Page 66 of The Wrong Fiancée

"Yes." I crouched in front of Noe in her wheelchair. "Now, I understand you are pissed off that you can't walk, but that isn't Elika's fault or ours or yours. We're here to support Elika. It's your choice whether you let us do that or not. We're happy to leave…and take her with us."

Noe pulled back, her face creasing with anger. "How dare you?" she hissed.

"Dean," Elika warned.

I held my hand up. "Nope. I got this. I know you won't say it, baby, but I have no such problem."

"Get out," Noe screamed.

"Fine." I got up and put an arm around a resistant Elika. "And I'm taking her with me."

"She's my sister," Noe bellowed.

"Then treat her with some respect," I shot back. "You think you have some right to keep pounding at her when she's working two fucking jobs so you can stay here and get the treatment you need while she lives in a one-bedroom bare-to-the-bone shack."

"So what? She'smy sister."

Elika's shoulders slumped. "Dean, stop."

"No," I said firmly.

"So, you brought thesefriendsof yours along to bully me?" Noe turned on her sisteragain.

"No," Dad spoke softly but there was steel in his voice. "We came here to make your visit with your sister a pleasant one. But I can see that's not going to happen."

Noe looked at Elika. "Are you going to let them talk to me like that?"

I waited for Elika to ask us to get out so she could be with Noe. But she surprised me. "Are they saying anything that isn't true, Noe? I come here every week, and you basically abuse me. You yell at me. You call me names. You wish that I'd been in the accident instead of you. You wish I'd died with Daddy. You say hateful things."

Noe's eyes filled with tears. "You're such a selfish bitch, Elika. You've always been. You left Daddy—I took care of him."

"No, you didn't." Elika straightened and stepped away from me. "He was an alcoholic, and you refused to acknowledge that and get him help."

"He wasn't. He just?—"

"He drank and drove, which is why you're here." Elika kept her voice soft and low, but I was very pleased to hear the determination in her tone. "I'll keep paying for your stay and treatment, but I think I'm going to stop coming here."

"Fine.Go. Everyone leaves me anyway." Noe turned her face away.

I felt sorry for Noe. I really did, but she had no business taking her frustrations out on the one person in her life who was standing up for her.

"I'm not leaving you. You're driving me away." Elika walked past Dad and me to the door of Noe's room. "If you change your mind about how you want these visits to go, call me, and I'll come back. Otherwise…take care of yourself."

She stepped out of the room, and I was so proud of her. This wasn't easy for Elika. She loved her sister and felt responsible for her. This was going against her grain.

"This is your fault," Noe turned on me. "You made her do this."

I shook my head. "Think about what your sister just told you, and if you decide to treat her nicely, I'll bring her back. But if you talk to her again the way you normally do, Iwillconvince her not to see you again. She's exhausted every time she sees you. You make sure that her visits are all about obligation and not about love and support."

I walked out of the room and heard Dad talk to Noe. I didn't wait to hear what he said. I followed Elika out. She was leaning against Dad's Range Rover, her eyes closed.

She was a vision in khaki shorts and a sleeveless top. Simple—no designer labels in sight—and yet she looked effortlessly beautiful. I couldn’t help but smile at myself, amused by how in love I was that I was waxing poetically about her clothes.

"Hey." I cupped her cheek.

She opened her eyes. They were moist. "That was awful.Iwasawful."

"No, you weren't, and it had to be done. You know that, right?"

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