My Best Friend Saved Me, Then Stole My Fiancé And My Wedding Chapter 05

My Best Friend Saved Me, Then Stole My Fiancé And My Wedding Chapter 05

It was Maren’s medical paperwork.

Her name was at the top.

Two months pregnant.

The hallway went silent. Or maybe it was just his head.

The past few weeks crashed back into him.

Maren hadn’t been eating. She’d mentioned she couldn’t sleep.

None of them had paid attention. All eyes on Sloane.

They’d brushed her off every time.

Every ignored detail came flooding back at once.

His throat closed.

Guilt and grief hit him like the same wave.

The doctor held out another document. She looked like she didn’t want to say what came next.

“This is Miss Mercer’s neurological evaluation from six months ago. You should see it for yourself.”

Reid grabbed it.

[Patient: Sloane Mercer. Full recovery confirmed.]

Dated six months ago.

The doctor’s bolded signature on the page burned into him.

His hands wouldn’t stop shaking.

She’d been fine this whole time.

So why had she kept lying?

Sloane’s voice reached him from down the hall.

He turned.

Clarissa and Graham flanked Sloane, carrying her bags, holding her steady.

Sloane beamed and reached for him, arms wide.

“Reid! There you are.

“The doctor said I’m good to go! Can we do something tonight? All four of us. A little celebration at home?”

On any other day, Reid would have said yes without thinking.

Graham and Clarissa used to joke about it.

“If Sloane asked for a star, would you go get her one?”

And Reid would just smile.

“If she really wanted one, I’d find a way.”

There were moments when even Reid didn’t understand what he felt.

The way he yielded to Sloane. The softness in it. He couldn’t explain it anymore.

Was it guilt? Was it something else? He didn’t want to look too closely.

But this time, he pushed her away.

Sloane stumbled back, wide-eyed.

The look on his face stopped her cold.

“Sloane, I need you to answer something.”

“Do you really not remember what Maren and I were to each other?”

Something flickered behind Sloane’s eyes.

“Reid, what are you talking about?”

“You’re my husband. What does Maren have to do with any of this?”

Clarissa jumped in with a nervous laugh.

“Right, Reid. You’re getting confused. Didn’t you just marry Sloane yesterday?”

Graham scrambled to redirect.

“Yeah, you always say weird stuff when you’re in a good mood. So what are we eating tonight?”

Sloane clung to his arm again, her voice turning sweet.

“Did Maren say something about me?”

“Fine, I’ll admit it, I was harsh. She can come tonight if she wants.”

Reid held her gaze for a long tune. Then he laughed.

“Sloane, drop the act.”

The sweetness drained out of her face.

Reid tossed the evaluation at her feet.

Sloane saw what it was and screamed.

“No! Don’t look at that!”

She lunged for it.

Too late.

Clarissa already had it. Her face went white.

Graham read it over her shoulder.

He looked up at Sloane like he’d never seen her before.

“Sloane, you… You’ve been fine for six months?”

“Does that mean the pregnancy was on purpose too?”

Clarissa’s hands were shaking. She turned on Sloane.

“If you were fine, why didn’t you say something?”

“We spent nine months making Maren’s life hell so you could get better. And you were fine the whole time?”

Sloane’s composure cracked.

“Don’t believe that report! Maren forged it to set me up!”

“It’s Maren. She’s jealous because you all chose me. Because I took the wedding that was supposed to be hers! She made up this report to turn you against me!”

The words hung in the air. Nobody moved.

Sloane heard herself. Her hand flew to her mouth.

Reid let out a quiet laugh.

“Sloane. If you don’t remember anything, how did you know the wedding was Maren’s?”