To Have It All(86)

Reaching up, she brushed some hair from his face. “Do you believe in miracles, Waverly?”

I held my breath for a moment, unsure of how to answer. “I don’t know,” I finally answered, as I cried, unable to hold it in any longer. “I want to, but none of this seems very miracle like. I feel like I’m being punished.”

“Hmm,” she mumbled. “It’s all about perception.”

“Not sure how else to perceive this.”

“Few people are given the chance to see life in a different way.”

My mind whirled as it tried to understand this version of Pearl. She was mentally unwell, right? Hadn’t I seen her petting a stuffed cat like it was her pet? I’d never met her, and according to Liam she was out of it and needed professional help, but as I watched her, I felt like there may have been so much more to Pearl than that, and there was definitely more to the story. With a deep breath, I attempted to calm myself, something inside of me caused me to listen to Pearl closely.

“He’s been from average Joe, to dirty bum, to a man with great wealth. Liam has seen much.”

My breath hitched as I dissected her words. ‘To a man with great wealth,’ she’d said. Which meant she knew Max and Liam had switched bodies? Narrowing my eyes at her, I asked, “You know?”

She grinned as if I were ridiculous as she cut her gaze to me. “Of course I know.”

“H-how?” I sputtered. “How do you know?”

“Because it’s my job to know.”

I wanted to reach out and throttle her. She kept talking in riddles and vague answers. Nothing was making any sense. “Your job?”

Stepping toward me, she stared me dead in the eyes. “Ever heard of Karma?”

My heartbeat whooshed in my ears. Was Pearl really a part of this? Did she have something to do with it somehow? Or was she a lady who suffered from delusions and I was so desperate for an answer to everything that I was buying it. Keeping my stare locked with hers, I waited for her to go on.

“I don’t understand,” I breathed.

Resting her hand on Liam’s arm again, she sighed. “You’re not being punished, Waverly, and neither is Liam. Liam is a special man. There are few people in this world that would watch out for a crazy old lady who they had no ties to.”

“Then why are you punishing him?”

“I’m not. If you look at it the right way, maybe you’ll see all of this as a reward.”

I gaped at her like she was a lunatic. “Reward?” I seethed. “How is this man you claim is your friend dying a reward?”

“You need time to gain perspective, but we don’t have time for that now, it’s almost time.”

I gripped the railing of the bed, my knuckles whitening as fear walked its arctic fingers up my spine. “Almost time for what?”

Pearl frowned. “Max’s choice.”

The blood drained from my face. What did that mean? If anything involved Max making a choice I knew it couldn’t be good. “Choice?”

She brushed off some invisible dirt on her dress before meeting my intense stare. “Max must choose to live or die,” she stated simply.

I rushed around the bed, cornering her. “What does that mean?” I shrieked.

Glancing back at Liam’s body, she quirked her mouth up on one side. “It means his choice decides Liam’s fate.”

My heart thunked to the pit of my stomach. “Are you saying Liam will die if Max chooses to?”

Her mouth tightened, and she tilted her head, her gaze soft as it fixed on me. “Yes.”

I shook my head adamantly. “No. How could you let that happen to him? He looked out for you. He even bought you that stupid cat. He was your friend. Max hasn’t done anything for anyone but himself.” I was yelling at her, my voice hoarse with emotion. “How is it fair he gets to choose and Liam doesn’t?”

“Because Liam did choose. He chose to give his life to save another. But Max didn’t want to be saved.”

I don’t understand,” I hiccupped. “What are you telling me?”

“Max purposely stepped out into traffic that day.” Her mouth tightened for a moment as she seemed to try and compose herself. “It wasn’t an accident. He left Liam to die because he was scared. In his mind, he’d killed him.”

I knew I was standing, that my feet were planted firmly on the cold tiled floor, but I felt like I was falling. “He wanted to get hit by a car and die?” I confirmed.

She bobbed her once, letting me know I had it right.

Disbelief zipped up my backbone, twisting my sadness into anger. I glared at her as I took a step toward her. “So Max is rewarded with not one, but two chances after he intentionally tried to kill himself, but Liam,” I paused as I clenched my fist to my mouth, reminding myself to keep calm, “Liam gets his fate left in Max’s hands? What the fuck kind of Karma is that?” I seethed.

“Liam saved him. He gave his life. I did not take it,” she explained, her hand raising in defense as she noted my anger. “I could have let them both die. But I didn’t. I wanted Max to choose and save them both.”

“Why? Tell me why Max gets to choose?”

“Because it was my last chance to save Max’s soul.”