Page 56 of Second Draft

Dread trickles down my spine.

Carter immediately goes into fight mode. I see it in his stance. “She’s just visiting. We don’t want any trouble–”

“Trouble?” He barks. “That’s all that girl is. Trouble.”

Knowing the special moment was over, I place my mom’s hand back on the bed, and turn and meet my father’s glare with one of my own.

His face is red, lips drawn up in a scowl. When his eyes drop to the barely concealed rounding of my stomach, a look of pure disgust washes over his features.

“You taint your mother’s deathbed with your presence. Get out of here!”

“I came to–”

“I said, get out of here. Now.” He takes a step forward and looks like he’s about to physically remove me if I don’t do what he says, but Carter steps in front of him, shielding me.

The monitors that are hooked up to my Mom start to beep faster.

“Can’t you see you’re upsetting her by being here.” He pushes past us, then walks around the bed and takes my mother’s hand.

“Sir,” Carter says, his frustration barely contained. “We’re not here to cause trouble. Layla only wanted to see her mother. You can understand that.”

“Dad, please.”

“Donotcall me that. I’m not your father. You’re nothing to me. Just a little whore who can’t keep her legs closed.”

“You have no right to speak to her like that.” For a second, I think that Carter might hit him. His fingers are tight fists, and his nostrils flare, his breathing ragged.

“And you.” He looks at Carter, and I can see him taking in the tattoos, his scruff, the way he’s dressed. “You’re the heathen that got her knocked up again?”

Carter’s brows go down as he processes my father’s words. Or rather the one word –again.

I want to cry. To run. To lock myself in a room and never come out. First, I need to get away from here.

“Carter.” I place a hand on his arm. “Let’s go.”

He continues to glower at my father, like he’s still debating whether to take a shot at him. They stare at each other for a long, tense moment, until the door opens.

A nurse comes in, frowning when she looks between us all. “Is everything all right in here?”

“No.” My father yells. “I want them out of here. Call security if you have to.”

I don’t even wait to hear the nurse’s reaction. I rush out of the room, not even looking back to see if Carter is following me, because right now, I don’t care.

All I care about is getting the hell out of this damn hospital.

It doesn’t take long before Carter catches up, but he doesn’t reach for my hand like he normally does, instead he stays an arm length back, and when I glance back, his expression is darker than I’ve ever seen.

He doesn’t say a word, even when we get on the empty elevator, or as we walk to the parking garage.

Anger seems to vibrate off of him, and even the people around us seem to notice, practically jumping to get out of his way as we pass.

He’s furious. And he has every right to be. I can’t even imagine what he thinks of me right now.

This is the moment, the one I’ve been dreading all along. When this perfect little fairytale I’ve created with him comes crashing down around me.

Fear winds around my windpipe, making it difficult to breathe.

I knew he would react this way if he found out. Knew it would ruin everything.

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