Chapter 4 I have to see him

RILEY

“What?” I blurted out, my chest suddenly tightening with fear.

Lisa looked up from her computer, giving me a displeased glance. I pressed my lips together and stood, moving toward the door.

Once I was halfway outside, I asked, “What do you mean, ‘Domi’s getting worse’? What’s going on, Hannah?”

“His fever suddenly spiked even higher than it was this morning,” she explained, trying to keep her voice calm despite the worry lacing her words. “They refused to tell me anything since we’re not related. Dr. Ward tried calling you too, but your phone was not working.”

I gasped, tightening my grip on the device.

“I should be there,” I said. “Not out here in this stupid place.”

“Have you met with Domi’s father yet?” Hannah asked.

“No,” I said. “Everyone here is being intense and weird. They said Killian’s in a meeting and that he won’t want to see me.”

“What the fuck?” Hannah cursed. “Why not?”

“I have no clue.” I bit my lip. “And there was this woman, Sophia. I’m sure she was the one who’d answered the phone back then. I don’t know if she’s his girlfriend, his wife, or something else, but for whatever reason, she doesn’t want me to see him.”

Hannah cursed again.

Suddenly, I heard a commotion on the other end of the line.

“Wait, Domi’s awake,” Hannah said quickly.

“Can he speak?” I asked hastily. “Put him on the phone—”

“One second.”

 There was a brief rustling sound before a familiar voice came through the phone.

“Mommy?” Domi whispered, his voice breathy and tired.

Tears pricked my eyes. I pressed my palm over my mouth to keep myself from choking out a sob, then quickly composed myself before answering.

“Hi, baby. It’s Mommy.”

“Mommy, where are you?” he asked.

“I’ll be back very soon, baby,” I said as calmly as I could. “Mommy has to do something important, but I’ll be back very soon, okay? Can you be brave for me? Auntie Hannah is going to stay with you until I get there.”

Domi sniffled. After a brief pause, he whispered, “Okay.”

Another rustling sound followed, and then Hannah’s voice came through the phone again.

“I gotta go, Riles. A nurse is coming in to change Domi’s IV drip. Get in front of Killian and then get here as soon as you can.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I promised.

The second the call ended, I pressed my eyes and took a shaky breath.

It took everything I had not to break down, and even then, I couldn’t stop trembling.

I glanced at the quiet building ahead of me.

I knew that, rationally, I had only one choice. I was wasting my time here. Killian wanted nothing to do with me, and Domi needed me by his side.

I squeezed the side of my phone, considering how I was going to get back. My plan hadn’t exactly been well thought out, and now I was suddenly in need of a cab. I would have to make my way back to the main road first.

My gaze shifted toward the front desk.

At the very least, the receptionist might be able to point me in the right direction or tell me how to get a driver out here.

So, I plastered a polite smile on my face and approached.

“Are you finally leaving now?” Lisa asked before I could open my mouth, raising a brow.

Her words made it clear that she was more than ready to be rid of me.

She looked at me with disdain, as if she had expected me to give up and leave—as if that was exactly what I deserved.

My forced smile faltered.

I felt my blood begin to boil as all the anger I had been suppressing came rushing back to the surface. I clenched my fists.

What was wrong with these people?

The receptionist. Sophia. Killian.

What had I done to deserve such awful treatment from all of them? The coldness, the condescension. It was all complete bullshit.

No.

I couldn’t leave.

There was no telling when—or if—I would ever find the courage to track Killian down again. I had already come this far.

I had to see him.

I turned toward the hallway Sophia had disappeared down and started walking.

“Wait, what are you – ” Lisa exclaimed.

She practically leapt out of her seat as I rushed past the front desk. “Wait! You can’t go down there!”

I ignored her and quickened my pace, my shoes squeaking against the polished floor.

There were numerous rooms along the hallway, all unnumbered and unlabeled to my annoyance. I had no idea which one Sophia had entered, but Killian had to be in one of these rooms.

This was crazy. I knew that.

But I didn’t care.

I was a mother on a mission, and I wasn’t going to stop until I’d done everything in my power to get in front of Killian Bryce.

“Shit, stop!” Lisa shouted behind me. Her voice grew increasingly frustrated. “Are you out of your mind? Get back here!”

Finally, I reached a set of double doors at the end of the hallway. Muffled voices filtered through from the other side.

I knew I had found it.

Just as I reached for the doors, Lisa caught up with me, her round eyes widening in alarm.

“No, wait! You wouldn’t dare—” she began to say, but it was too late.

I pushed the door open.

On the other side was a large, elegantly furnished room decorated in a way that immediately suggested wealth. Sunlight streamed through the enormous windows along the far wall, illuminating the long mahogany table at the center of the room.

Seated around the table were a host of people, mainly men, many of whom were large, burly, and rugged. Not exactly the corporate types I expected to see seated around a conference table.

None of them looked particularly pleased by my interruption. Their expressions ranged from confusion to annoyance.

“Who are you?” one of the men seated close to the door demanded, raising a brow.

I gulped. Then I spotted Sophia rising from her seat, quiet fury burning in her eyes. When her gaze shifted toward Lisa, I knew she was only seconds away from ordering the receptionist to drag me out.

“I’m here to speak with Killian Bryce,” I said quickly. “Where is he?”

The room fell silent. All eyes turned toward the man seated at the end of the table, whose wide-backed chair was facing the opposite direction.

When the chair slowly spun around, my breath hitched.