The best man

Chapter 10

As I continue to feed Conor, the atmosphere shifted. He looks at me intently, his grip tightening around my hand as if afraid to let go. "You know," he says, his voice thick with emotion, "it should have been you. I made a big mistake not seeing how amazing you are. I realized too late that you were the one for me, Lily."

His words hang in the air like a fragile promise, sending a rush of conflicting emotions swirling inside me. Just as I open my mouth to respond, the door swings open, and Anne Marie steps in, her arms wide as she rushes to hug him.

"Conor!" she exclaims, relief flooding her voice. "I was so worried about you!"

I instinctively step back, feeling a familiar pang of jealousy twist in my stomach as she wraps her arms around him, blocking my view. It is a jarring reminder of the life I had distanced myself from and the feelings I had tried to suppress.

The moment I step out of Conor's room, I take  a deep breath, trying to steady my racing heart. I lean  against the cool wall of the hospital corridor, letting the sterile scent wash over me, grounding me. I was still reeling from Conor's earlier confession, the weight of his words echoing in my mind. "It should have been you." What did that even mean?

As I stared at the flickering fluorescent lights above, the confusion I feeklt begins to settle into something sharper—regret mixed with an uncomfortable sense of betrayal. How can he say that when he has Anne?

I force my mind to clear as I pace a few steps away from the door, needing a moment to collect myself. That's when Anne Marie joines me in the hallway, a cautious look on her face.

"Lily?" she says softly, her tone a mix of concern and curiosity. "Are you okay?"

I nod quickly, though I am not sure it is true. "Yeah, I just... needed a breather," I admit, avoiding her gaze.

"I understand. It's a lot to take in," she replies, her voice gentle. "Conor means a lot to both of us, and this situation is just overwhelming."

She smiles slightly, though it doesn't reach her eyes. " You're a good person. I'm grateful for you, really."

"Thanks," I say, unsure how to respond to her.

There is a moment of silence before she continues, "I guess I just want to make sure we're all on the same page. Conor  can be difficult, but he can also be... sweet. He's just going through a lot right now."

Her words lingered in the air, and I feel an unsettling mix of emotions welling up inside me. "I'm sorry about that."

Anne takes a step closer, her expression softening. "I appreciate your honesty, Lily. I can see how much you care about him. Just know that I love him, even with all his flaws."

I swallow hard, biting back the guilt rising in my throat. "I'm glad to hear that."

She gives me a sympathetic smile, but I could see the apprehension in her eyes. I silently think about what Conor told me—that Anne is cold, distant, and that she cheated on him. But from what I saw earlier, she seems like the complete opposite. Caring, attentive, and genuinely worried about him. Is she just pretending? The thought unsettles me.

Maybe there's more to their relationship than Conor is letting on, or perhaps he's just seeing things through his own hurt. But the doubt creeps in anyway. Is Anne really the person Conor paints her to be, or is there something else beneath the surface that I'm missing?

With that, Anne turned to head back to Conor's room, leaving me standing there, wrestling with the conflicting feelings that threatened to overwhelm me. I felt a mixture of relief and anxiety as I stepped back into the corridor, knowing I had to keep my distance yet stay close enough to support him.