“Yes,” his father bit out. “Though I guarantee she doesn’t want to seeyou.” His father stepped into the room, his mother following, then leaned against the door, barring anyone fromcoming in. Voice low, his eyes narrowed, he gave Adam the cold, hard truth. “You fucked me.”
“Of course you think this is all aboutyou.” Adam fell back in the bed, exhaustion clawing at him. Probably from the blood loss after he tried to end it all.
I couldn't even get that right.
“Why didn’t you just let me go? It would have been so much easier for you to use your fake heartbreak over your loss to gain voter sympathy. And don’t think I don’t know you’ve already ordered your lapdogs to tell the press how distraught you are over your son’s mental health and how hard it’s been onyou. You’ll be able to milk this for weeks. Because I know you’d never let it get out that I was the one who went after those stupid girls and nearly killed Brooke.”
“Why?” His mother’s anguished voice broke him out of his sorrowful fury.
“Because I love her. I wanted her. She saw me for who I really am.” He glared at his father. “Not your fucking son. Not some actor in your fucking political play. She likedme.”
“So why go after those other women?” his mother asked, seeing that she got him talking when all he wanted to do was rail at his father.
Not that he liked her much better. She played her part and it usually meant her making him go along with everything his father wanted. She was his fucking puppet.
“I wanted to be my best for her.” He settled back into the pillow, unclenching his fists to relieve the pain in his wrists. “I need to see her.”
His father left the door and came to his bedside. “You will never see her again.”Because you can’t be linked to her, his eyes said.
He held his father’s hard gaze. “Ineedto see her.”
“You will keep your mouth shut about what you did. You will tell the doctors, anyone who asks, that you tried to take your own life tonight because you’ve been overwhelmed by school and struggling with depression that you never disclosed because you feared what people would say.”
He glared his father down. “I could give a fuck what you or anyone else thinks. I. Need. To. See. Her!”
“If you don’t follow this order, there will be nothing I can do. You’ll either play along and stay in this verynice, veryexpensiveprivatehospital for the rest of your life, or you’ll go to prison, where God knows what you’ll suffer.”
“I. Need. To. See. Her.”
His father stared him down, thinking of all the possibilities and ways this could play out. He liked control. He needed it. And he forced others to his will with a smile, a handshake, and a few direct words that left others clamoring to do his bidding.
“She’s asked to see me.”
Adam gasped. “When? I want to go with you.”
He shook his head. “I’ll go alone. If she decides to go public, I won’t be able to help you.”
“No, you’ll do and say whatever you have to do to distance yourself from me. Your son. Because we both know all you care about is your fucking career and getting more power.”
His father grabbed the guardrails on the bed, his knuckles going white as his eyes narrowed. “Believe it or not, Adam, I love you. Maybe I didn’t always understand you, or give you what you needed, but I did the best I could.” He rubbed his hand over the back of his neck, tension around his tired eyes and body. “I know, I should have made more time for you. But I can’t change that now. All I can do is help you.” He dropped his hand and pinned Adam in his gaze. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going down with you. So you’ll have to do what you’ve always done and get on board with the plan before your fate is out of my hands.Please.” For a brief second, Adam saw the fear and concern in his father’s eyes before he locked it down and turned for the door.
“Take me with you. I need to see her,” he begged, tears welling in his eyes.
His father walked back to him. “Get this straight. You are never getting out of here. You are never going to see her again. After what you did, she’s never going to want to see you again.Youdid that. Now accept it and play your part before you end up locked in a cage the rest of your life.”
I’m already in one.
But I will get out.
I will see her again.
Chapter Three
It was late. The hospital quiet.
Mindy Sue slept in the chair beside Brooke. She looked so peaceful.
She hadn’t lost her whole world tonight.
