Page 43

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO

Alexis’s Discharge Day

"I can’t take it anymore, Mom. I miss my son so much."

"I know, sweetheart, but I had to send him back to Cape Cod with Badger. How could I have kept him here? He needed to be at the restaurant, and the only alternative would have been bringing the boy here with me. You still haven’t told LJ about Sedric."

"I’m planning to do it today."

"Really?"

I nod, trying to look confident even though I feel anything but.

Mom talked to me and explained what that viper of a sister of his did. Lois lied to me the first time we spoke on the phone, and while there’s a good chance she lied the second time too—when I reached out on Instagram asking for LJ’s number—I can’t be sure.

"I don’t think we should move into that apartment, Mom. Not until he knows the whole truth about our son. He might hate me after that."

She doesn’t say anything, and I know why: my mother doesn’t lie.

She’s also not the kind to sugarcoat things she believes are wrong.

We’ve had countless conversations while Sedric was growing up, and in every single one—even when she seemed to despise LJ, which I now know has changed since she told me he wasn’t engaged to the woman who died—she always insisted I should have told him the truth.

I feel partly guilty for not trying harder to reach him, but the only excuse I can offer myself is that I was afraid of my son being rejected.

And judging by his sister . . . I don't like the idea of my child being part of that family.

"You know I’m right," I insist.

"Yes, I know. But still, it was a generous offer, and one we can’t really afford to refuse.

Manhattan is insanely expensive, Alexis.

All your savings would disappear in a blink if you had to rent an apartment near the hospital for more than a month.

I think we should accept it for now. From what little I’ve seen of LJ, once he finds out about Sedric, he’s not going to push you away.

He might want to keep you even closer, afraid you’ll take my grandson away from him. "

"Once he finds out and shows he wants to be in our son's life, I would never stand in his way, Mom."

"He has no reason to believe you, just like you had no reason to believe him back then. The truth is, despite the bond you share, you two don’t really know each other."

I open my mouth to argue—because that's just who I am—and also because I spent too long hating LJ to simply forgive him now. Yes, his sister might have lied, but nothing stopped him from looking for me during all this time. Mom told me he called Badger once, and my stepdad told him to leave me alone, but LJ doesn’t strike me as the kind of man who backs down easily.

He chose not to come after me, for whatever reason.

"I know what you’re thinking, Alexis. And for Sedric’s sake, you’re going to have to learn to separate things.

Even though I’ve never lived through anything like this, I imagine it must be hard for a woman to understand that a relationship is over and still be friendly with the father of her child.

But you need to focus on what’s best for Sedric.

Just because LJ might not be the perfect life partner, or disappointed you as a man, doesn’t mean he won’t be a good father. "

"I feel petty when I look at it from your point of view."

"Not petty. Just human. But I trust the way I raised you, and I know you’ll make the right decision for my grandson’s happiness."

Suddenly, two knocks at the door announce not only the arrival of the man we’ve been talking about but also his two business partners.

I already know Dr. Athanasios and Dr. William—the full Mount Olympus trio. But for me, sadly, there’s no other man who even comes close while LJ is alive and breathing in this world.

He’s been coming here every single day.

No, scratch that—he’s been here almost the entire time. Even someone with self-esteem issues like me knows it’s because of me.

I overheard some of the nurses saying, "Dr. Lazarus is back to being at the hospital daily like he used to be."

Whatever his reasons, I wish he wouldn’t. I mean, I’m not crazy; I know my recovery—according to him, exceptionally fast—requires close care. But honestly, I’d prefer if his other assistants, who also visit me frequently, handled it instead.

Not once has LJ tried to bring up the past, but the way he looks at me says he hasn’t forgotten a thing.

And I hate how warm that makes me feel inside.

Like I told Mom earlier, he might not be a traitor, but that doesn’t change the fact that I was just a weekend fling to him—someone so insignificant he didn’t even think I deserved an explanation in person.

Thinking about it tightens my throat with resentment, and I tear my gaze away from him—his eyes still locked on me—and force myself to focus on what Mom advised: Sedric’s wellbeing comes first.

For my son, I’ll try to bury the past and focus only on what’s best for him.

Mom has been sitting in the armchair near my bed, with her back to the door, but she stands up to greet our visitors when she notices me glancing over her shoulder.

I can feel LJ’s eyes burning into me, but his two partners are staring at my mother in a strange way—like they recognize her.

She told me before that both Dr. Athanasios and LJ said she looked familiar to them, even though she swore she had no idea why.

Then, the bearded one, Dr. William, says, staring at her, "You!"

I frown, surprised, and even LJ turns to look at his friend.

"Do we know each other?" Mom asks.

"Yes. Maybe you don’t remember me, but I could never forget your face. Years ago, the three of us helped rescue victims from an ice cream shop fire in North Carolina. I was the one who pulled you from the rubble. That incident is the reason I chose to specialize in burn victims."