Page 18 of Haunted

The thought of her husband leaving her here all alone, whether she’d know the difference or not, sends white hot anger rushing through my veins. It makes me want to hunt the bastard down and beat the shit out of him. No matter how many years passed, if my wife still drew breath, I’d never leave her. I’d take my vows of sticking with her through sickness and health very seriously. That’s what you do when you get married. It’s a legally binding contract, but it’s also an emotional one.

I slip the ring from my finger and put it back in the bag along with the necklace, making sure to zip it closed before putting it in the drawer. I’m sitting back in my chair when the squeak of shoes has me turning my head just as a nurse walks into the room.

When she spots me sitting there, a smile stretches her lips. Then she thoroughly confuses the hell out of me.

“Hey, Mr. Hendrix. I didn’t expect to see you today. And, oh my, you’ve cut your hair.”

My brows slash down into a frown. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t you normally come in on the first Tuesday of the month?” she asks, looking confused herself. “Or maybe it’s a Wednesday. This brain isn’t as young as it used to be.” She finishes on a laugh and walks over to the monitor by the bed.

I get up from the chair, taken aback by how she knows my name and why she thinks I’ve visited those days. She makes it sound like I’ve been doing it for a while.

“Who do you think I am?” I ask her back as she disconnects one of the empty bags from a hook at the head of the bed. She doesn’t answer until she’s hung a fresh one.

She turns and looks at me like I’ve lost half my marbles. “Her husband, of course.”

I jerk back.

Say fucking what?

“I’m sorry, ma’am,” I tell her gruffly, still in shock she would think I’m Jules’s husband. “But you must have me confused with someone else.”

She frowns. “I don’t understand.”

I point my finger to Jules. “I’ve only met this woman a few days ago.”

Shaking her head before I complete the sentence, she insists, “That can’t be true. She’s your wife and you’ve been visiting her since you had her moved here months ago.” She takes a step closer to me at the end of the bed, a look of concern marking her face. “Are you feeling okay, Mr. Hendrix?”

What the fuck is with her knowing my last name?

“Wait.” My eyes narrow when a thought occurs. “What’s her husband’s first name?”

Her lips purse as she thinks for a minute before saying the name I suspected she would say.

“Theo.”

“Fuck,” I hiss, running a hand through my hair and spinning on my heel. I grip the back of my neck and squeeze hard. “Goddamn him.”

“I really don’t understand what’s going on here, but if you’re not Mr. Hendrix—”

I spin back around. “Oh, I’m Mr. Hendrix, just not Theo. He’s my twin. I’m Luca.”

Her eyes widen in shock. Yeah, join the fucking club, lady. What in the hell has Theo been playing at? What kind of game is this shit? A fucking wife?

“How long has she been here?” The question comes out harsher than I intended, so I try to soften my expression. It’s a bitch to do with my current state of mind, but it isn’t this nurse’s fault my brother is a secretive asshole.

“Umm….” She closes her eyes in thought, then pops them back open. “About six months or so. She was brought here from Silver United Memorial. Mr. Hendrix said he wanted her closer to him.”

“What happened to her?”

She bites her lip, looking indecisive. “I’m not really supposed to give out that information….” Her voice trails off.

I give her a terse nod before looking back at Jules for a moment, then turn to leave. I’ll get my answers from the damn source himself. And he better hope like hell he’s willing to talk.

IT’S PAST EIGHT BY the time I pull up to Theo’s house. I had to stop by the shop and ask Jazz if he could stay later, which thankfully he agreed to.

I turn off my truck, get out, and slam the door behind me. My body is tense as I walk up the short steps to his door. Without knocking, I barge in, and come to a stop at what I see.

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