Page 58 of The Senator's Wife

“This is so awful,” Athena said.

He ran his hand along the steering wheel, then dropped it to his lap. “It won’t do any good to foster false hope. Sloane has central nervous system involvement. You’ve seen yourself what she’s going through. She’s suffering greatly.”

“Now it makes sense.”

“What?”

Athena sighed. “I wasn’t sure if I should say anything, but Sloane’s been saying some things that are concerning. She’s having some paranoid delusions.”

“Like what?”

“She thinks you’re cheating on her. First it was Yvette. Then she mentioned Madelyn Sawyer. I’m afraid she’s even accusedmeof being after you.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”

“I’ve seen it before. It doesn’t mean anything. We just have to take it with a grain of salt. If she insists on firing Yvette because of it, you just have to ignore it.”

Whit shook his head. “I knew she was having issues, but I didn’t realize it was this bad. I guess I should have known. When we got back from the doctor, she asked where we’d been. She didn’t even remember seeing him. She’s even worse than I thought. I hope she’s not mistreating you.”

“It’s fine. She can’t help what’s going on.”

Whit was quiet for a few minutes, then finally spoke again. “I went to see Harold yesterday. His wife had another stroke and is now completely paralyzed.”

Athena’s hand went to her mouth. “That’s so sad.”

“There’s nothing they can do for her now. She’s going to live like that for years. God only knows whether or not she’s aware of anything. It’s inhumane.”

Athena shook her head. “You’re right. Itisinhumane.”

“There’s more…” His voice trailed off. He hesitated, then leaned toward her. “I wasn’t going to tell you this. I promised Sloane I wouldn’t; she has so much pride.” He sighed. “Yesterday, she forgot who I was.”

Athena’s eyes widened. “What?”

“Yes, she had this look of total confusion in her eyes that terrified me. She asked what I was doing in her room. But then a moment later, she was back.”

Athena turned away and gazed out the window. “I’m so sorry. That’s terrible,” she said.

“It is. Like the person you love has disappeared.” He stopped a moment, letting the gravity of his words sink in. “Athena, I need to ask you something.”

“What is it?”

“I’m sure it’s no surprise that I look into everyone’s background before bringing them into my home. I am, after all, a public figure.”

She waited, saying nothing.

“Your husband. He died of a brain injury, right? A motorcycle accident?”

She nodded.

“But he didn’t die right away, did he?”

She took her time answering. “No. He was on life support. I hoped he’d recover, but…”

“So you must have gone through the same experience. The person is there in body, but you know that in every way that matters, they’re gone.”

“I…”

“Tell me you understand. Because I’m suddenly feeling very guilty about my feelings. My wife is alive, but she’s not reallyliving. I’m losing her, but I’ve found you. It feels like fate; like some divine intervention brought you into my life for a reason.”

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