Loving the Homewrecker (BOOK 3)

36

Adora

There was a deafening silence in the waiting room, everyone's knees bouncing up and down rapidly.

Asad had been pretty much forced to calm me down, considering I freaked out the minute I got to the hospital and saw him waiting on me.

"I brought coffees," Toni said, walking into the waiting room with a cup holder full of coffees, "thought they'd be therapeutic."

I was the first to reach up and grab a coffee.

I felt completely drained- I'd cried every single tear I had in me, I was pretty sure, and my mind was going in so many directions.

Was Santiago okay?

What had happened?

"You okay?" Asad asked.

"No," I answered, shaking my head as I took a sip of my coffee, "no, I'm not okay."

"Feel free to problem vomit," he said, taking a sip of his coffee.

"No," I said, "you wouldn't understand. And even if you did, I don't have the capacity in me to problem vomit."

"You're right," he said, "I don't understand."

I looked over at him.

"I don't understand why such terrible things happen to such amazing humans," he said, sighing, "if there was one thing to know about Santiago, it was that he was an amazing human."

"Stop saying was like his life is past tense," I said, shaking my head as I furrowed my brows, "he's not dying, I won't let him."

"But that's just the thing, everyone I've ever known, when something bad happens, they die," he said, "and there's just a part of me that feels like whether he dies or not is not your balls in the court."

"I know enough about death, trust me," I said, nodding over at him, "but I do swear, when you love someone, you will do anything to make sure they stay with you. That's just what it is."

He just sighed. "I don't really understand love like that, either. I mean, for God's sake, I can't even keep a one-week stand."

Toni just cocked an eyebrow up at him.

"Well I hope it comes to you one day," I said, flexing my jaw muscle as I looked away from him.

"You know," he said, "Santiago called me. He told me he left you a voicemail, kinda hoping you wouldn't pick up the phone, just because it'd be easier if he didn't hear your voice."

I just looked over at him, furrowed brows.

"And while we were on the phone, he told me that he wasn't going to see you again, t-"

"Stop," I said, my voice cracking with a cry, "stop it."

"He told me to make sure you were happy," he said, "to make sure you never settled for anything less than the world."

I tried to block out the sound of Asad's voice. He was saying things that I most definitely did not want to hear.

"And while I was on the phone with him, I heard it."

"You heard what?" I asked, looking over at him.

He looked down, flexing his jaw muscle. "The gunshot."

I stood up, holding a hand over my mouth as I cried, trying to control the noise.

Asad stood up and I just shook my head, walking out of the waiting room.