Page 136 of An Inconvenient Marriage
Then I cried some more.
I had no idea how long I’d been lying on the hospital bed when someone wrapped their arms around me and drew me into a comforting embrace. It took me less than a second to recognize Everlee’s perfume. Somehow, knowing she was there, made me wail even more.
“I’m here.” She stroked a hand over my hair. “I’m here.”
More tears spilled over my lids and rolled down my cheeks. The more I tried to control it, the faster they fell.
“It hurts,” I finally sobbed.
Everlee gently pushed me back and wiped the hair stuck to my face out of the way. “What hurts, sweetie?”
“Everything.”
Before I could say anything else, a soft knock sounded on the door.
A nurse poked her head in not even a second later. “I’m sorry to bother you, but your husband has been asking to see you.”
Everlee jumped to her feet. Not knowing the entire story, she probably thought I wanted to see him, too.
Reaching out, I grabbed her hand so she couldn’t walk away. I felt her curious gaze on me as I spoke to the nurse. “He’s not my husband, and I don’t want to see him.”
The nurse’s brows dipped low, and it seemed like she was about to say something else, but I spoke first.
“The doctor said I was good to go. Can I leave now?”
I could tell she had questions. Thankfully, she thought better of voicing them. “Sure.”
She’d barely left when Everlee hissed, “What the hell is going on?”
I blinked away a fresh batch of tears and stared up at her. “Zach lied about everything. He was just using me to get back at my father because he blames him for his mother’s suicide.”
“What?” My friend’s eyes went wide.
“It’s a long story, and I promise to tell you everything as soon as we get out of here.” I chewed on my cheek for a moment, then blurted out, “Would it be okay if I stayed with you for a while? I don’t want to go to my father’s estate and I don’t want to be alone right now.”
“You know you don’t even have to ask.”
My entire body relaxed, and I released a breath I didn’t even know I was holding. “Thank you.”
She smiled, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. And when her gaze bounced between me and the open door, a horrible sense of foreboding slithered down my spine. Even more so when she nibbled on her lip and picked at her fingernails.
“Evie.” I swallowed in an attempt to ease my dry throat. “If you’d rather I stay somewhere else, I can go to—”
“No.” Her head snapped to me. “You’re staying with me. It’s just…” She took a deep audible breath. “I love you like I love Cece and I just want you to be sure this is what you really want.”
My brows pulled together. “What do you mean?”
“Are you sure you don’t want to talk to Zach?”
She’d barely said the words when I shook my head.
Holding her hands in front of her, palms facing me, she calmly added, “I don’t know exactly what happened but I know you. Nat, you have some pretty powerful feelings for him, and I’m positive he feels the same about you.”
I opened my mouth to protest, but she cut me off.
“He wasn’t just worried when he called me. He was a man desperate to findhis wife.”
“He called you?”
