Love by Contract

Chapter 4: What Lilly Heard

Rose POV

The ice pack had melted an hour ago, but I kept it pressed against my side anyway.

Lilly hadn't come down for breakfast.When I knocked on her door at seven-thirty, she said she wasn't hungry.

I'm sure she already knows about everything.

“You should see a doctor.”

I jumped, dropping the ice pack to the ground. James stood in the doorway, still in yesterday's shirt. He looked like he hadn't slept.

"I'm fine," I said to him.

"You're not. Sofia pushed you hard enough to leave a mark the size of my fist. You could have internal bleeding."

The concern in his voice felt wrong.

"Since when do you care?" The words escaped before I could stop them.

"You're still under contract. That makes you my responsibility."

Right. It was always about the contract.

I bent to pick up the ice pack, and pain shot through my side sharp enough to make me gasp.

"Hospital. Now," James said.

"No."

"Rose…"

"I said no," I straightened myself slowly, "I don't need your guilt driving me to the emergency room so you can feel better about what happened."

"This isn't about me feeling better."

"Everything with you is about you feeling better.

"You hit me because it made you feel in control. You sent Sofia away because it made you look like the hero. And now you want to take me to the hospital so you can tell yourself that you're not the villain in this story."

Silence stretched in the room.

"You're right."

"What?" I asked.

"You're totally right. Everything I've done since you told me about the pregnancy has been selfish."

My heart hammered against my ribs. This wasn't the James Scott I knew.

James's phone buzzed and he pulled it out. He glanced at the screen, and his whole body went rigid.

"What is it?" I asked.

He didn't respond. He just stared at the phone.

"James?"

"It's from Dr. Morrison, Bella's doctor."

"What does it say?"

He looked up at me and for the first time since I had known him, James Scott looked genuinely afraid.

"Your sister's kidney function is deteriorating faster than expected. They're saying she has maybe three weeks or four weeks at most,” James said reading from his phone.

"They found a match but the surgery needs to happen immediately, and the hospital is requiring full payment upfront before they'll schedule it."

"How much?"

"Three hundred and fifty thousand."

"I don't have three hundred and fifty thousand dollars."

"I know," He slipped his phone back into his pocket, "I'll pay for it."

The words stopped me cold.

"What?"

"The transplant. I'll pay for it."

"Why? What's the catch?"

"No catch," But something in his eyes said otherwise, "Consider it an amendment to our contract. I pay for Bella's surgery, and the arrangement stays the same."

It should have been an easy choice. My sister's life in exchange for six more months of my life.

"I need to think about it," I said quietly.

"Your sister has three weeks."

"I know, " My hand moved to my stomach, "But I need to think."

James studied me for a long moment.

"Fine. You have until Friday to decide."

He turned toward the door, then paused.

"And Rose, you should see a doctor about that bruise."

"Why do you care?"

He didn't answer, he just walked out of the kitchen.

From upstairs, I heard Lilly's door open. Small footsteps padded across the hallway, then stopped at the top of the stairs.

I looked up. She stood there in her school uniform and her backpack clutched in both hands, staring down at me.

"Is Bella going to die?" she asked.

"I don't know, sweetheart."

"Are you?"

The question knocked the air from my lungs.

"What? No, Lilly, I'm not going to die"

"I heard Ms. Sofia say the baby was gone. And you're hurt,” she said as her lower lips trembled, "Mommy got hurt before she died too."

Oh my God. She'd been carrying that memory alone all this time.

I moved to the stairs, ignoring the pain from my side, "Lilly, I'm not your mom and I'm not going to die. I promise."

"But the baby…"

"There is no baby anymore. It's gone, just like Ms. Sofia said."

"It's my fault,” Lilly said, tears gathered in her eyes.

"What? No, sweetheart."

"I wished it away," Tears flowed down her cheeks, "When you and Daddy were fighting, I wished really hard that the baby would disappear and then it was gone. I thought I killed it."

I took the stairs two at a time, and pulled Lilly into my arms. She buried her face in my shoulder, her whole body shaking.

"You didn't kill anything," I whispered to her, "None of this is your fault."

Behind us, I heard James's study door open. His footsteps approached, then stopped.

I looked up. He stood at the bottom of the stairs, watching us with an expression I couldn't read.

"She heard Sofia yesterday. She thinks she caused the abortion by wishing for it," I said quietly.

"Lilly…"

"I don't want to talk to you, Daddy," Lilly voiced out, "You're mean to everybody including Rose except Ms. Sofia."

James climbed the stairs slowly. He knelt in front of us, putting himself at eye level with his daughter, "You're right. I have been mean to everyone, especially to Rose."

He looked at me and paused.

"The baby being gone isn't your fault," James continued, "It's mine. I made a choice that I thought was right, but I didn't stop to think about who it would hurt."

Lilly looked at me, "Are you going to leave when Aunt Bella gets better?"

There was silence in the room.

"I don't know," I finally answered.

"I need to go. I have a meeting at ten," James said, as he stood up.

He walked toward the doorstep and paused.

"Give me your answer by Friday,” he said and left.

I pressed my hand against my stomach and wondered how many more secrets this house could hold before everything finally shattered