Arranged love

EMILEE

ENTERING MY MOM’S room, I just stare at her. I haven’t spoken to her either. I never told her I found the papers of her divorce and marriage.

I’m too pissed at her. Too hurt. A part of me blames her for this. If she hadn’t left Dad, then maybe he wouldn’t have gone and gambled everything away and put us in this position. Who knows what all she hasn’t told me? At this point, I’m just waiting for the bank to show up and take the house from us. Closing her door, I head to my room and shower. Afterward I crawl into my bed. Snuggling into my pillow, I close my heavy eyes and pass out.

I wake to the sound of voices in the house. Sitting up, I look at my phone to see it’s a little past six in the morning. My door flies open, and I pull the covers up to shield my chest from a guy I’ve never seen before. “Excuse me …”

“I’ll talk to her.” My mother’s nurse, Liv, enters behind him.

“What the hell is going on?” I demand.

“I said I’ll do it. Now get out.” She points at the door, glaring at him, but tears cover her face and her dark eyes are bloodshot.

He spins on his heels and exits my room.

“What the hell is going on?” I ask her, reaching for my phone again.

“Emilee …” She walks over to my side of the bed and sits down on the edge. “I went in to check on your mother this morning.” She bows her head and sniffs. “I’m sorry …”

I throw the covers off and storm out of my room. Running down the hall, I don’t care that I’m wearing a silk tank top with no bra and a pair of matching shorts. I barge into her room and come to a halt. She’s not in her bed. People stand by it. One guy has a clipboard. The other turns to face me. He was the one that was in my room a moment ago. His blue eyes look me up and down before he clears his throat. “Ms. York …”

“Where is my mother?” I demand, taking a step toward the bed.

“Ma’am …”

“Where in the fuck is my mother?” I shout, fisting my hands.

He lets out a long sigh. “The coroner came and removed her body fifteen minutes ago.”

My heart stops. I take a step back at the blow of his words as if they were his fist to my face. Coroner? She’s dead? Fifteen minutes ago? Why didn’t they wake me? Why didn’t I get to say goodbye?

“I have some questions …”

“Get out,” I whisper, tears stinging my eyes.

“Ms. York …”

“Get the fuck out!” I scream at the top of my lungs.

He just stands there and makes no move to leave. Instead, he pulls his cell out of his pocket and dials a number, turning his back to me.

I can’t breathe. My chest is tight, and blood rushes in my ears. I grab my chest and lean up against the wall.

She’s dead?

We had more time. I was supposed to get six months. I just buried my father. Now I have to bury my mother. I have no one left. Now it’s just me. That thought is crippling.Property belongs to Nôvel(D)r/ama.Org.

I had been ignoring her. I had blamed her for everything. But was it really her fault? How much had my father done to her that I didn’t know? I feel like he had this other life that he kept from me. Did she feel the same? Now I’ll never know.

TITAN

I pull up to the York residence and get out of my car. Running up the stairs, I enter without even knocking. It was unlocked.

I rush up the stairs and into the bedroom. I see Emilee sitting on the floor. Her back against the wall, her knees pulled to her chest, and her head down.

I kneel before her. “Em?” I reach out, running my hand through her tangled hair.

She brushes me off.

“Emilee? Look at me.” I touch her arm.

She slaps it away with the other. “Go away,” she mumbles.

“Emilee …”

Her head snaps up, and her eyes are narrowed on mine. “I said go the fuck away, Titan!” she shouts. “Why the fuck are you even here?” she demands. “Why does everyone call you?” Her voice cracks, and she bows her head.

My heart breaks for her and what she’s going through. Both parents in a matter of weeks would be rough on anyone. “I’m here for you.”

“I don’t need you.” Her eyes search the room, but it’s just us. “I don’t need anyone.” She shoves me away and rises to her shaky legs. “I want to be alone.”

“I can’t do that.” I shake my head.

“It’s not your decision.” Her fisted hands start punching my chest.

I grab her wrists and yank her to me. I wrap my arms around her and hold her shaking body against mine. She buries her head into my chest. “Shh.” I run my hand down her back. “It’s going to be okay,” I lie. “I’m here for you.” That’s not a lie, but it’s also not what she wants to hear right now.

She’ll run. I know her well enough to know that she will take off. That’s just what she does. What she knows.

She can try to hide all she wants, but I’ll find her. No matter where she goes. A King always finds his queen.

I sit next to her at the funeral. Her mother passed three days ago, and she hasn’t said anything to me. I don’t think she’s spoken to anyone. This is the Emilee York I know-completely closed off.

I get up and button my suit jacket and walk to the back of the church, giving her a chance to say goodbye to her mother alone.

“Have you heard anything about George?” Bones asks me the moment I walk through the double doors to stand in the entryway of the funeral home.

I shake my head. “No. You?”

“Same. It’s as if he’s fallen off the face of the earth.”

“Well, he couldn’t have gone that far,” I whisper, turning to face the glass. I see she’s still in the same place I left her, but now Jasmine sits on her right and Haven to her left. “Wherever he is, he’ll come back. Especially now that Nancy has passed.” He’ll want to collect on that trust we found. Legally, he was her husband and is now entitled to everything.

“Do you think this was accidental?” Bones asks.

“She was terminally ill. I think it was just a matter of time.” Very bad timing. He runs a hand down his face. I turn to look him in the eye. “You think it was intentional?”

“I don’t know. It just looks …” He trails off.

“Suspicious,” I finish.

He nods once. “How do we know George wasn’t here that night?”

“The detail didn’t see anything,” I remind him.

“Why wasn’t an autopsy done?” he asks.

“Emilee didn’t want one.” She hasn’t spoken to me directly, but she’s spent most of her time on the phone making arrangements. She wanted her mother buried as quickly as possible.

“Didn’t she learn her lesson with her father?” he growls.

“Titan? Bones?”

We both spin around to see a man standing before us.

“Yes?” I acknowledge him.

“I’ve been calling Emilee for the past few days now with no answer or return phone calls. Will you have her contact me, please?” He reaches his right hand out, and there’s a card in it. Bones takes it.

“Regarding …?” I question.

“I’m Yan. Her mother’s attorney. I need to meet with her regarding her will.”

Bones and I exchange a look. “Will do.”