I woke up to the sound of two men fighting. I struggled to open my eyes, only to find Ethan holding my husband up by the neck against the wall. Where was I?
I looked around, lifted my hands, and sat up. It was bright in here. Bright and white. I was in a hospital bed. I had an IV in my hand and was covered in a blanket and hospital gown. Suddenly, my last memories came flooding back and I set into panic. Cleo. Chris, Duchess, Holly. What had happened?
My eyes shot back to the two men in front of me. Mark looked exhausted, and as if he had been crying. Ethan looked furious, and his eyes were red as well. The veins in his neck were bulging as he held onto my husband.
Mark wasn’t fighting the assault. If he did, he’d easily overpower Ethan. Ethan, although very toned, was slim. Mark was all muscle.
“This is all your fault. You just had to ask her. Knowing she’d do it. You knew the risks and yet you still had to ask for one last small favor. Now look!” He shouted in Mark’s face. Mark gulped and closed his eyes. Ethan, disgusted, dropped him to the ground. I watched my husband crumple to the floor like a rumpled shirt.
Adrian and Derek ran into the room and grabbed Ethan before he went for Mark again. They restrained him as he fought their grasps. Eventually he gave up and let his body fall against theirs. I watched this all in silent horror. Why couldn’t I speak?
Moving my head, I looked for some water. Thankfully there was a styrofoam cup nearby. I reached for it and all heads turned towards me. My eyes went big and I didn’t know who to look at first. Mark was the first to move. He stood up and ran over to me, grabbing my hand.
“Renee, oh my God.” His eyes filled with tears and he let them fall freely. I reached up to touch his cheek. My hand, my entire body, felt heavy and sore. I dropped my hand to the blanket and smiled as strongly as I could, but I knew it looked weak. He frowned.
“Aw, the happy couple is reunited,” Ethan snarled. All heads turned to him. He was still almost rabid with anger. Mark stood back up and went to him. He pushed him, making Ethan fall back like he weighed nothing.
“You think I wanted this? I had no idea seven months ago that this would happen? How could I, they are your crazy exes. Why am I getting the blame for this?” He shouted. Ethan’s eyes flashed with pain.
“If she wasn’t pregnant, she could have defended herself,” he argued. Mark scoffed, crossing his arms.
“Like she did all the years she was married to him? Don’t put this on me. This is no one’s fault other than theirs.”
“Eric just got on a flight,” Adrian interjected. The fighting men looked over in confusion.
“Chris’s brother. He called me. Asking if I had any information. He’s coming for the little girl…” his voice trailed off. The room fell deathly silent. I took in his words and tried to understand. Realizing that they all knew something I didn’t I was forced to ask.
“What exactly happened?”
Adrian, Mark, and Ethan all looked away guiltily, not saying a word. I looked from one man to the next and when my eyes settled on the man in the wheelchair. He sighed and wheeled himself over to the bed.
He threw a glare back at his friends but then patted my thigh. I grimaced with pain and he apologized.
“Shit, sorry. Uh, well, there was a car accident. Chris plowed right into you guys. You should remember, you were there,” he smiled, teasingly. I nodded.
“Yeah, but I passed out soon after the collision. Where is Cleo? What about the other car?”
Derek’s eyes started watering and he moved away, shaking his head.
“Nope. I can’t do this. Someone else tell her.”
Adrian leaned down and wrapped his arms around his shoulder.
“Come on, I gotta go check on Chase and Rocky.”
They left the room, leaving Ethan and my husband. Mark rubbed his face roughly. He looked so tired. He hadn’t shaved, and his face was looking older.
“Everyone in the other car died.” He said finally. It felt like all the air in the room was gone. I couldn’t breathe. I had just seen them. They had been laughing, and talking, and- drunk. Except Holly. She had been an unwilling participant in Christopher’s games.
“All of them?” I squeaked and he nodded.
“Yeah. Duchess and Chris died on impact. Holly made it to the hospital, but she died about half an hour ago.”
I gulped, glancing over at Ethan.
“And Cleo?”
Ethan looked at the floor and then walked out of the room. His boots clicked on the tile with an echoing silence that was almost haunting. Mark bit his lip, trying to figure out how to say it. He came back over to me and sat next to my bed, once again reaching for my hand.
