Page 123 of The Harder You Fall (Rixon Raiders 3)

“You’ve done enough, Mya,” he said flatly, still refusing to look at me. “You should go.”

“Come on, let’s go see if there’s any update.” Jason draped his arm around Asher’s shoulder and began leading him back to the waiting area.

“Asher, wait...” I cried.

“Mya, don’t do this, not here,” my friend said softly. “Come on.” She wrapped her arm around me and led me back into the elevator.

“W- what just happened?” I asked the second the doors pinged shut, my heart breaking inside my chest.

“He’s confused, Mya. Give him time.”

“Time,” I repeated, numbly.

I could give him time.

I’d give him all the time in the world if I thought it would fix anything.

But I’d seen the emptiness in his eyes. No amount of time was going to fix this.

Nothing was.

I’d given my heart to the boy with the charming smile. But Asher was no longer smiling.

And my heart was no longer whole.

Asher

“She’s stable.”

Two little words that felt like everything and nothing all at once. The surgeons had worked on Mom for over three hours, removing a single bullet from her neck. It had lodged in her throat causing severe blood loss. After she went into cardiac arrest on the operating table, they decided to induce a coma to try to minimize the damage to her brain. It wasn’t great news, but she was alive, and that’s all that mattered.

“Would you like to come and see her?” The nurse with kind eyes glanced between me and Dad. He nodded. “Follow me.”

My friends whispered words of encouragement as I followed the nurse and my dad down the hall. Every muscle in my body ached, my chest heavy. And my eyes, my fucking eyes were dry and sore from all the tears. But as the nurse stopped outside a private room, the blinds drawn, I inhaled a deep breath, steeling myself for whatever we would find on the other side of the door.

“Before we go inside,” she said, “you should probably prepare yourselves. Mrs. Bennet underwent lifesaving surgery. There’s going to be a lot of wires and tubes, but they are all there to help her, okay?”

“I’d like to see my wife now.” I winced at how cold Dad sounded but if it affected the nurse, she didn’t show it.

I guessed she was used to seeing people at their very worst in a place like this.

She pushed open the door and led us inside. “She’s looks more peaceful than I expected,” the words came out choked as I moved to stand beside her. “Hey, Mom, I’m right here.” I went to take her hand, hesitating when I noticed the central line disappearing into her skin.

“It’s okay, Asher, you can hold her hand.”

Gently grasping her hand in mine, I let my eyes run over her features, swallowing the huge sob building in my throat.

“I’ll give you some time. If you need anything just press the buzzer.”

“Thank you,” I said, aware of how still Dad was.

The nurse left us in silence. Nothing but the gentle hum and steady bleep of the machines helping to keep Mom stable.

“This is on you, Son,” Dad’s voice didn’t waver. He didn’t yell or breakdown and cry. He was completely and utterly devoid of anything.

Yet, I knew it was an act. Another performance where he refused to let me see his true feelings.

“Dad, I—”