Page 72 of Dream Chaser

“Despite the fact he left you a gift, and he wants to save your marriage?”

My composure snapped like a rubber band stretched too thin. “Do you know where I spent most of the day, Mom? In the ER because my head won’t stop spinning. I’m still not feeling well. I can’t deal with this now.”

“See? It’s your body’s way of saying that you made a mistake leaving home. You’d feel way better if you were next to your husband who can take care of you.”

“He never did.” My voice rose. “And he never will. Stop trying to force me to be with someone I don’t love. I’m done. It’s over. I have a job, and my home is in Emerport.”

She sniffled. “Stop being selfish, Nova. The election is almost here and he needs your support.”

I squeezed my eyes shut, willing the spinning to stop. “How about what I need? You’re so worried about his feelings you completely disregard mine. I refuse to settle for unhappiness. Preston doesn’t care about me. Never has.”

“He wouldn’t be so miserable if that was true.”

Miserable? After how he’d spoken to me at the coffee shop? After his insults and condescending remarks? Either way, why was I supposed to care?

“I’m your daughter. Even if he wasn’t awful, I should come first. No marriage is more important than your child’s happiness.”

“My child had a plan,” she snapped. “Get married to a decent man, settle down in Millford close to her mother, and have a family.”

That was her plan. I’d only gone along with it because I hadn’t known any better. Tears sprang from my eyes. The throbbing turned into a headache. “A decent man wouldn’t spend years belittling his wife, and he definitely wouldn’t call her a whore. If that’s your idea of decent, I feel sorry for you. Did he also tell you he started tearing off parts of Grandma’s house?”

“He wanted to fix it for you. It was in shambles. Without him, it’d have fallen apart.”

“Your daughter fell apart because of him! Do I even matter to you?”

“Nova.”

The room wobbled. I could barely handle her on a good day. Least of all right now. I ended the call, my hand shaking.

Alejandro stood in the doorway, his brows drawn together. “I had to come back,” he said carefully. “I forgot your prescriptions are in your purse, and I wanted to drop it off at the pharmacy for you.”

Oh, God. Did he hear everything? He must have. I was yelling. And crying. And now I wanted the bed to swallow me like the embarrassment already had.

I licked my dry lips and grabbed my purse. “Sure. Here.”

I handed him the papers. He nodded, solemn, then his eyes stationed on mine. “Get some rest. Your health comes first.”

Maybe he hadn’t heard. I hoped he hadn’t.

I really, really hoped he hadn’t.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

Alejandro

October

Iyanked my car door open and slid into the driver’s seat, my pulse hammering.

He called her a whore? He called that smart, beautiful woman a whore?

Fucking asshole.

I tore into traffic, hands gripping the wheel like I’d lose the last thread of my control if I let go.

She’d slept in her car because of him. Ruined her health because of him. Started all over without a penny to her name because of him.

And her mother wanted her to go back to him and waste her life on a piece of shit who didn’t respect her? Who didn’t care about her safety, let alone her happiness?