Chapter 4

Patrick lost all interest in me the second he heard. He turned and went to greet her.

Connor looked right through my injuries. "Having you for a dad is the worst luck I've ever had. You've humiliated all of us."

"Just go, Dad." Brooke frowned as she pulled me to my feet, already pushing me toward the exit.

"Connor and I still want to make a good impression on Ms. Chambers. Stop making things worse."

I never imagined my own children could be this cruel to their father. The disappointment cut deeper than anything I could put into words.

They were shoving me toward the door when I ran straight into Eleanor, surrounded by a crowd of people. I saw her but didn't dare call out.

Christine and my kids always said I was an embarrassment. Looking the way I did right then, covered in food and blood, I was afraid Eleanor would think the same.

But she stopped right in front of me, and her face went white. "What happened to you?"

"I—"

I barely got a sound out before Christine snapped at me. "Shut your mouth. Nobody asked you."

Patrick was all smiles. "Just a broke relative causing trouble, ma'am. I'm sorry he bothered you. I regret inviting him in the first place."

"That's right," Connor jumped in. "He had no business being at my mom and Patrick's wedding. I'll get him out of here right now."

Brooke didn't dare speak up in front of a crowd like this, but she pulled harder on my arm, doing her part to show she was on their side.

Eleanor looked at all of them, and I could see the fury building in her face. "So, my husband isn't good enough to attend this wedding? Fine. Then neither am I."

Connor and Brooke went pale. They let go of me almost by reflex and stumbled back several steps.

Christine just stared at me, her mouth opening and closing without a sound.

"How is Dean Hayes married to you?" Patrick's hands were shaking. "I hadn't heard anything about you getting married, Ms. Chambers."

Eleanor's voice was ice. "I wasn't aware I needed to run my personal life by you."

Patrick's legs nearly gave out. "Ms. Chambers, please, that's not what I meant. This is all a misunderstanding, I—"

Eleanor cut him off. "You don't need to explain anything to me. My husband is standing here bleeding. No amount of talking is going to fix that."

She pulled out her phone and called the police right there.

Patrick was hauled off to the station still wearing his groom's boutonniere. Connor and Brooke went too, along with Christine, still in her wedding dress. The whole ceremony became a joke.

But the panic only lasted as long as the surprise. Once they calmed down and thought it through, they all reached the same conclusion.

With Connor and Brooke in the picture, I would never hold any of this against them. They knew better than anyone how much I cared about my children. So, every single person who had beaten me and schemed against me walked away without so much as an apology.

After the assessment, my injuries were classified as minor. Patrick got ten days in lockup and a 500-dollar fine. Connor got five days and a 200-dollar fine.

Christine and Brooke were furious about the outcome and tried several times to get me alone, but I refused. With Eleanor standing right next to me, they didn't have the nerve to say much.

After we left the station, Eleanor took me to the hospital.

"It's just a few scratches," I said. "No point wasting money on a doctor."

Eleanor gave me a look. "No amount of money is worth more than your health. Why don't you take yourself seriously?"

I clenched my fists and said nothing.

Ever since I lost my job, Brooke, her husband, Connor, his wife, and Christine had all treated me like a freeloader. If I asked for grocery money, even just a few dollars, they'd complain for hours and accuse me of pocketing the change.

Going to the doctor was even worse. I once ran a fever of 104 and needed an IV, and they still called me dramatic and wasteful.

After a while, I just stopped going, no matter how bad I felt. I was too afraid of the lectures.

Eleanor didn't get an answer, so she let it go. But she didn't let it slow her down either. She walked me through registration, the exam, and getting my wounds treated, then switched to working from home so she could stay with me.

Darren and Stella heard what happened and came to check on me. It had been a long time since anyone showed me that kind of care, since anyone treated me like I mattered. My chest ached with something I couldn't quite name, and the whole thing felt like a dream I didn't deserve.

But my wonderful children shattered that dream soon enough.

The day Connor got out, he and Brooke showed up at the door.