Page 42 of The Regrettable Mistake

Steve cocked a brow up as we made it to Mom’s Ford Bronco. “Why do you think? The assholes had pictures and videos of me carrying you into the emergency room yesterday. They were all plastered on TV and the internet within minutes. As soon as he saw, he made his way here.”

“I didn’t see him.” It took me a minute of sifting through my memories to realize I’d heard him in the hallway. More importantly, I heard Steve yell at him and refuse to let him in to see me. Then my brother had called the nurse’s station and told them to get rid of him as he was upsetting me.

“You had him kicked out.”

“I did. You were in no state to deal with anything he had to say. Even his apologies would have hurt you in the state you were in yesterday.” I nodded because it was true.

Once I was in the back seat, Steve climbed in beside me. “You’re letting Mom drive?” I tried to whisper, but apparently failed.

“I heard that, young lady. I’ll have you know, I’ve had my driver’s license for 42 years and never been in an accident.”

“Yet,” Steve and I both said at once and then giggled. “Shit! Where’s the wood when you need to knock on it?” Steve asked.

“Oh hush!” My mother called out jovially as she backed out of the space only to immediately hear someone beep at her. “Oops!” She giggled. “Didn’t see them there.” I didn’t miss the wink she threw at my brother. It was good to know she’d risk her Bronco to get my mind off the darker parts of my life, but my twin had said something else I couldn’t ignore.

“What did you mean by him stirring up a hornet’s nest and making sure the cameras wouldn’t be here?” He hadn’t been wrong. Other than some of the people in the hospital lobby who recognized me, there were no other cameras pointed my way.

“Let’s wait until we’re at my place to talk about that shit.”

“Steve!” I demanded.

“No. Steph, I have never been so scared in my life as I was yesterday when we found you in the middle of that mess, crying, bleeding.” He clutched his fist to his chest. “We won’t discuss this until we’re in a place where you are safe, comfortable, and relaxed. I’m not trying to hide things from you, but I’m not going to upset you while we’re driving down the road either.”

“Fine.”

“Fine.” He mocked me back.

“You’re such a child,” I growled.

“You’re such a child.” He teased and then stuck his tongue out at me. I rolled my eyes but couldn’t hide my smile from him. “That’s better.” My brother said as he patted my leg placatingly.

Once we were settled at Steve’s place, Mom immediately posted herself up in the kitchen and started to whip up some of my favorite comfort foods. Steve sat on the couch with me.

“Aren’t you supposed to be working?”

He shook his head. “I took a few days off.”

“I hate that you’re missing work for me. Your firm doesn’t like when you take time off.”

“Then my firm can kiss my ass,” my twin suggested with a shrug of his shoulders. “I make my clients plenty of money and can watch things from my home office. If the firm has any issues, I will just leave and start my own sooner than I planned to originally. No biggie, Sis. Besides, you think I’m just investing other people’s money? I have my own money invested as well.”

That was true enough. My brother had gone to college for finance to make the adults in our community richer while I’d been more concerned with building a strong foundation for the children of our community and their futures.

“Okay, as long as you aren’t messing yourself up to take care of your dumb sister.”

“You’re not dumb, Steph.”

“I trusted the wrong people.” I looked him in the eye then to make my point. “Even when my brother warned me not to do it.”

Steve sighed. “I don’t want to say a fucking thing in his favor, but I can tell you one thing. I was right in the beginning, but you were right in the end. That man couldn’t help himself. He fell head over heels for you, Sis. The idiot just didn’t realize it until it was too late.”

“If he had fallen for me like that, he would have never gone there with Jia. Besides, I watched the video, Steve. I heard the things he said about me. That was only four months ago. Conveniently, it was also the day he stopped pretending we were a real married couple.”

“Nah, that part was guilt for what he had done and continued to do in order to hide it all from you. That man stood in front of a bunch of reporters yesterday and threatened their jobs, their homes, cars, and bank accounts if they bothered you again. Then he put Jia under into the fire by insinuating her car accident that disfigured her hadn’t been the only one she was in that night. Since then, the reporters have been too busy digging up all her skeletons to bother with anything else.” My twin laughed.

“Shit, Steph, I think that bitch is going to go to prison for a long fucking time. Her crimes keep adding up. She was hit with another charge of revenge porn yesterday, harassment, and a couple other things just because she sent you that video. Then there are the charges she’s facing in California for vehicular homicide, hit and run, and some other shit.”

I sat there gape-mouthed in complete shock that so much had happened in a single 24-hour period. “Are you serious?”

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