Page 52 of A Lie so Dangerous and Fragile

“Not yet,” my mom said.

“But I’m sure we’ll catch this monster,” Nana said from the back.

I couldn’t hold her gaze for more than a second. Her betrayal was still fresh in my brain.

“I need to see Tristan. What room is he in?” I asked.

“Room thirty-five,” Nora replied quickly. “I will stay with him.” Nora came and took Kayden away.

She gave him her phone when he started crying and tried to pull away. He took it and stopped wriggling in her arms. I hesitated leaving him with them, scared I might return and find him gone.

I came down gently. My head was still aching a little. I slipped on the hospital slippers and the blue robe hanging at the corner. I left the room with no one paying attention to me. They were all trying to talk to Kayden.

I moved down the large hallway, searching for room thirty-five. It was four rooms away from mine. I knocked lightly before opening the door. Tristan tilted his head to the side to look at me.

“Chloe.” His lips curled up as I walked to the bed. “They won’t let me get off the bed. I wanted to come and see how you were doing.” His eyes scanned my body. He looked relieved, seeing me in one piece.

I sat on the seat next to the bed. He was naked from the waist up. His stomach and his upper arm were wrapped in bandages. His hair was tousled, a few strands falling to his forehead. His lips and eyes looked pale. He appeared to be masking his pain with a strained smile.

“How are you feeling?”

“Better now that I know everyone is alive.”

“Well, I warned you. You didn’t even make it to the kitchen.”

He chuckled softly.

“You think it’s funny? What if you had gotten killed? Your heart stopped, Tristan!” I yelled.

“Chloe, everyone is fine. That’s all that matters.”

“You wouldn’t have gotten a bullet if you had just stayed. You almost died, Tristan. You would’ve been dead,” I said.

His lips curved upward. The softness on his face pissed me off.

“Why are you smiling? I’m yelling at you,” I said, feeling annoyed.

“It means a lot, knowing a part of you still cares,” he whispered, and I looked away from his face.

“Well, Kayden deserves better, and you’re his father,” I said, staring at the door.

“Right,” he mumbled. “Thanks for giving me a chance.”

I held his gaze.

“To be a father again,” he added, as if he knew what was going on in my head.

“I already suck at parenting anyway,” I whispered to myself. Maybe I should tell him now. I didn’t know how long I could keep it to myself. If there was one thing I’d learned these past few days, it was that secrets and lies destroyed everything. No matter how hard I tried to keep them and make everything go my way, it never worked.

“No, you’ve been a great mother.”

I bit my smile back. We all knew that was a lie. He tried adjusting on the bed to get closer to me but winced.

“Should I call for help?” I panicked.

“No, just help me adjust the pillows.”

“Oh, okay.”

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