CHAPTER 3
1073 Words
Lexi's POV
The hospital doors slid open, pulling me from my thoughts and filled my lungs with the sterile smell of disinfectant as I walked inside. My eyes scanned the lobby until they landed on Dr. Parker , who stood near the nurses’ station.
"Doctor, I'm here. I want to see my father first." I hurried over to say.
Dr. Parker looked up, his expression sympathetic. "Of course, Lexi. Let me check on him first."
I nodded, shifting on my feet as he disappeared down the hallway.
"You can see him now, he's a bit stable but needs to be operated on soon." A seering pain stabbed through my chest.
"Okay, Doc." I replied, swallowing hard.
He seemed to have perceived my fear so he patted my shoulder reassuringly before walking off to attend to another emergency.
I stood there staring at the door leading to my father’s room.
What if I walked in there and saw the man I loved fading away, knowing I had no way to stop it?
The thought of it alone sent shrivers down my spine.
Before I realized what I was doing, I turned away from his door and headed for the exit instead.
I had seventy-two hours to get the money.
The moment I stepped out of the hospital, the thick scent of antiseptic finally faded, but the suffocation in my chest remained heavier than it had ever been. I pulled my phone from my pocket, staring at the screen like it had the answers I needed.
I had to result to calling, begging, pleading. I had done it before and only a few helped
There was only one more person I could call.
The one person I never wanted to hear from again.
My mother.
Fifteen years. That’s how long it had been since I last spoke to her. Since the day she walked out and left my father and me behind like we were nothing.
I hesitated, my thumb jittery as I tapped on the screen. The phone rang continuously then, I heard her voice.
"Hello? Who’s this?" She said, cold and detached.
I swallowed hard. "It’s me… Lexi."
"Oh. Lexi. It’s been a long time." She replied, curious, surprised or confused, I don't know which to describe her tone.
"Mom, I need your help," I forced out my voice. "Dad is in the hospital. It's a very critical issue and he needs surgery, and I currently can't get any other means of providing the funds."
Silence crept through the line followed by a slow, calculated hum. "Hmm… interesting."
My heart pounded so hard, I thought it might crack my ribs. "Please, Mom. I have nowhere else to turn." I responded through gritted teeth.
She exhaled dramatically, as if my desperation bored her. "Meet me at La Leisure Café. Six o’clock."
"Mom, please, can’t we just..."
"In person, Lexi. And know this...nothing in this world comes for free."
Then the line went silent.
I stared at the phone in disbelief. I should have known.
With Sarah, it was never simple.
*** *** ***
La Leisure Café was the kind of place where people wasted money on overpriced wine and pretended their lives were perfect. Waiters in crisp uniforms moved between tables with practiced elegance and swiftness.
Sarah was already seated in her perfectly styled black hair and the designer dress hugged her frame in a way that screamed luxury. A glass of deep red wine swirling in her hand. She had barely changed, or should her say her face was the same but every other thing changed about her.
The moment she looked at me, her lips curled into a smirk. "Lexi, my girl. Still as beautiful as ever, Huh?"
I forced swallow the burning bitterness in my throat.
"Mom, I didn’t come here to sweet talk. I just need your help."
"And I told you, nothing comes for free."
Sighing , I requested. "What do you want?"
She leaned forward, her nails tapping against the table. "I want you to marry a man I’ve chosen for you."
My brain short-circuited. I blinked. "What?"
"You heard me." She sipped her wine slowly, savoring the horror on my face. "You will marry him. And within a short time, you will give him a child."
I felt the blood drain from my face. "You can’t be serious."
"But yes, I am." Her smirk widened, like she was enjoying my misery. "This is the only way I’ll help you. Otherwise..." She trailed off, but the message was clear.
If I refused, my father would die.
Cold sweat slid down my face. My fingers dug into my thighs, hidden under the table.
"You could've used Emily?" I rasped. "Why not make your precious daughter do this?"
Something flickered in her face for a while.. Was it annoyance?
"Because the man in question has a certain… reputation," she said, twirling her wine glass.
I couldn’t even call her my mother anymore, only smiled without giving a reply.
"You’re disgusting, Sarah." I spat in disdain.
"Suit yourself, dear." She stood, slipping her purse over her shoulder. "But if you walk out of here, know that you may never see your father alive again."
I shot up from my seat, my chair screeching against the marble. "You can’t do this to dad."
"Oh well!" She glanced at her nails as if this entire conversation was a waste of her time. "I hold all the cards, Lexi. You have no power here."
Tears stung the back of my eyes, but I refused to let them fall.
I had spent my entire life hating this woman. Swearing that I would never need her. And now, here I was trapped.
"Wait."
She stopped in her tracks and slowly turned back to me, amusement dancing in her cold eyes.
I hated myself for what I was about to do.
"I accept."
Her lips curled into a victorious smirk.
"Good girl. I knew you’d make the right choice."
I wanted to scream, flip the table and throw her damn wine glass against the wall. But instead, I forced myself to stand still, my nails digging deeper into my palms.
She pulled out a small envelope from her purse and slid it across the table toward me.
"His name and detailed contact." She paused, then continued.
I looked down at the envelope, and picked it up with my shaking hands.
It read. 'Julian Smith, CEO Smiths corporations.'
- Writer
