“Thank God,” Chloe murmurs, her shoulders relaxing slightly. “How did you manage to fall?”
“The tire blew when we were taxiing,” I say, a little sharper than I intend. “I was helping a passenger and I fell.”
Chloe’s brows knit together. “Well, that’s… unfortunate. How will you work?”
I swallow, the defensive edge creeping back in. “The doctor told me not to. We can’t risk another fall.”
She gives me a small, polite smile. “Of course. So, you’re on bedrest.”
“Not bedrest,” I correct quickly, shaking my head. “Just… taking it easy.”
“Right,” she says softly. But there’s something in her tone, light on the surface, razor-edged underneath, that makes me shift uncomfortably against the sheets.
“You take it easy while my son takes care of you,” she adds, the words perfectly polite, the smile perfectly placed. But I can hear what’s really underneath them.
I just sit there, cheeks burning, wishing I hadn’t already changed out of the hospital gown so I’d have an excuse to disappear into the bathroom. Instead, we stay in this awful silence, me staringat the floor, and her standing there with her arms crossed, watching me like I’m a puzzle she hasn’t quite decided how to solve.
The door swings open.
“So,” Matthew says, glancing down at some papers in his hands, “we have a follow-up appointment on-” He stops dead when he sees her. “Ma,” he breathes, surprise softening his voice. He stops beside her and pulls her into a hug. “When did you get here?”
Her smile this time is real, brightening her whole face. “I just wanted to make sure my grandbaby is alright.”
“Granddaughter,” Matthew corrects gently, glancing back at me with a small, proud smile.
Chloe presses a hand to her chest, her eyes going wide. “A girl? Oh my God.” She hugs him again, tighter this time, a soft laugh escaping her.
I watch them from the bed, feeling small for doubting her joy. I try to read her expression, to make sense of the sudden warmth in her face and the way her voice wavers with excitement.
I want to believe it’s real, that this joy isn’t just another performance for her son’s sake.
Ithasto be real. Right?
Matthew turns to me with a grin so wide it nearly splits his face. He tried to hide it, but I know the fight with his mom made him miserable.
“I wanted to apologize to you too, baby,” Chloe says suddenly, her tone softer now.
Too?I don’t remember being apologized to.
“I shouldn’t have let my shock make me react that way,” she goes on. “It’s not every day you find out your only child got married without you.”
Matthew’s smile falters. He looks down, guilt shadowing his features. “I’m sorry, Ma. I wanted you there too. It was just… so sudden. Brooke’s sister couldn’t even come, and she lives in New Jersey.”
Chloe exhales through her nose, her lips pressing into something between a sigh and a hum. “Well, that’s done now.”
Matthew glances at me, searching my face.Ready?
I nod, and he straightens. “I’ll get the wheelchair.”
I watch him walk out, wishing I could follow, wishing I didn’t have to sit here in this thick, uneasy quiet with her.
Turning to Chloe, I manage softly, “Matthew really wanted you there. I did too.”
Her gaze snaps to mine, sharp and assessing. And then she says it, low and cool: “You may have my son fooled. But I see you.”
I just stare at her, trying to wrap my head around how someone can be this two-faced, all soft smiles and apologies one second, and cold, cutting words the next.
“I’m not going anywhere,” she says, her voice calm and deliberate, like it’s a warning.
