Page 54 of Crazy in Love

“Still feeling shit, but my body is running on a lot of coffee, so it could be I’m drinking too much, when I normally don't.” I only drink coffee in the morning, then after that, it's water, or herbal tea for me, so my body is in shock with what I’m putting in it.

“I’ve been thinking… maybe you’re pregnant.” I look at her in shock, while I think about it myself. “You said at the charity event-”

“We didn’t use protection,” I cut her off in shock. I quickly do the math in my head. “No, no, no,” I repeat over and over, because this can’t be happening. This isn’t the time for me to bring a child into my life. Fuck, Hayley is a child for me.

“Do you want me to-” She stops when someone knocks on the door.

“If it’s Aiden, can you please-”

“Don’t worry.” She walks over to the door, and I stand out of sight.

If what Anika is saying is true, I need some time to get my head around it. I don’t even know if I want to get back with Aiden, never mind having his baby.

“One moment,” I hear Anika say, then she closes the door. She walks over to me. “Umm… it’s not Aiden, but this person said they really need to talk to you.”

I narrow my brows, wondering who would want to talk to me. I walk over to the door, and as soon as I open it, I try to close it, but his foot stops the door.

“Saylor, I only want two minutes, please.”

I open the door and stare at Lee standing in front of my house. Opening the door fully for him, I let him.

“Anika, meet Aiden’s little brother, Lee, who was in China the last I heard.” I turn to face him, and he says hello to Anika, then follows me to the dining table.

“I was worried about Aiden, so I’ve come-”

“There is a thing called a phone,” I cut him off, pulling out a chair for myself.

“He’s not picking up, and David said he's not leaving the office unless it’s to shower.” Lee sits on the chair directly in front of me. “He’s thrown himself into work mode, because then he doesn’t have to think about you.”

I don’t reply to him, because I don’t know what he wants me to say. I mean, what do I say? I’m sorry. Because all this wasn’t my fault, it was his.

“Saylor, my brother for the first time found someone-”

“He found a child, that’s what he called me. A child. And I’m going to say he told you about my life, so I’m going to say this, and you can go back to your brother and tell him too.” I lean back in my chair for a moment and watch Lee staring straight back at me. “The day I turned eighteen and my dad was called to duty, that was the last day I was a child. Because”—I take a deep break because what I'm about to say is horrible, but it’s how I feel. It’s how I’ve felt when Hayley has her bad days and I don’t have the energy to be around her—“after that, I had more responsibilities on my head than any other eighteen-year-old. I lost myself, and lost my life looking after her. Would I change it? No, she’s my sister, but I’m no fucking child.” I tell him and shake my head as he looks over at Anika, placing some tea for me and a coffee for Lee on the table.

“Aiden doesn’t know I’m here. I’ve come straight from the airport,” Lee begins, and all I can do is nod my head at him, because I’m not sure what reaction he wants from me. “My brother loves you, and he will do anything for you to just sit and hear him out. I’m not here to say what my brother said wasn’t wrong, because he shouldn’t have said it. He shouldn’t have accused you, without hearing you out.” Lee sits up, elbows on the table, and he turns to Anika who is leaning on the kitchen counter, then back to me. “Aiden made that business with nothing, took nothing from my parents, worked his ass off… and now, I can go on, but I’m sure you know that already. He thought that the woman he loved betrayed him, putting his company in risk. Now you tell me, Saylor. If he didn’t get that angry, it would’ve showed he didn’t care for you. He reacted that way because he loves you and thought it was all a lie. He hates himself for not being there for you when you need him the most, he hates himself for saying those words, because God, I promise you he never thought them, Saylor. My brother is hurting, and he just needs to see you,” Lee whispers the last part, and I glance over at Anika for a moment.

She’s been telling me the same. Aiden doesn't come out of the office, and she has been getting emails from him at two or three in the morning. David has been trying, but nothing is working, and his little brother is worried about him. He has come all the way from China.

I look over Lee's shoulder and roll my eyes at Hayley looking over at me, and I already know it’s not Hayley.

“How many men does one whore need?” my mum snaps at me, and Lee looks over at her.

“I don’t know, mother, you tell me. I’m sure you’re the one who left when things got hard,” I snap back, and look at Lee watching my sister walking around the kitchen.

“I left but came back, because I loved your dad,” she tells me, and I ignore her, because my head is hurting, and I don’t want the fight right now.

“Take your meds and go to sleep,” I tell her. Lee finally looks back towards me, and I keep the same facial expression I had before Hayley walked into the room.

“Why, are you scared I’d embarrass you in front of your boyfriend?” She stands by us at the table, and I turn to face her. “If your dad comes home and sees him-”

“Dad won’t be coming home-”

“Well, everyone needs a break from Hayley, so if he’s a little late, so be it,” she cuts me off quickly, and I cuss under my breath. “What was that?” she questions, because I didn’t say it quiet enough.

“Nothing. Dad never needs a break from Hayley. You’re the one who-” I stop and take a deep breath in, look up at the ceiling, just to have a second to myself. Looking back at my sister, I say, “So, mother, what do you have planned today?”

“Andi and I are going shopping, and my card isn’t working. So I need some money.” She looks between Lee and I, then shakes her head. “I’d walk away from my daughter, she’s a slut who has a different man every week,” she tells him, then walks away from us.

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