Chapter 5

Rene’s POV

I trembled as Kai moved closer. “I am here with Lisa. What am I supposed to do? Just leave her here? I can’t do that, Kai!” I didn’t recognize my voice as I spoke. Who was I right now?

Kai leaned back, his eyes studying my face as if to see if I was lying. Satisfied that I wasn’t, he answered with a calmer tone. “I’ll make sure she gets home. But for now, you need to go.” With the other hand, he opened the door to the room slightly and nodded toward it. “Now. Leave.”

I said nothing as I backed out of the door as Kai slammed it in my face.

Terrified, I went back toward the Cloud Room to find Lisa, to tell her what happened and give her a heads-up that Kai was there. Thankfully, the young man who had approached me was gone.

I checked the room, trying to find Lisa, but there were no signs of her. I walked toward the pools, only to find my cousin getting her pussy eaten out by the handsome guy from before, while another guy with blonde tipped dreads had his dick down her throat. I closed my eyes and shook my head. I had to go.

I grabbed my things from the locker, quickly putting on my coat. The driver brought my car and I was on the road. Kai had scared me beyond measure. What would he do? Would he find the guy who tried to fuck me and threaten him? Would he tell Remy that I was out cheating? It was a huge misunderstanding, one that Kai had refused to let meclear up. Instead, he just yelled at me to go home. And strangely, I had been too turned on to argue. It made no sense.

I pulled up to the house. Nathan came in yesterday. It was nearly two in the morning, and Nathan should have been asleep or at least trying to sleep. I parked the car in the garage. I saw the night nurse, Zora, on the phone. She looked up from her phone, wide eyed.

“Oh, dear God! There you are. Did you get my texts? I’d been texting you for an hour!”

I looked at my phone. There had been a dozen texts from her. I hadn’t been able to see them with my phone locked away in the club. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t able to get to my phone. What is it?”

Zora shook her head. “Mrs Daniels, Mr. Nathan is taking a turn for the worse. His oxygen levels are pretty low, and he’s really struggling to breathe. He was calling for you. I was going to call the ambulance, but I know you have a DNR in place. I wanted to be sure if...”

Before she could finish, I rushed past Zora and down the hall into the playroom where Nathan lie in bed. His breathing was rougher than I had ever heard it, and his chest was nearly hollow as he exhaled.

“Nathan? Baby, I’m here now.” I sat on the bed and reached for his hand. He turned his head, the cannula of the oxygen off of his nose. I reached to fix it, but he shook his head.

“Rene? Baby girl?” he wheezed. “Baby girl, I know I’m late.”

I was confused. “Late? No Nathan, you’re home. Not late.”

“No. The restaurant. I’m late. Sorry.”

It took a few minutes, but it dawned on me that Nathan thought he was on their first date, where he’d been late. He had gotten a flat tire, and I had to wait for an hour. Because I liked him, I had waited for him. He arrived sweaty, grease-stained, and holding flowers. We ordered, and I fell head over heels for him. We had been inseparable ever since. Yet, tonight, I hadn’t been there when he needed me the most.

“It’s ok, Nat. I waited

Good.” He smiled, holding on to my hand. His breathing slowed and his eyes closed. After a few minutes, he opened his eyes, returning his attention back to her. “Did you have fun, Rene?”

I sniffed, wiping my eyes. “Fun?”

“Tonight. Coverts. Fun?

“I...” I paused. “It was fun,’ I lied. I couldn’t tell him about the shit that had happened tonight. Not now. It didn’t matter.

“Good, beautiful. Good.” His grip on my fingers loosened.

“Nathan?” Tears filled my eyes and dropped on the coat that I still wore.

His breathing slowed down to a slow wheeze as he closed his eyes. The monitors beeped, then suddenly flatlined as his body grew still. Zora rushed in, but I held up my hand to stop her.

I needed time, I needed space to come to terms with what just happened. My eyes stared at his face then to the monitor

Memories flooded my mind.. our first date, our wedding. All the laughter, the fights, the quiet nights. All leading to this moment. I felt numb, like I was floating above the scene. Zora's voice was muffled, as if she was calling from far away. I couldn't process the words, couldn't move. My world had just shattered, and I was stuck in the wreckage. The pain would come later, but for now, I was frozen, trapped in this moment of loss.

I stayed like that, holding his hand, as the minutes ticked by. The room grew quiet, except for the sound of the machines and the quiet sobs of the nurse in the corner. I didn't move, didn't breathe. I just stared at Nathan, praying for it to be a dream, praying for him to wake up. But he didn't. And I knew he wouldn't.

“The funeral home’s number is on my desk.”