Page 34 of The Wrong Fiancée

"Moody," the nurse told her.

"She got upset when I wasn't here on time," Elika seemed to surmise.

The nurse stopped at the door and put a hand on Elika's shoulder. "Her temperament has nothing to do with you and everything to do with her TBI andherattitude."

Elika nodded, but I could see she felt guilty. Well, it wasn't her fault her tire was flat. If I hadn't driven by in my quest to check out Ka Pono per my father's request and my desire, she'd still be walking here.

The nurse knocked sharply on the door. "Noe, Elika is here."

I heard a rustle on the other side of the door, and then a female voice said, "Okay. You can come in."

I hadn't known what to expect when Elika invited me to meet Noe. I had braced myself for a woman broken by tragedy, maybe someone with the same quiet strength as her sister, just hidden beneath layers of bitterness. But the moment we stepped into the room, reality slammed into me, knocking the wind out of my chest.

Noe sat by the window, her wheelchair positioned in a beam of sunlight that cast an almost tranquil glow over the room. But the illusion of serenity shattered the moment Noe's eyes lifted to meet Elika's. Her expression tightened, her face hardening like a storm about to break.

"Finally," she snapped, her voice cold, edged with frustration. "You're late."

Elika took it in stride. "Sorry, Noe. I had a flat on my bike."

Noe rolled her eyes, her lips curling in disdain. "Figures. You can't even get here on time when I'm trapped here waiting."

I stood back, watching it all unfold, a sliver of unease sliding up my spine. Theo had told me Noe wasn’t kind to Elika, but seeing it firsthand was jarring.

The nurse sighed. "Noe, we talked about this. She comes once a week, and we want to be nice to her."

"Aren't you all nice enough," Noe demanded sarcastically. "Are you complaining about me to the staff, Elika?"

Elika crouched in front of her sister. "I'm sorry for being late."

The way Noe looked at Elika—it was as if she blamed her for everything. The accident, the fact that Elika could still walk, even for existing. Every word she spoke was a carefully aimed jab. And Elika? She just took it. She apologized softly, explained herself patiently, and carried on as if this was normal, which, judging by the ease of her response, I suspected it was.

Noe's bitterness was palpable. I'd seen people with entitlement issues before, people who thought they were owed something by life—but this? This was next level. This was deep-rooted pain, lashing out at the one person who was still standing by her.

"I want you to meet a friend of mine. This is Dean Archer. He gave me a ride."

Noe gave me a once over. "Are you sleeping with him?"

"No," I replied immediately. "I…I'm engaged to Felicity."

I knew I'd made a mistake mentioning Fee because Elika closed her eyes, and Noe snarled. "You're spending time withthem."

"No, she's not," I interjected. "I knew Elika in Honolulu years ago."

Noe didn't even bother looking at me. I guess since I was connected tothem, who I assumed were the Thatchers, I waspersona non gratain Noe's eyes.

"How about we go to the beach?" Elika suggested.

"Why? So, you can rub it in that I can't feel the sand on my feet?"

Okay, this was too much. This woman was a bitch and then some. Even though my patience was running thin, Elika remained the epitome of grace.

"I was thinking you could get into the water today," Elika said.

"Fine," Noe snapped. "I feel like I'm going to rot in this damn chair." Noe was angry, yes, but there was a desperation in her voice that tugged at my heart.

Elika didn't flinch. She simply nodded. "Yeah, let's get you ready."

I stepped forward without thinking. "I can help."

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