Page 120 of Somehow You Knew

***

“I thought I wouldn’t have any more tears left by now, but I guess I was wrong.” I blow my nose again and toss the tissue into the growing pile on the couch cushion beside me.

“God, I’m so sorry, Hazel,” Laney says through the phone. It’s one in the morning, but I can’t sleep. Luckily, Laney is going through her own personal crisis, so she was up and called me as soon as she saw my text message.“What do I do?”

“You go back to the hospital in the morning like you told him you would.”

“But what if he keeps pushing me away? What if he’s dead set on using this as his reason not to be with me?”

“When you have a health condition, it’s normal to feel like a burden. Believe me, I know that feeling all too well.”

My chest tightens. “I know you do.”

Laney has type 1 diabetes, and I’ve seen firsthand how it’s affected her relationships. How it’s made her push people away before they could leave first.

“But Gage doesn’t have anyone,” I whisper.

“Even more of a reason to keep showing up for him.”

I let out a sigh. “God, how did I end up here?”

“Diane Kingston bribed you with 5.1 million dollars to marry her nephew.”

I nod. “Oh, yeah. That’s right.”

“And then you went and fell in love with him like she said you would.”

“Is this supposed to be helping?”

Laney laughs. “Yes, because even though you thought you were destined to be alone for the rest of your life, somehow she knew better.”

Her words hit deeper than I expect. I glance around my quiet apartment, the silence heavier than usual.

I miss him.

“I was wrong. I just hope that Gage realizes he is too.”

***

“Um, excuse me? I’m here to see Gage Kingston,” I say as the nurse continues to stare at her screen.

“Give me one second, hon.” Her eyes bounce all over the screen before her nose scrunches up. “That’s weird.”

“What is?”

When her eyes lift to mine, I can already tell I’m not going to like what she has to say. “Mr. Kingston checked out about an hour ago.”

“I’m sorry. What?”

She nods, looking back at the screen. “He’s not a patient in this hospital anymore. I’m sorry. He didn’t say anything to you?”

I look down at my phone, expecting to see a text or missed call from him.

But there’s nothing—which says a lot without saying anything at all.

Chapter twenty-two

Gage

---