Chapter 74 074
CECILIA
I glanced over my shoulder as I walked down the hospital hallway, and sure enough, Emily was still sitting in the exact same spot.
Pathetic.
She hadn’t moved an inch.
Her shoulders were slumped, her face pale, her hair a tangled mess around her tear-streaked cheeks. She looked like someone had pulled the soul right out of her and left the shell behind.
I scoffed quietly and turned my head away.
Good.
Let her sit there and cry.
For once in her life she was exactly where she belonged. Outside of my son’s life.
I had prayed for this moment more times than I could count. Not the accident, of course. I would never wish harm on my son. But the separation. The distance between them. The clean break.
Emily had already walked away from him once.
Three years.
Three long, miserable years where my son had turned into a ghost of himself.
I remembered those nights clearly. Ryan sitting in the living room with a glass of whiskey he barely touched. His eyes distant. His shoulders heavy with something he refused to talk about.
My strong, confident boy had nearly crumbled because of that girl.
Because she left.
Now she had the nerve to come back and destroy his peace again.
First the drama. Then the arguments. Then this accident.
Disaster followed that girl like a shadow.
And I was done watching my son suffer because of her.
I pushed the hospital room door open.
The smell of antiseptic hit me immediately.
Ryan lay in the bed, propped up slightly against the pillows. His face looked better than it had earlier, though the bruises along his jaw were darkening. A bandage wrapped around his head. The IV line still ran into his arm.
But his eyes were open.
Alert.
Thinking.
Good.
That meant his mind was working.
“Welcome, ma’am.”
Miranda’s shaky voice pulled my attention away from Ryan.
She was standing near the corner of the room, hands clasped tightly in front of her like a nervous schoolgirl.
I smirked.
This girl.
I had noticed her the first day I saw her.
The way she looked at Ryan. The way her entire face softened whenever he walked into the room. The way she hovered around him like he was the center of her world.
She loved him.
Deeply.
And more importantly, she would never leave him.
That alone made her ten times better than Emily.
Ryan turned his head slightly when I approached the bed.
“Mom.”
His voice was still rough, but there was relief in it.
I walked to his bedside and rested my hand lightly on the blanket.
“How are you feeling?” I asked.
“Sore,” he admitted with a small wince. “And confused.”
I hummed softly.
“Doctors say you’ll be fine.”
He nodded slowly, but his eyes shifted toward the door.
“Who was that?”
I already knew who he meant.
I rolled my eyes before turning back to him.
“A nobody.”
Ryan frowned slightly.
“A nobody wouldn’t walk into the room like that, Mom.”
His voice held quiet suspicion.
“Who is she?”
I shrugged lightly, keeping my tone calm.
“She’s a nobody.”
His brows pulled together again.
“Then why does she look like someone just ripped her heart out?”
I felt irritation prick under my skin.
My son had always been too perceptive.
“Why are you asking so many questions about that girl,” I said smoothly, gesturing toward Miranda. “When your girlfriend is standing right in front of you?”
Ryan’s gaze shifted slowly.
He looked at Miranda.
The poor girl looked like she was about to faint.
Her shoulders were stiff. Her hands trembled slightly. Her eyes darted between Ryan and me like she was waiting for permission to breathe.
Ryan studied her for a moment.
Then he rolled his eyes and leaned back into the pillows.
“Please excuse me,” he said tiredly. “I need some privacy.”
Of course.
He always needed time alone when he was overwhelmed.
I gave a soft, understanding smile.
“Of course.”
I leaned forward and kissed his forehead gently.
“We’ll be right outside if you need anything.”
He gave a small nod.
Miranda and I stepped out of the room quietly.
The door clicked shut behind us.
The second we were alone in the hallway, my patience snapped.
I turned toward her sharply.
“Do you want my son or not?”
Miranda jumped like I had fired a gun.
“Yes,” she said quickly. “Yes, I like him, ma’am.”
Her voice trembled.
“But… it’s unfair to Emily.”
The name made my jaw tighten.
“Mr. Thompson really likes her,” Miranda continued nervously.
I grabbed her arm and pulled her closer before anyone walking past could overhear us.
“You listen to me,” I said quietly.
My voice was calm.
Cold.
Controlled.
“You are my son’s girlfriend.”
Her eyes widened.
“And you are Zara’s mother.”
She blinked rapidly.
“O… okay.”
I studied her face carefully.
She looked terrified.
Good.
Fear made people obedient.
“Good,” I said.
I leaned a little closer.
“So the next time you go in there…”
I nodded toward Ryan’s hospital room.
“You tell him your child wants to see her daddy.”
Miranda swallowed hard.
“And you tell him Zara likes you,” I continued. “Children adapt quickly. It shouldn’t be hard to make her call you mummy.”
Miranda stared at me like she was trying to process everything at once.
Then she nodded quickly.
Again.
And again.
Like one of those ridiculous lizard toys people put on dashboards.
I scoffed.
“Better make this work for me.”
I didn’t wait for a response.
I turned and walked back toward Ryan’s room.
And went back inside.