The Day My Husband Called Me His Sister Chapter 03

The Day My Husband Called Me His Sister Chapter 03

Adrian’s face gave nothing away. His voice turned clinical.

“He was the last kid Mr. Hawthorne took in before he passed away. Nolan. I think he’s doing some kind of tech startup now.”

He was watching my face the whole time.

I barely had time to nod before his tone shifted.

“But from what I’ve heard, the guy’s a mess. Total loose cannon. The first time Mr. Hawthorne visited him with a gift, Nolan thought he was a kidnapper. He shoved him into a ditch and just stood there laughing.”

Adrian locked his phone and slid it into his pocket. His voice softened.

“Trust me, Paige. He’s not the kind of guy you want.”

Adrian glanced out the window.

The sky had turned the color of a bruise, clouds pressing low over the city.

“Paige, you’re still recovering. I don’t want you going home by yourself, so I talked to Daniel and Lila. You can stay with them while I’m… while things settle down. Sound okay?”

Daniel Keller was a former colleague of Adrian’s. He and his wife, Lila Keller, bickered like it was a competitive sport.

They always joked that Adrian and I were their relationship goals: 3 years married, and they’d never once seen us fight.

Of course they hadn’t. Adrian never pushed, and I’d rather swallow my pride whole than admit something was wrong.

But after I got into Adrian’s car, we barely made it 2 blocks before his phone rang.

It connected through the car speakers.

“Adrian?” Evelyn’s voice filled the car. Soft. Warm.

Adrian’s jaw tightened, but he answered. A quiet “Mm.”

My nails bit into my palms.

She said his name again.

“Adrian, did you find Paige? Why did she run off like that?”

“Did I say something wrong? It’s all my fault. Adrian, you should be with her right now.”

“I might have a lung biopsy coming up. I looked into it. They put a needle through your chest wall, guided by a CT scan… Just local anesthesia, so I’ll be awake the whole time.”

“But it’s fine. I can handle it by myself.”

Her voice dropped. “Adrian, you don’t have to come. I’ll be fine. Anyway, I won won’t bother you two anymore.”

The call ended.

We were coming up on an intersection.

Left would take us to Daniel and Lila’s, another hour on the road. Right would loop back to the hospital.

I looked at Adrian.

His face was unreadable.

I opened my mouth. I was going to say it. Go back. She needs you more. I’m not that petty.

But Adrian had already hit the turn signal. He was pulling right.

The first raindrop hit the windshield.

Then the sky opened up.

I closed my mouth. Looked out the window.

Adrian finally spoke. “Paige, I’ll drop you off somewhere first. It’s close to the hospital. I’ll come back for you once I’m done with Evelyn.”

I turned. “Where?”

Adrian hesitated. He kept his eyes on the road, but I could see how tired he was.

“Evelyn’s been in and out of the hospital a lot… I bought a small apartment nearby. So I could be closer when she needs me.”

There were no words for what that felt like.

My husband had bought an apartment for another woman. A place for the two of them. So he could take care of her around the clock.

And I only found out because I’d “lost my memory.”

The rain hammered against the windows like it was trying to break through.

But something inside me went very still.

When we got to the apartment and Adrian opened the door, the place looked lived-in. Every inch of it.

Two pairs of slippers sat by the entryway. His and hers. No extras for guests.

Adrian pulled out the smaller pair and handed them to me.

“Wear these for now. I’ll get you a new pair on my way back.”

Before he left, he ruffled my hair one more time. “Roads are slick out there, so stay put. I’ll be back after I see Evelyn.” He paused at the door. “Be good, okay?”

The second the door closed behind him, I tore through every cabinet and drawer.

I found four twenty-dollar bills, grabbed the umbrella by the door, and left.

Adrian had held onto my phone since the accident. It was probably back at our real home.

I needed my phone. And my documents.

The rain had gotten worse. The wind caught my umbrella the second I opened it, flipping it inside out, and within a block my shoes were soaked through.

I took a cab to the house and punched in the door code.

My phone was right there on the entryway table. 1% battery.

I plugged it in, then went to the bedroom for my documents.

The wedding photo above the bed caught my eye. It looked like a joke now.

I was reaching for my suitcase in the closet when my phone rang.

The company I’d interviewed with last week.

“Hi, Ms. Hartwell. Our manager loved the proposal you submitted in the first round. We tried reaching you but couldn’t get through. Listen, we have a final interview slot at 2:30 today. If you can make it, you could start this afternoon.”

I stood there gripping my phone. For the first time all day, I could breathe.

“Yes, yes, I’ll be right there.”

I checked the time. Already 1:15.

I booked a rideshare, grabbed my bag, and ran.

The driver was a bald guy who started cursing about the traffic before I even had my seatbelt on.

I didn’t answer. I sat in the passenger seat and stared out the window, not really seeing anything.

Up ahead, I spotted a massive puddle at the curb and a guy walking next to it with an umbrella.

I squinted. Something about him looked familiar, but the car was already speeding up.

“Hey, there’s a puddle up there. Watch out, you’re going to splash him…”

Too late.

The car blew right through it. A wave of muddy water hit the guy head to toe.

I whipped around. He was just standing there, slowly lowering his umbrella.

His platinum-blond hair caught the light, painfully bright against the gray rain.

He raised his hand to flag down a cab.

I turned back around.

At the next intersection, another puddle, another person standing at the curb.

The driver did the exact same thing. Swerved toward the curb and gunned it.

But this time, the pedestrian pulled a brick from behind his back.

A heavy thud cracked against the back of the car.

The driver slammed the brakes, threw the car into park, and stormed out cursing.

My stomach dropped. I checked the time.

2:13. 5% battery.

I fired off a text to the recruiter.

[Sorry, something came up on the road. I might be a little late.]

A few minutes later, she replied.

[We have other candidates waiting. We can hold the spot until 3:00, but please hurry.]

I texted back a thank-you, then jumped out of the car without even opening my umbrella, hand up for a cab.

The driver grabbed my arm before I could flag one down.

“Hey, don’t go anywhere! You’re my passenger, you gotta be my witness. I didn’t see any puddle! That guy owes me for the damage!”

He yanked hard. My foot hit standing water and slipped out from under me.

I went down. Hard. Straight into the mud.

Both men went quiet.

Thunder rumbled overhead, and the rain came down harder.

The impact knocked the breath out of me. My thigh and palm were scraped raw against the concrete, stinging like fire.

Hair stuck to my face. Rain dripped off my chin.

I wanted Adrian so badly it hurt.

I wanted to break down right there.

But he wasn’t there. He was at the hospital, holding Evelyn’s hand like a husband.

I couldn’t cry. Not here. Not now. If I cried, I’d have nothing left.

Then I heard brakes screech behind me.

A yellow cab skidded to a stop. The back door swung open, and Nolan Whitaker stepped out.

He was covered in mud too. His shirt was half soaked through, and he looked like a drowned rat.

But he was grinning as he walked straight for the driver.

He punched the guy square in the gut.

The driver doubled over with a grunt, hit his knees, and went face-first into the mud.

Nolan shook out his hand, smiling wider.

“The best kind of revenge is the instant kind.”

Then he turned and saw me sitting in the mud.

“What the… he did this to you?” Nolan cracked his knuckles. “One punch wasn’t enough.”

He crouched down and offered me his hand. “Can you get up?”

I didn’t look at him.

I shoved myself up, grabbed my dripping handbag, and bolted for the cab Nolan had just gotten out of.

Nolan yelled after me. “Hey, that’s my cab!”

I threw myself into the back seat, pulled out 40 bucks, and shoved them at the driver. “I’ll cover his fare too. Double it. Just get me to this address.”

The driver hit the gas.

At 2:27, I made it to the building.

The recruiter took one look at me and her face fell.

“Um, Ms. Hartwell, I’m so sorry…”

“The position has just been filled. It was our manager’s call, and there’s nothing I can do…”

I closed my eyes and took a breath.

It was fine.

If this one fell through, I’d find another. I’d never been someone with only one option.

I’d just spent too long inside the bubble Adrian built around me.

Too long since I’d had to stand on my own.

I sat in the freezing waiting area until my legs went numb. Then I opened my bag.

My documents had turned into a lump of wet pulp. My phone screen was shattered. I pressed the button over and over. Nothing.

It was fine. It was fine.

By the time I got back to the apartment, it was dark. Still raining.

I opened the door to warm light.

The apartment smelled like food. On the stove, a white Dutch oven held the slow-cooked pot roast, steam curling up from under the lid.

Adrian stepped out of the kitchen in a bear-print apron, sleeves rolled to his elbows.

He looked ridiculous. And a little adorable.

The moment he saw me, his whole body went rigid.

“Paige?”

He was across the room in 2 steps, pulling the blanket off the couch and wrapping it around me. His hand went to my forehead.

“Where were you? How did you… did you go out by yourself? You’re soaking wet, you’re freezing. Just stay here. I’ll run a bath. Just… stay right here.”

He turned to go.

I grabbed the string of his apron.

Everything I’d been holding together all afternoon came apart at once.

“Adrian…”

My vision blurred. The tears came and I couldn’t stop them.

I pressed my face into his chest and sobbed.

His arms came around me. He held me tight, and I could feel it, the guilt, the tenderness, all of it pouring out of him.

“It’s okay. Everything’s okay now. Adrian’s here. I’m right here.”

He wasn’t my brother. He was my husband.

The man I’d promised to love and cherish, for better or worse, for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health, until death.

Why should I let another woman have him?

In that moment, I would have forgiven him for anything.

I looked up at him, tears still streaming. I was ready to say it.

I wanted to say it. I never forgot. I never forgot anything. And I missed you so much today.

“Adrian, I…”

“Paige? What happened? Why are you covered in mud?”

I turned. Evelyn was walking out of the bedroom in bear-print pajamas that matched Adrian’s apron. Her hair was down, loose around her shoulders.

She stood in the warm light, completely at ease.

She looked more at home here than I ever would.

“Evelyn.” Adrian’s arms loosened around me. Just a fraction, but I felt it. “Dinner’s not ready yet. You should rest a little more.”

Evelyn wrinkled her nose. “You always coddle me too much. If I sleep any more, I’ll mummify.”

She turned to me. “I was supposed to have the biopsy this afternoon, but I got too scared… Adrian said I didn’t have to do it today. That we’d push it to tomorrow and just come back here tonight to unwind.”

Her smile turned sheepish.

“So Adrian came back to make dinner. You should eat with us, Paige. There’s more than enough.”

I stood perfectly still. The cold went all the way through me.

Adrian’s eyes dropped to my shaking hands. I saw the worry cross his face.

“Paige, what were you about to say? Just now… what was it?”

“…It was nothing.”

I stepped back. Let his arms fall away.

“I already ate. I’m going to shower. You two go ahead.”