Page 55 of BillionHeir
“What is wrong, darling? Is it work or boys?”
Somehow she always knows. I laugh a little to myself.
“Both.”
“Both? That is quite the conundrum, then, isn’t it?”
I nod in agreement even though she can’t see me over the phone. “Yes, it is. But I will be alright. I am a big girl now.”
“Mmhmm,” she says, sounding unconvinced. If I am honest, I am not all that certain either.
“Anyway,” I say, sniffling as I wipe away the few errant tears that have slipped out of my eyes unnoticed. I really need to pull myself together if I am going to show my face to Max and his friends again. I look down at my watch and realize what time it is in England. “What is going on, mum? Why are you calling me so late?”
“Oh, dear,” she says, before sighing. “I am calling from the hospital. I don’t know how to tell you this, sweetheart.”
She pauses, and I wait silently for her to continue.
“It is back.”
Ringing fills my ears as understanding and fear wash over me.
Cancer.
She is sick.
A flash of clarity suddenly hits me.
There is only one thing for me to do.
I must go to her.
“Oh, mum,” I manage to say without crying, though tears fill my eyes. “I will be on the next flight out.”
“Now, Chloe—”
“Don’t you dare try to keep me away. Not this time.”
“Okay, dear,” she says, sounding relieved.
I can hear the exhaustion in her voice, and frankly, it scares me. She is going to need to keep her strength about her if she is going to beat this again. If that is even possible.
But we can talk about that when I get there. Right now I need to focus.
I look around the room at my things all strewn about, mentally preparing for everything I need to do.
“Don’t you worry about a thing. We will do this together,” I promise. “I will text you my flight details as soon as I know them.”
“Alright, darling. Be safe.”
I hang up the phone and book the very next flight into Heathrow. It costs a small fortune as the only last-minute seats available are in first class, but thankfully money is no longer an issue. A say a small blessing of thanks as I type in my credit cardnumber. Once it is complete, I send a screenshot of the details to my mum and start doing the necessary things to leave.
An hour later, I am finished packing and making sure to leave the room the way I found it. I write a short note for Maxwell, but after he revealed his true feelings about me, I chose my words carefully.
I suppose I always knew that Maxwell Banks wasn’t looking for anything more than a distraction from his trauma, even if it felt real at the time. I will always cherish the night that we had together, but I can’t let my feelings for him keep me here when we both know my presence here is both unneeded and, as he has made clear with his actions the last few days, unwanted.
I leave the note on my bedside table and use my phone to order a car to drive me to the airport. I feel a wave of anxiety as I walk downstairs with my bag, worried that one of the boys will catch me sneaking out, but no one sees me before I slip out the front door.
As the car pulls away from Seabanks, my eyes fill with tears once again.
