Natalie
I'm woken up by high heels storming through the hospital, and without opening my eyes, I can feel the person is headed for me. And I must have spider senses, for Cynthia is coming for me when I open my eyes.
"You shouldn't be here, you dirty little slut!"
Did Cynthia just call me a slut?
Am I still dreaming?
I blink life into my tired eyes, and it seems I'm not experiencing a nightmare right now.
Cynthia is seething without us having spoken a single word until now. I'm still not fully awake and stretch my legs, gasping when the woman walks over to where I'm sitting.
She casts me in her shadow.
It's dark outside, and no one else is sitting inside the waiting room—it gives Cynthia the perfect opportunity to slap me, not once but three times across my face. Her hits rattle me to the core, and I lift my chin to stare up at her in utter confusion.
"What did I do?" I question, placing my palm against my chin. "Are you absolutely mad?!"
"How dare you!" Cynthia roars.
She is wearing a red cocktail dress and makeup and probably came here directly from the flight. My dad is standing further away, not caring that his new wife is yelling into my face.
"How dare I do what?" I question. "What are you even talking about?"
"Oh, don't act as if you don't know!" Cynthia glares down at me. "Edna and her daughter, Bianca, stayed at the same resort. And boy, did Bianca have a lot of gossip about you! She told me everything!"
My heart stops. "Bianca? Gossip? What?"
Cynthia slaps me again. My skin burns after her hit, and she grits her teeth at me, looking like a tiger ready to strike.
What is the matter with her?!
Cynthia's eyes are brown, not blue like Noah's. I called her pretty in the past, but she looks crazier than a road lizard. A tiny little vein in her forehead is looking ready to explode.
"Bianca said she heard you two going at it hard against the bookshelves in the library—you nasty little hoe slept with my son! Do you understand how messed up that is?! Bianca even took a picture of Noah carrying you in his arms!"
My heart plummets, and discomfort hits me now that I realize why Cynthia is so mad at me. I'm not sure how to defend myself. There probably isn't anything I can say to calm her.
The woman hated me already; now, she probably wishes me dead.
I wet my lips. "Can we focus on this later? Noah's life is in danger—"
Cynthia slaps me again, and I fall silent. She is standing above me, keeping me in my seat by blocking my escape route. And again, my dad is doing nothing. He is reading a news magazine a couple of chairs away.
He has definitely earned the award for being the best parent of the year.
"Don't speak Noah's name with your filthy tongue! You're a disgrace and a whore—I want you out of our house, and I want it to happen immediately! You will also leave this hospital and never come back!"
What?
Cynthia is throwing me out? I have nowhere else to go! I don't have an apartment anymore, and I don't have money to pay for a hotel room. Where am I supposed to sleep?!
Should I call Linnea?
"Lady Cynthia," Frank is walking toward us. He was probably out smoking the entire time. "With all due respect, but that isn't your decision. The mansion belongs to Noah—"
"You're also fired," Cynthia announces coldly, narrowing her eyes to smirk in Frank's direction. "And the mansion is my property now that my son is in a coma—I call the shots now."
Noah is in a coma?
What the hell?!
Frank freezes. "So I'm fired?"
"Yes, I never really liked you. You were always more loyal to my husband than you ever were to me."
Frank smiles. "Okay, well, now that I'm a free man, let me tell you this: you're a rotten person who will burn in hell. And once the young master wakes up, he won't forgive you for throwing out the woman he loves from the mansion."
Cynthia lifts her nose into the air. "My son would choose his mother every day of the week," she snorts. "Do you honestly think Noah would pick this nasty, poor woman over his own meat and blood?"
"Yes, I do," Frank says and walks forward. His eyes are on mine, and his jacket is hung over his arm. "Come, lady Natalie. Cynthia will most likely call the guards on us, so let's leave this place with our dignity in place."
"Yeah, but..." I look toward my dad with disappointment churning inside my stomach. It's heavier than lead. "Dad, are you honestly going to let Cynthia do whatever she wants? She hit me..."
My dad's response is to ignore me. He licks his fingertips and flips the page of his magazine. It makes Cynthia's expression go down a smug route, and her face is now nastier than a moment before.
"I believe his silence speaks volumes. Nobody likes you, Natalie. You're a filthy whore, and once my son wakes up, I will make sure that he will never contact or see you again."
I glare at her but say nothing. No, I'm better than that. I won't sink down to her level, so I get up from my seat and follow Frank. I'm grateful that he is kind enough to take me away from here and offer him a smile.
"Thank you, Frank. For letting me go with you."
"No problem. Now take this." Frank hands me his jacket. "It will be cold outside, and the car isn't warmed up."
Cynthia snorts. "You're not taking the car—it belongs to the Parker family, not you, Frank."
"I suppose we will grab a cab then," Frank says calmly. "Good night, Miss Parker. I hope you find a soul one of these days—I've heard you can buy them off eBay. Perhaps you should try their search button?"
With those words, Frank heads for the door. I silently follow him and let my eyes travel to my dad as we pass him.
He doesn't even look at me.
It makes my heart shatter into a thousand pieces. Both my parents have abandoned me. I know that I'm a grownup, but seriously? My dad is just as heartless as my mother.
Hurt seeps into my bones, and I take a deep breath, hoping Noah will soon wake up from his coma. I do not know if his current state is normal after an accident. But one thing is for sure, I'm worried beyond relief.
Noah can't die—we are supposed to raise a baby together. And if there is a god or any higher power, they must understand that, right?