At the click of the door closing, her eyes popped open and went straight to him. She tugged down the oxygen mask. “Oh, Colt, honey. I’m so glad you’re here.”
Colt’s brows drew together. She said it nonchalantly, like the previous night had never even happened. He shoved his hands into his pockets. “How do you feel?”
“Better. But it was so scary. I barely slept last night and woke up to the worst chest pain this morning. I couldn’t breathe. Thank God Ben was there.”
“I’m glad he’s staying with you.”
“Me too.”
He stopped beside the bed. “The doctor said you’re okay.”
“At the moment. I’m scared to see what the tests show. But darling, I’m just so glad you’re here.” Sylvia reached for his hand, but he stepped back.
His mother frowned. “Colt—”
A knock at the door had them both looking up as a middle-aged male doctor stepped into the room. “Is now an okay time, Mrs. Reed?”
“Oh, yes, come in. Dr. Leeroy, this is my son, Colt.”
The doctor dipped his head. “It’s nice to meet you.” He looked back at Sylvia. “I have good news. Your breathing has improved, and your oxygen levels are back to where they should be. I’ve also had a look at your test results—they also show everything’s fine. It was just a flare-up.”
His mother sighed loudly. “What a relief.”
“I’d still recommend taking it easy over the next few days and keeping up with your medications. We’ll schedule a follow-up appointment, just to make sure you’re managing everything effectively, but I think you’ll be okay to go home today.”
“Thank you, Doctor.”
The doctor dipped his head and stepped out.
His mother looked up at Colt and smiled. “Isn’t that great news? And with you and Ben at the house, I’ll be well looked after.”
Did she really think he was just going to forget about everything from the previous night and move back in with her? “I’m not going back to your house, Mom.”
Sylvia looked confused. “Because of last night? Colt, I didn’t mean to hurt Indie’s feelings.”
“Hurt her feelings? You told her she wasn’t right for me. You made her believe she wasn’t strong enough to be my wife. You told her that IVF was unethical, and that God basically didn’t want her to become pregnant!”
His mother opened and closed her mouth. “You’re my son. I was trying to protect—”
“I’m anadult, Mom. It’s not your job to protect me. Your only job is to love and support me. When you hurt Indie, you hurtme. Do you understand that?”
Her face paled.
He took a breath before asking his next question. “Did you start a rumor about Indie’s photography business?”
The smallest widening of her eyes was all the confirmation he needed.
Fuck.
“You did.” The reality hit him like a fucking freight train. How? How had he not seen any of this?
“I didn’t start a rumor,” she denied. “I simply…had someconversationswith friends about her money situation.”
“Whatsituation?” Colt asked through gritted teeth.
Sylvia squirmed uncomfortably. “Just that one of the reasons she married you was for your money.”
Thefuck? That wasn’t even slightly true. “What else?”
