Alpha Billionaire Series

GAVIN

“Are you ready for this?” I held Madison's hand as she stood there outside of Drew's hospital room door. She clutche the small black velvet box to her stomach and nodded, though I wasn't certain she was ready at all. I'd seen her wrestling for weeks with her emotion. She had refused to talk to me every time I brought it up.

Now only three days before our wedding, we were saying goodbye to Drew for good. I couldn't get it over fast enougt Just the thought of Madison getting the closure she needed to feel better was compelling me to swallow my pride and be there for her. So, I held her hand as she shook.

“And you're sure Alice and Henry aren't coming?” She looked up at me, eyes pleading with me to make the pain go away.

“I'm certain, babe. They left earlier and said they'd be back tomorrow.” The sun had set over the city and most of the patients in this wing had their lights out already. I'd asked Cecil to leave Drew's lights on—told him there would be a final visitor tonight. Obediently, Cecil had obliged, leaving a loaf of home-baked bread sitting on Drew's nightstand with a note for the visitor to take and enjoy. But I doubted Madison would take it.

“Then let's do it. I just need to speak my piece and leave the ring. That's all. Then I know I will feel better.”

Part of me wanted to pick her up and carry her away, whisk her off to some deserted island somewhere we would never have to deal with any of this again. But that wasn’t practical. The hospital was looking at me for a promotion, and she had her family and friends around. If you are not reading this novel on Jo b nib.com, some paragraphs are incomplete. I was offered a position with a group of traveling physicians in Somalia, but I knew no matter how much adventure-seeking Madii did, that wasn't her type of thing.

As she stepped forward toward the room, I moved with her, my feet cement blocks. I opened the door and let her pass in, but I hovered by the door as she approached the bed. The room smelled like Alice's perfume, a stark reminder of many visits to this very room.

Madii sat down in the chair she would always sit in, just the same way I'd found her a hundred times. Her hair was tied back in a braid, but strands fell in her face, veiling her expression from my eyes. The monitors clicked and beeped like always, keeping tabs on Drew's vitals, and instinctively my eyes searched them. Everything was normal, except the way my heart felt watching my fiancé pick up and hold another man’s hand.

I pushed away the jealousy, knowing this was a permanent goodbye for him so I could have my future with her. But it still hurt.

“Um, Drew...” Madison was crying. I heard the way her voice shook as she spoke. I thought to grab her a box of tissue: but restrained myself. The sooner she got this over, the better. “I, uh, well I fell in love.”

She wiped her eyes with the back of her wrist and continued. “And, well, you wouldn't want me to sit here wasting away waiting on something that will never happen.”

She broke into sobs, laying across his bed, her head resting on his hip. I wanted to go to her and hold her, but she had to do this herself. My heart broke, hearing her talking to him like that. When she calmed herself, she sat up and continued.

“I need you to know that I love you. That you did everything right. You loved me so well; you cherished my heart. You were my best friend. We were just kids who grew up together. This isn't your fault. This is my fault. I'm the one who wanted that damn scuba diving trip and this all happened because I couldn't be happy rock climbing with you.”

As she cried softly, the pieces all started to click, why Madison stayed by him for so long. Yes, she deeply loved him, but she felt guilty. She blamed herself for his accident, and so she had stayed by his side for so long, much longer than others would have.

“Drew, I have to go now, okay? Because it's time for my life to move on. It's time for me to take the next adventure and run. I can’t wait anymore—not without hope.”

I felt like I'd been kicked in the gut. Guilt surged to the front of my mind. I had robbed her of that hope for months now. Hope that in some way may have tied her to this man lying in this bed helpless. But I'd kept it from her because of my own need to have her, my need to keep control of the situation so I didn't get hurt.

Scrubbing a hand down my face, I bit back the anger I felt. I was angry with myself, not her. She hadn't deserved to be kept in the dark, yet I'd done it. Shame weighed me down.

“I brought back your ring” She produced the ring, tucking it into his hand. “I know you can’t do anything with it, but I didn't feel right keeping it. You bought it for the woman you love, but I'm not that woman anymore. I've changed. I've grown and grown up. I just wish you were here to grow up with me.”

I heard some shuffling outside the door and glanced over my shoulder to see Cecil with a cart. I held my hand up to halt his entry, then quietly let myself out.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

“What's up?” he asked, ready to pounce on the room and run his tests.

“It's Madii. She's saying goodbye.”

Cecil's eyebrows rose. “Goodbye? Did something happen? I thought he was improving?” He stood on tiptoes, peering over my shoulder at the intimate scene.

“He is. But she has moved on.” I was grateful for the reprieve of being out in the hallway away from the intense guilt that pummeled me, but I wished I could be listening to those final words. It felt unnerving knowing she was with her ex privately, even if he was in a coma.

“You mean she’s just leaving him? Like she found someone new?” The way Cecil said the words stung. Maybe he was the sort of person who would have waited forever, and maybe I had been wrong for insisting Madison get on with he life. But I didn’t regret my choices, at least not the choice to encourage her to move on. When I'd made that decision, it had not been in an attempt to woo her away. I had been out of the years of experience I had. I had no way of knowing at the time that medicine would change, and new treatments would come available.

“Well, Cecil, she wasn’t married to him. She is 28 years old and has her whole life ahead of her. If he stays in a coma for I0 years more, she may miss her opportunity to be a mother. In fact, she’s missed so many great opportunities already.” I watched her dab her eyes with a tissue. She glanced up at the door then patted Drew's hand and stood. “Seems to me if you love someone enough, you just wait. No matter how long it takes, you just sit and wait.” Cecil pushed his cart closer to the door and waited. As Madii opened it, he smiled, nodded, and pushed his cart through. “Ready?” She reached for my hand, and I took it. She already looked lighter; her shoulders not slumped as badly. “Yeah, let's get out of here” I looked back at the door one last time as we walked away. Cecil stood there giving me a knowing look as I held her hand and guided her toward the elevators.

“Want to get dinner?” Madii leaned on my shoulder.

I did not want dinner. I wanted to vomit out all the guilt and remorse I felt for keeping all the secrets from her for so long. Regret ate at my soul.

“Sure. Dinner sounds nice.” I pushed the elevator button and waited for it to arrive. Madii turned to face me.

“He had a head bandage again. When did that happen? Was it because of the seizure?” Her questioning eyes lanced my heart.

“Uh, yeah. Alice and Henry decided to try some experimental procedures.” My heart wanted to unravel all the lies an half-truths, but not only had Alice specifically requested I not tell her, I knew deep down if I did, she would be angry. “Any improvement?”

I swallowed hard. “Nothing to note.”

The elevator doors slid open, and Madii turned away from me to enter it. If this guilt didn't let up soon, I would be a wreck for our wedding. Just three days...