Chapter 4

The sound of the door unlocking pulled me out of my thoughts.

Isaac walked in with Jolene right behind him. The second he spotted my suitcase, his face darkened.

"Seriously, Lily? Ms. Page is critically ill, and now you're packing up and leaving?"

Jolene stood behind him with red-rimmed eyes, looking at me like I was the one who'd hurt her.

"Lily, is this about me? Whatever's bothering you, we can deal with it later. Don't get upset right now. You know Ms. Page's condition comes first."

My throat tightened.

Funny how Mom suddenly mattered now. Where had they been yesterday when no one could reach them?

And somehow, I was the one being childish and unreasonable.

Jolene came over and reached for my hand, but I pulled away.

Her eyes reddened even more, and her voice caught. "Lily, are you upset about the pictures? I'm really sorry. I promise I'll keep my distance from Isaac from now on. But this isn't the time for this.

"You know how sick Ms. Page is. Imagine how upset she'd be if she knew you and Isaac were fighting like this."

My chest tightened.

Upset?

Mom had never been more heartbroken than in those final moments, waiting for them to show up. Neither of them did.

I answered flatly, "You don't owe me an apology, and you don't need to worry about my mom."

Isaac scoffed and moved between us, putting Jolene behind him. "Why wouldn't I worry about her? She's my future mother-in-law, and she was my teacher. Of course I care."

I stopped what I was doing and looked him straight in the eye.

"So now you remember she's your future mother-in-law? Where were you yesterday when she was waiting for you? Where were you when all she wanted was to have you there as part of the family?"

Isaac's expression darkened, and his voice grew harsher. "Lily, do you have to make everything sound like an accusation? I told you, I went with Jolene to pick up a cake for Ms. Page.

"It's not like I was planning to stay out all day. Who knew you'd blow it completely out of proportion and cancel the wedding?"

Jolene saw the argument getting out of hand and rushed over to grab his arm. "Isaac, stop. Everyone's upset enough already. This is my fault. I'm the one who messed everything up."

She always knew how to read the room and exactly when to play helpless.

Sure enough, Isaac looked at her with obvious concern before turning a cold look on me.

"Fine. Leave if you want. Don't use Ms. Page's illness to make me back down. I'm not going to give in to you every single time.

He took Jolene's hand and walked out.

Just before they left, Jolene glanced back at me. She still looked hurt, but there was a smugness in her eyes she couldn't quite hide.

The door closed behind them, and I was alone. I stood there for a long time without moving.

After every fight, I was always the one who waited. I'd wait for Isaac to come back, calm down, and finally let me explain. I'd wait until he gave me some way to patch things up.

But this time, I was done waiting.

I grabbed my suitcase, set my key on the console by the door, and left without looking back.

I'd barely made it downstairs when I got a call from the hospital.

"Ms. Summers, we need you to come in and finish the paperwork for your mother's death certificate and the transfer of her remains."

I simply murmured, "Okay."

Once I took care of everything, I'd have nothing left to worry about.

The next morning, I got to the hospital early.

After I signed a stack of forms, the doctor asked me to wait in the hall. Just before I stepped out, she handed me an envelope.

"This belonged to your mother."