Page 80 of Fierce Monarch

The difference between how Nate’s mom lived and how Dominic’s did was astounding. The only similarity was how sterile and cold the rooms were, though in distinct ways. The hospital was perfunctory, while Lucia’s sprawling mansion held the chill of abhorrent wealth.

Marjorie Black looked peaceful as she rested in her armchair by the window, her eyes unfocused as she took in the trees outside. She seemed too small to me to be Nate’s mother, too frail from what I could see, but looks were deceiving. I’d learned that lesson well.

“Marjorie?” I asked softly, not wanting to startle her.

She turned, and it was like getting sucker-punched. They had the same eyes, the same nose. I bet they’d even have similar smiles, if she was inclined to let one loose. It fucking hurt staring at her because she was all the good parts of Nate. The parts that haunted me in my dreams.

“Do I know you?” she asked, tilting her head to the side. I thought I saw recognition in her eyes, but knowing we’d never met helped me brush it off.

“I’m Nate’s friend,” I lied. “Can I come in?”

She motioned me toward the chair at her side, and I took it carefully. I wasn’t sure how to ask questions and get the answers I wanted. From Nate’s admissions and his files, her Alzheimer’s was severe. How would I know if she was having a lucid day?

Turned out, I didn’t need to worry about it.

“You’re not his friend.” I glanced up and saw her eyes trained on me, bright and aware.

“I’m not.”

“Last I heard, you were his girlfriend.”

I blinked, trying not to let the shock show, but Marjorie noticed. She laughed, wobbly and unpracticed. “You didn’t know he told me.”

“No,” I admitted, letting myself sink into the chair more fully. She didn’t seem confused or upset, so I had a feeling we were in a moment of lucidity, and as shitty as it felt, I had to take advantage of it. “We aren’t together anymore.”

“I know that too. He said he made some mistakes with you.”

“He did. Big ones. Ones I’m not sure I can forgive.”

“But you want to.”

I didn’t answer that, but she nodded to herself anyway, looking back out the window. When she didn’t speak again, I tried not to let the disappointment drown me. All the research I’d done said that focus could disappear in a second, leaving the patient confused and struggling. If that was the case, I’d lost my chance for more answers.

“He’s a good boy stuck in a bad life,” Marjorie murmured. “He’s been paying for my mistakes since he was five, and I don’t know how to fix it.”

“What mistakes?”

“Falling for the wrong man.” She shook her head, her fingers twitching in her lap. “If Nate had had anyone else as a father, he wouldn’t have had him as a brother. He’d have been safe.”

I didn’t know why I did it, but I couldn’t handle her beating herself up over everything. I laid my hand on hers gently, trying not to flinch when she looked at me with those eyes that were so close to the ones I loved. “This world isn’t kind to anyone. I don’t mean to be cruel, but he never really would’ve been safe.”

It was a shitty consolation, but it seemed to do the trick. She patted my hand gently, holding on to me when I tried to let go. “You know, when he told me about you, I thought it was history repeating itself. I thought, there’s no way he gets out of this alive. But the longer you were together, the more alive I saw him. He’d never shone that brightly for anyone or anything before. He’s been lost for so long, but I think you brought him home.”

“He brought me home too,” I confessed, feeling like I’d just carved myself up and handed it to her.

Another pat on the hand and Marjorie’s attention went back to the window. Even though I should’ve asked her more, I didn’t. I just sat there, holding my ex-boyfriend’s mother’s hand in mine and watching the trees shake in the wind.

That was how he found us five minutes later.

“Mari,” Nate breathed, his eyes wide and terrified as he looked between us. I could see the war inside him, the urge to step into the room and separate us. He wasn’t sure if he should be protecting her or not, and I reluctantly added another point in his favor. It was obvious Nate cared about his mother, and when her eyes brightened again, I knew she loved him just as fiercely.

“I didn’t think you were coming.” Marjorie motioned him over, pulling him down for a cheek kiss when he was close enough, and I could see that he was as shocked at her lucidity as I was.

“Hey, Mom.”

“What, no hello for your friend?” she joked, though her smile was more uncertain than it had been a moment ago. We were losing her again. Nate’s joy dimmed, and I suddenly felt awful for taking that time away from them, even if he hadn’t been there.

Nate kept his eyes straight on me, like he was trying to read my intent. For my part, I gave him nothing but blankness. There was no intent here. Finally, he swallowed thickly. “Please don’t hurt her.”

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