A Life Reclaimed Chapter 2

My hands shook as I called back, but no one answered anymore.

I endured thirteen miserable hours on the overnight bus.

When I finally reached the hospital, I saw my father's body being wheeled from his room beneath a white sheet.

My mother had collapsed sobbing in my aunt's arms.

When she saw me arrive exhausted and filthy, she slapped me across the face and wailed, "Why did you only come now? Why? Do you know how much your father suffered waiting for you?"

My cheek burned.

I pushed through the people around the stretcher.

I lifted the sheet.

The twisted pain still visible on my father's face made my heart feel crushed in a fist.

One of the nurses moving him told me that several of his ribs had been fractured.

In his final agitation, he had deliberately broken his own ribs, desperately trying to stay conscious long enough for me to arrive.

But he eventually ran out of strength.

In the end, the son he had been waiting for never reached him in time.

At the funeral, I called Marissa more than thirty times.

Every call was rejected or ignored.

After the burial, my mother broke down and told me to get out.

If I had chosen to center my whole life around my wife and live under her roof, then from that day forward, she said she no longer had a son.

As the son nobody in my family wanted anymore, I quietly lit one final memorial candle for my father and boarded the bus back to Falconridge.

On the way, I messaged Graham Talbot, an attorney I hadn't spoken to in years.

"When you have time, help me prepare a divorce agreement."

After I sent the message, his status showed that he was typing.

A very long time passed before his reply finally came, only one word.

"Okay."

Another thirteen hours on the bus.

The moment I entered the house, I saw Marissa's intern, Tyler Beckett, holding Noah on his lap while they watched cartoons on the couch.

Marissa, who almost never cooked, hurried out of the kitchen carrying a spatula.

A peeled shrimp rested on the end.

She carefully blew on it before offering it toward Tyler. "Tyler, try this. Tell me if it's good."

Tyler bit into the shrimp and chewed with exaggerated appreciation.

Then he gave Marissa a bright smile and a thumbs-up. "Ms. Langley, you're an amazing cook."

Noah sat on Tyler's lap, clapping and tilting his head back.

"Mommy, I want one too. Me too."

The scene was so warm and easy that it could have been a stock photo of the perfect American family.

I had already rolled my suitcase into the bedroom before the three of them seemed to realize a fourth person had entered the house.

By the time I packed what I actually needed and came back out, their smiles were gone. They stood facing me as though preparing for battle.

Noah crossed his arms and pouted. "You worthless loser, why’d you have to come back now? You ruined everything."

Tyler approached with a friendly smile and slipped an arm around my shoulders.

"Adrian, don't misunderstand.

"You were gone for several days, and I worried Ms. Langley and Noah might be nervous alone, so I came by to help."

I smiled and patted the back of his hand. "Thank you. That must have been exhausting."

There was no anger, no accusation, and no order for him to leave.

My tone was warm and completely sincere.

Marissa reacted as though I had threatened him. She yanked Tyler behind her protectively.

"Adrian, who taught you to talk like that? Why are you suddenly so sarcastic? You disappear for days, and if Tyler hadn't come over, this whole house would have fallen apart."

I ignored Marissa's overreaction.

Instead, I kept smiling at Tyler behind her.