Page 11 of Wanted

This time it is she who looks at him with her mouth open. “This scammer is not my son’s wife, that’s impossible.”

“According to my research, it’s perfectly possible. Lionel did marry her.”

“But she lives in Kentucky, when did Lionel go there? You know his routine, my son spends most of his weekends at the cabin.”

Jackson clears his throat before answering. “I have my people turning over every stone, but preliminary results show Lionel has been traveling weekly to Kentucky for several months.”

There it is, I’m not the one lying here.

Mrs. Kral takes a few steps back, holding on to the wall, as she suddenly loses her balance.

The first blow is always the hardest one.

I know all about that.

Chapter Five

Jackson and Catherine have no idea how much it means to me that they’re standing by my side at a time like this, although Jackson made it clear his primary interest is in taking care of Lionel’s safety. In this shitty situation, teaming up with a friend like him is a true godsend.

Catherine took care of my little suitcase and brought me some dinner. I gave it a few bites, more for her sake than mine. I don’t want to be rude to someone who has shown me nothing but kindness even though we just met, and in such a confusing situation. She has offered me a shoulder to lean on and thanks to her I don’t feel so alone. In the midst of all this, I feel like a fish out of the water.

“You know? A few years ago, before we got married, Jackson was wounded in a hospital in Germany. I almost went crazy waiting for him to wake up. I don’t even want to imagine how you must be feeling between the anguish and despair of knowing Lionel isn’t the man you thought he was.”

I understand her solidarity and I appreciate it very much. However, you can’t cover the sun with your fingers. They aren’t my friends, they are part of Lionel’s team. Right now, I have no idea what that means.

“Mr. Kral’s doctor will be here in a few minutes,” the nurse informs us.

We are still in a private waiting room in this fancy hospital.

I’ve heard many times there are things that money can’t buy.

You can buy care, but not health.

Everything here is top-notch, but the coffee still tastes bitter.

There isn’t a single plastic chair around, and yet they still can’t give us comfort.

And as diligent nurses roam the halls ready to take care of Lionel, none of them can assure us that he will get better.

And no matter how hard I try, I can’t find peace. It’s like being in a windowless room from where I can’t find my way out. I still have a thousand questions in my mind and the uncertainty isn’t helping.

The only good news that brings some light in this darkness is that Lionel is still here with us, and while I don’t know much about his condition, just the fact he hasn’t given up, gives me hope.

I feel like a truck ran me over, I don’t even want to think about how I look. I’m clad in the same clothes I’d been wearing before I left for the airport yesterday. I have puffy eyes, and I haven’t combed my hair in what seems like days.

And the wait continues, the clock says it hasn’t been more than fifteen minutes since the nurse came to make her announcement, but by the time the door opens again, I feel like hours have passed.

Endless hours.

And I don’t have a single tear left. When my father died, my mother said that like the stars, they were infinite.

Something must have changed since then, or maybe our love wasn’t as strong. Perhaps what has happened in the last few hours is a clear sign of that.

“Mrs. Kral,” calls out a man walking toward us in blue scrubs and a pristine white coat.

“That’s me,” says Johanna, rising from her chair.

But before she can beat me, I’m already in front of the doctor, extending my hand to introduce myself.

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