Chapter 4

Rory's POV

How was she here?

Before I could process it, Greta's hands were all over me, sliding from my face down to my neck and lower. Her eyes were completely unfocused. Panic tore through my voice.

"Greta! You could go to prison for this! My fiancee is Sasha Belmont!"

Her expression twisted the second she heard the name. She backhanded me across both cheeks so hard that my eardrums nearly burst. Blood seeped from my ears, but she just smiled, unhinged.

"Rory, you're mine. What does Sasha even have that I don't? You still don't know, do you? Keith and Sasha were already all over each other in front of everyone!"

I went still. My resistance stopped.

So even the confession had been a lie. They hadn't come clean at all.

When she felt me stop fighting, she went at my clothes with renewed frenzy. I fought back, and just when I was about to give up, Sasha kicked the door in with a group of bodyguards behind her.

They pinned Greta down, but Sasha wasn't done. She grabbed a stiletto heel and brought it down on Greta again and again. Blood spattered across Sasha's face, and she didn't stop until Greta went limp.

Only then did Sasha pull me into her arms, her voice shaking. "It's okay, Rory. I'm here. You're safe."

For a moment, I was back in those years after Dad died, when kids used to corner me. She'd held me the same way back then.

But the next second, her eyes landed on the marks across my body, and a flicker of disgust crossed her face.

Every ounce of warmth drained out of me. I shoved her away, stumbled into the bathroom, and scrubbed myself raw under the water, over and over.

Tears ran with the shower water. I slapped myself across the face and stared into the mirror.

"Get it together, Rory. Cut them out."

When I came out, Sasha was gone. She'd texted saying Keith was blaming himself over what Greta did and that he'd gotten upset and stormed off.

I didn't bother replying. I packed my things and headed to the hospital as Mom's final round of treatment had just finished. I pushed the door open, ready to take her home.

Instead, I found Sasha and Keith at her bedside, begging. They were holding hands, both of them teary-eyed.

"Mom, please just give us your blessing! You can't keep holding Rory's father over my head forever. I have the right to love someone else!"

Mom's chest heaved. "You two… Do you have any idea what you're doing to Rory?"

My skin crawled. I was about to rush in when Keith suddenly stood up, begging Sasha to stop.

"Sasha, please, we can't do this. Rory is my best friend!"

Mom couldn't take it anymore. She climbed out of bed and swung at Keith. "You worthless little… You still have the nerve to call him your friend?"

But Sasha stepped in front of him and took the hit instead. "Mom! That's enough!"

Mom was shaking with fury and about to lay into them again when she clutched her chest and collapsed backward. The moment she hit the ground, something inside me shattered.

I threw myself across the room and caught her, screaming. "Sasha! Get a doctor! She's dying!"

But Sasha was already pulling Keith toward the door. "Keith's having an episode. I need to get him out of here!"

I screamed into the hallway. "Someone help! Please!"

They rushed Mom back into the emergency room, and before I could even breathe, the doctor told me the surgery would cost 200 thousand dollars.

Sasha had been covering all of Mom's medical bills. I called her in a panic, but she hung up on the first call, then the second.

When she finally picked up, I didn't waste a second. "Sasha, I need money for Mom's surgery."

"All you ever do is ask for money. You triggered Keith's episode, and you have the nerve to ask me for money?"

She hung up. After that, the line went dead no matter how many times I tried. I ran all over looking for her and couldn't find her anywhere. By the time I made it back to the hospital, the light above the operating room was already off.

The doctor sighed. "I'm sorry for your loss."

I stood there, staring at the doors. "Doctor, please, just wait. The money's coming. I'll have it any minute now!"

But they were already wheeling Mom's body out. Her eyes were still wide open, full of grief and fury.

I simply broke down.

…

Three days later, I scattered Mom's ashes into the river in Crestfield, the same river where Dad drowned saving Sasha.

"Dad, Mom's on her way to you now. Can you see her?"

Then I picked up my ticket and boarded the plane without looking back.

From here on out, there was nothing left between us but distance. We were done.