers lie. They exaggerate. I had just found out the baby didn’t make it. My cousin—one of my best friends—was in a coma, and my father had a heart attack and needed emergency surgery."

"Jesus!"

"I promised Alexis I would come back. I also promised I’d never lie to her. I broke the first promise but never the second."

"So you’re telling me you were a free man when you were with my daughter?"

"That’s exactly what I’m saying. Alexis told me about her life.

About your accident and how long it took you to find her again.

I would never play with her trust like that.

My head was a mess. I couldn’t leave here, and honestly, I didn’t want to drag her into all that chaos.

Jodie’s family blamed me for everything.

I almost lost my father too, like I said.

So I asked my sister to fly to Cape Cod and explain to Alexis why I couldn’t be there myself. "

"She never showed up. My daughter called you, and your sister answered. She insulted Alexis and told her not to bother you again that first time and . . .”

Silence.

"Did Alexis try to reach out to me again?"

Marla stands up, and I know she’s trying to avoid the confrontation. "I have to go, Lazarus. I believe what you told me, and I’m glad you’re not the bastard I thought you were. I’m sorry for your loss, too. But whatever’s between you and Alexis, that’s for the two of you to sort out."

"I don’t know what to do right now. I can’t talk to her yet."

"I don’t think she wants to, either. If you spent any real time with my daughter, you should know this—Alexis is a fighter.

She’ll want to face you when she’s strong enough to say what she needs to say.

But let me give you a word of advice, mother to man: talk to your sister.

Tell her to stay the hell away from us—away from my Alexis.

I don’t care about your fancy last name.

If she hurts my daughter one more time, I swear to God, I’ll wring her neck myself. "