Unveiled (Torn #6)(6)
I released a frustrated sigh right as they caught themselves and started to finish what they had intended to do to begin with.
“Why don’t you give Brody a call? I’ll head over to the nurse’s station and inquire about any information.” Bright, glowing blue eyes locked onto mine, full of worry, full of understanding and bottomless love. “I’ll be right back,” he murmured before planting a tiny kiss on the tip of my nose then departing in his usual manner of casual elegance.
Instead of calling Brody, I stood trancelike, feeling at a loss without him next to me, while my gaze followed his direction. Just like earlier, the three nurses hovered around their computers and phones, giving him an overeager smile and listening to him talk as if he was God preaching the Old Testament. It didn’t take long until he was on his way back to me, masking his frown when he saw me in the same position I had been in minutes before.
It was rather unlike me to feel vulnerable; however, I sure felt it, and I loathed every second of it seeping into my blood, as if I had no willpower of my own. I felt like that little girl again, utterly lost and broken.
“Your brother is in stable condition, though they said he had severe alcohol poisoning.” His lips thinned as he guided us in a different direction.
I nodded before giving him a questioning look. “How’d you get them to give you info?” From what I knew, you had to be a family member to know such important information.
He made a confident, crooked smile. “Easy. I simply told them I was his brother-in-law.”
“Ex … brother-in-law.” I had to insert that in case he had forgotten how we had gotten into this awkward phase of our relationship, all thanks to my stupidity.
He tightened his arm around the back of my hips. “Yes, but they don’t know that, do they, yineka mou?” He brushed his lips on the back of my ear, leaving a chaste kiss on the sensitive skin. “This is not the time nor the place to rehash the failure of our marriage. Being here because of what your brother’s done is enough to remind me of the kind of ghosts I had to chase away after you left me. I’m thankful I hadn’t gone this route, though I admit I was toying with the idea.”
His blatant admission made me halt my steps, eyeing him wildly just as the guilt started to unleash its ugly head once more. “You had women—Claudine—with you at all times. You were always preoccupied.” I was trying to reason with him, not wanting to believe how I had truly damaged him. Had it been that bad, like Emma had done to Carter?
“I had a lot of company—Claudine being the constant amongst the rest—but that didn’t change a thing. A body can be easily distracted, but my mind and heart were always thinking of you and how happy you were to be with Brody. The eviscerating pain wouldn’t disappear. Numbing it with alcohol worked from time to time, yet there were moments where I had to keep consuming more just so I was too inebriated to function. Even with my head pounding, I still thought of you.”
Tears prickled. How could such confident men be unbelievably vulnerable when falling in love? Was that why they turned into *s, because they had their hearts stomped on in the first place? Maybe so. I sure as hell had done the same.
“I hate myself for putting you through that. You must know how sorry I am. I promise I won’t ever be that selfish—”
Dimitris made a chuckling sound before wrapping his arms around me, enveloping me with his warmth and mouth-watering smell that left me utterly breathless. “The journey you and I had makes us who we are today. Don’t ever hate yourself, because I love you, Lindsey Mason. I haven’t stopped, not even a day since after I vowed to love you for the rest of our lives. Let the past lesson be our guide to a better future, not the other way around. We can only go forward from here. Don’t look back, or it’ll keep chasing you. I’m here with you, not with any other woman, because I chose you, Lindsey.”
Making a shaky nod, I let his words calm me down. How ridiculous was I to be breaking apart when we were minutes away from seeing Carter? Was I truly losing my mind? What was going on with me and being so highly emotional all of a sudden. Goodness, if Trista were here, she’d accuse me of hiding a pregnancy. However, I wasn’t pregnant; therefore, I was left with the reasoning of simply being a total wreck.
Mentally pushing my own demons aside, I steeled myself, knowing I would have to put on the bravest front while handling my brother’s situation. I wouldn’t let Carter or any of my friends know how this accident was bringing my ugly past to the forefront of my mind.
Chapter 4
Lindsey
Pale. It was the first thing that popped into my mind the moment my eyes landed on my brother lying against the stark white sheets of the hospital bed. A soft sob caught in my throat just from gazing at him. The soccer star who had once been said to have a promising future didn’t seem to be heading towards shining opportunity any time soon.
Taking small, shaky steps towards him while Dimitris stayed back to give me space, my eyes lingered on his ashen pallor, even with his tanned complexion. A sudden flashback of Carter when we were young, playing outdoors while he tried to teach me how to kick a ball properly in our backyard, played before my very eyes.
The sun had been shining on him while he had been patiently talking to me, and I remembered thinking I was a lucky girl to have such an attentive brother. It was one of the times where he and I had bonded, though I had no skill or luck making a goal when sparring against him.