Page 53 of More Than a Match

My mother stares at me, mouth agape. She doesn’t seem to be protesting, so I continue, allowing my thoughts to finally pour freely.

“You’ve always thought you know what’s best for me. And I know that you only have my best interests at heart and think you’re guiding me well. But you’ve been so blind, both of you. There’s so much more I want… no, I need, than money and success. I need to be loved. I need to be cherished. I need to be valued as a person, not just for what I bring to the table. And Alex gives me that.”

“Because he’s using you for your success! Don’t you think if you were just some lowly janitor like he is, that he wouldn’t give you a second thought?”

“That’s a disgusting thought, Mother. Alex doesn’t see people like that. He doesn’t value them for what’s in their bank account or what their status is. Does he wish he had more to offer? Probably. We all do. But he’s done the best he can with the life he’s been given. And considering what he had to deal with, I think he’s done pretty damn well for himself!” I realize that I’m yelling now, and my parents both look shell-shocked. I’ve never spoken to them like this before.

I soften my tone and sink into the chair opposite them. “I’m sorry for losing my temper. I’ve had a very difficult day, and I don’t mean to take it out on you. This is just something I feel very passionately about. Alex has been there for me in so many ways. In ways I didn’t even know I needed someone. He has already put me first so many times, and has given me the opportunity to experience love that I only thought existed in fairytales. I love him. And I want you to love him, too. Money or no money, status or not. I wish you could see him the way that I do.”

“I just don’t think—” my mother begins, but my father interjects this time.

“I see him,” he says. “I saw him when he was here. The things he said, the way he looks at you… this is love. That, I can accept.” His tone sharpens slightly as he glares admonishingly at me. “What I can’t condone is that you lied to us. Both of you. Lied to our faces and let us believe he was someone he isn’t.”

“I understand, Papa. We were wrong to lie. We always wanted to tell you. Him especially. He hated the idea of lying to you at all. It was me. I was afraid you wouldn’t even give him a chance if you knew the truth up front.”

My father sits back and sighs. “You’re right. We probably wouldn’t have.”

“Now, you don’t know that!” my mother spouts indignantly. “We weren’t given the opportunity to even try!”

“Can you honestly say you would, mom? Even in this conversation now, you called him a ‘lowly janitor’ and insinuated he’s a gold digger. That doesn’t sound like someone who would have given him a chance.”

She crosses her arms and mutters something under her breath, and my father places his hand on her leg.

“Mina, we love you. We will always love you, that will never change. But right now we are feeling betrayed. If you want to be with Alex, and you think you love him, that’s fine. We can’t stand in your way. You are a strong, intelligent adult capable of making your own decisions. We won’t stand in the way of your happiness. But it may take a while before we are willing to open our hearts back up to him. We need to heal from this, and trust has to be rebuilt before we can all move forward.”

“I understand, Papa.”

“Now come here and give me a hug. My heart needs it, and I think yours does, too.”

We both rise and my father wraps me tightly in a hug. He was right. My heart really did need this. With everything finally out in the open, I feel free, but also completely exhausted.

“Now, what can we do about this scoundrel who hurt you?”

“Nothing, HR at the hospital is taking care of it. He’s been harassing Alex too, so we made a report today. There are other witnesses, so hopefully this is all handled quickly.”

“Ok, if you say so. But if you do need us to do anything, your mother and I are here.”

I glance down at my mom, who is still sitting there pouting.

“I’m going to head to my room and crash out for a while. I’m so exhausted.” I lean over and kiss my mother’s head. “I love you.”

“I’ll wake you know when dinner’s ready,” she replies, and I know she means she loves me too.

I make my way to my room and close the door, then quickly climb into bed. I don’t even bother undressing first. I just need to rest.

CHAPTER 36: ALEX

I’m finally done for the day, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Today was a weird one. I still haven’t heard from Mina, but she said she’d tell me what happened. Maybe this conversation with her family is taking longer than she thought.

I turn down the hall and I can feel my temperature start to rise.There he is. Doctor Visera. I never considered myself the type of person to have a nemesis, and yet here we are. I take a deep breath, focusing on putting one foot in front of the other. As long as he doesn’t try to engage, I can make it out of here without an issue.If he starts something though… I try to shove those thoughts away. I can’t afford to catch an assault charge, even if every bone in my body is screaming at me to drive his stupid face through the wall for what he did to Mina. Her words to me keep echoing in my mind, keeping me anchored to sanity.

“Trust the system.”

That anchor breaks loose as he turns to look at me, a sneer painting his features even uglier than usual.

“You won’t be here much longer,” he grins. “Enjoy it while you can, scumbag.”

All hell breaks loose in my mind, and my instincts take over. I grab the front of his white coat and pull him toward me, my face inches from his own.

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