Page 63 of Second Chances

I want to touch him.

Be with him.

Hold him.

I love him.

He saved me.

Pain knots in my gut again, and I clutch hard at my stomach.

Painkillers.

This is all because of them.

To be with Ryan, I need to beat them.

I have to do this.

I take one last look out of the window and mouth back to him in return.

“I love you too.”

The next thing I fully register is waking up pain free for the first time in months.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Ryan

Seeing Elena in that state was the hardest sight I’ve ever had to endure. I wanted to dig Victor up and kill him all over again, but instead, I remained calm and poured all my love into spurring her on. I wasn’t allowed to speak to her, but as soon as Matthew told me she was really struggling, I knew I needed to manufacture some sort of intervention. Thankfully, it gave her the key to fighting harder, and the clinic called me yesterday to let me know she was now out of the detox part of the process and entering the rehabilitation phase. It won’t be long before I can see her again.

Until then, I’m going to concern myself with the letter I received the other day. The one that informed me I’ve inherited the Braybrooke title. I’m now to be known as Lord Ryan Braybrooke-North. I wasn’t prepared to drop the North from my name.

“It’s been so long since I was last here.” My mother looks up at the imposing building before us. “I don’t know if I can go in.” She’s curled into my father’s arms. James and Sophie are standing on either side of them. Amy and Grayson have remained in London with the children. This is something only those of North blood should have to face.

“We’ll do it together, Mum,” Sophie says, taking hold of Mum’s hand in hers. My sister has a prominent baby bump showing in the long flowing dress she’s wearing, and she uses her free hand to stroke where her babies are growing inside her.

“Of course, we will.” It’s James’ turn to reassure us now.

“Do you think I’ve done the right thing?” I’m standing behind them all, staring up at the gothic mansion I now own.

“Beyond doubt.” My mother comes over to me, and I wrap my arms around her. “This place may hold bad memories, but it’s also a part of who we all are. I’m so happy you agreed to do this because we can start new memories now—ones full of happiness. Besides, it wasn’t always this way. My grandfather, I remember him well, was always making me laugh as we wandered through the corridors together.”

My mother takes my hand and leads me up the steps toward the house. My father follows with James and Sophie. Pulling the keys out of my pocket, I unlock the front door. The house hasn’t been inhabited for a number of years, and everything is covered in sheets when we open the door. Dust is thick in the air, and my mother coughs.

“I think we might need to get the cleaners in here.” James pokes his head around the front door. “It’s an amazing hallway though. Great height in the ceilings.”

I look up at the vaulted ceiling and then down over the grand staircase toward the black and white patterned floor.This is mine?

Daring to move forward, I step inside the house and peer into each of the rooms that lead off from the hallway. There’s an opulent lounge, a grand dining room, and a library. However, when I enter through the final door, it leads to a large, empty room with mirrors covering one wall.

“This was where my parents held balls. My mother was an exceptional piano player. There used to be one in the corner over there.” My mother points as my father and siblings enter the room.

“Wow!” Sophie exclaims, her hand still resting on her stomach. “This place is amazing. I can’t believe you grew up here, Mum.”

“It is a little different to where Pete and I lived at the start of our relationship.”

We all walk down the long corridor, leading from the ballroom toward the room beyond. I only stayed here for a few days when I was a boy, so I don’t really remember any of it. You’d think I would, but it meant nothing to me but pain. I should have been allowed to live there permanently, but I’d been told my parents didn’t want me. Turning my head, I look up at the paintings on the wall. There he stands pride of place over the fireplace…my grandfather. The evil sneer on his face stares down at us. How could I ever have believed he was my savior? I should have seen through his lies, the first time he spoke. I’d been truly young and desperate—I’d fallen for everything he told me.

---