Chapter 4: Abrupt Disaster
1120 Words
Evangeline
"Mom, we have to go." I panted as soon as I reached the lounge area where Mother sat with a cup of coffee, her fingers gently caressing the golden band that still sat on her ring finger.
"Go where?" She asked, her voice tiny and scratchy.
"It's no longer safe here. Margaret demands that we leave." I looked around, as if Margaret's minions were somehow going to materialize out of nowhere and drag us out of here.
"This is our home, Eva. She cannot kick us out." Mom's voice was surprisingly gentle, and for a moment, I wondered whether this was the same woman who'd had my fiancée unjustly deported, the same woman whose tone had never been gentle with me.
"You're just as dumb as I perceived, Susan Thatcher." I heard the low, acidic voice of Margaret from behind me and watched Mom instantly tense up.
"What are you doing here?"
"Taking what's mine. Now, what are you still doing here?" Magaret retorted.
"Mourning my husband's unexpected departure. Now, I appreciate that you've come to offer your condolences, but—"
"Oh, I'm not here to do any of that, Susan." Margaret's voice sounded like it was drenched in honey. But I knew better than to trust it.
"What are you here for then?" Mother finally asked after several seconds of tense silence.
"I'm here, Susan, to kick you off my son's property."
Mom's panic at Margaret's direct words was immediate.
"You cannot do that." Mother shook her head, her hands clutching the handrest of the handcrafted wooden chair she sat on. "This is my husband's house, which makes it mine by extension."
Mother waved out her hands wildly until they landed on me. Her grip was hard enough to stop blood flow.
"Get in touch with my husband's attorney, Eva."
"Oh, that is something I can help with." Margaret interrupted. I watched Margaret snap her finger, and in a second, one of her men appeared, phone in hand, offering it to Margaret.
I watched Margaret's perfectly manicured fingers dance over the screen so that a moment later, a manly voice filled the silence.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Calder. My name is Sebastian Sinclair, and I am your late husband's attorney and executor."
"Good morning, Mr. Sinclair. May I please have a copy of my husband's latest will?" I didn't miss the slight tremble in mother's voice.
"Of course, Mrs. Sinclair—"
"Oh, for heaven's sake. Read out the will, Sebastian. My son's latest concubine isn't only foolish, she's also blind."
"What?" I gasped at Margaret's brazen insult.
"Read out the will, Sebastian. And make it fast. I gave them a timeline to exit my property." Those dark eyes darkened with hatred as they locked on mine.
Everyone listened as Gavin's attorney read Gavin's will. He had bequeathed his property, assets, and every possession to his mother.
" Unfortunately, Mrs. Calder, you were not included in the late Mr. Gavin's will."
Mother's chair toppled forward, and I screamed as she landed on the floor.
"Mom!" I dropped to my knees beside her. My head swam as I shook Mother's immovable form.
"Mom, please wake up!"
Her eyes remained wide, her mouth still open in shock. Her breathing gone.
I turned quickly to Margaret, whose expression remained cold. Her men were behind her; none stepped forward to help.
Tears filled my eyes and desperation completely took over.
"Please," I began to beg as my face became wet with tears. "Help my mom, please." I sobbed, turning again to Mother.
"Mom, please wake up." I cried as I continued to shake her.
My face returned again to Margaret, who was now on her phone, unperturbed by the sight of my mom's crisis.
"Please! Help. I'll do anything you want."
Margaret rolled her eyes and stepped away.
"Please, get them out of here. We can't have the paparazzi capture this complete display of madness."
"Should we call 911?" One of the men asked Margaret's retreating figure.
"You should." Margaret responded without a second glance. "The young woman obviously has the intelligence of a burnt-out candle. The blind woman can die elsewhere."
****
As I watched the steady rise and fall of mother's heath rate on the monitor, I wondered whether my need for revenge had finally come back to haunt me.
Would Gavin still be alive if we both hadn't sexed in his private study while mother slept in their bedroom?
Tears spilled down my face, and I hastily swiped them away, ashamed of the pain that flooded my system.
Yes, I wanted my mom to feel the crashing pain of betrayal that I did, but not like this... Never like this.
The tears fell harder and my chest constricted so hard from the pain that pulled at me from every side that I found it hard to draw in air.
How did we go from owning everything to having nothing? Margaret's men had thrown us off Gavin's property, with only our clothes on our back.
How could one woman be so cruel?
I pulled my phone out of my bag and swiped to Luke's contact. I had saved it with a selfie we'd taken in his little studio apartment, curled up together in his ottoman, both in his t-shirts.
My fingers shook as I pressed dial and took the phone to my ear. But as always, the call went straight to voicemail.
This time, I couldn't resist the sob that escaped me after the beep.
"Luke, it's me. Please, call me back. I've made mistakes." I whispered, afraid that Mom could hear even though she was still out cold. The doctor had said she'd gone into a mild coma as a result of the news. But I still couldn't risk her knowing what I'd done.
"Things have happened, Luke." I continued morosely. "Things that you deserve to know. Please, let's talk. I know that what my mom did was unforgivable, but we can still make this work. We can, Luke. I miss you so badly." A loud sniffle.
"Please, call me back."
When I looked up, I found mom's eyes open, fear evident in their depth.
I rushed to her side, joy and relief bursting through me.
"Mom! You're awake. You gave me quite the scare!"
"I can't see anything." She turned in my direction, her expression full of questions.
"Why can't I see anything?" Her voice was a fearful whisper, eyes wide with panic.
"Mom? Are you alright?" I fought my rising panic at her question.
"Who are you, and why can't I see you?" She shouted. Her voice hoarse. Rough.
Fresh tears filled my eyes, and I pressed the intercom repeatedly for the doctor.
This couldn't be happening.
- Writer
