Eight Years in the Shadows
1477 Words
Roberta's POV
"I will destroy every single one of them."
The words came out of me like something alive. Something that had been waiting in my chest for years.
Brett was still sitting beside the bed. His face was hard to read. His eyes were dark. He didn't say anything.
"I will make them pay," I said again. Louder this time. "Irene. Jace. Millie. The VIP. The hospital. All of them."
"Hey, can you just—"
"You don't understand." I tried to sit up higher. The room spun. I didn't care. "You don't know what they did to me. To my daughter. She was seven years old. Seven. And they used her. They took her bone marrow. They put her in a cab after surgery. And now she's... she's just gone."
Brett stood up. "First, you need to calm down."
"Don't tell me to calm down."
"Your body just woke up from a coma. You're not strong enough for this."
"I don't care if I'm strong enough." I looked at the tubes in my arm. The IV. The cannula under my nose. "I need to get out of here."
"Roberta—"
I ripped the cannula out first. The plastic tugged at my skin. It stung. I didn't care.
Then I reached for the IV.
"Stop this." Brett's voice was sharp. "You can't just—"
"Watch me."
I pulled the tape off. The needle slid out. A drop of blood welled up on my skin. I wiped it with the sheet.
Brett was staring at me. His jaw was tight.
"You're going to hurt yourself."
"I'm already hurt." I swung my legs over the side of the bed. The floor was cold under my feet. "Everything inside me is already hurt. So what's a little more?"
I stood up.
The room tilted.
The walls leaned left. The ceiling dropped. The floor came up too fast.
I was falling.
I felt it happening before I could stop it. My knees gave way. My hands reached for nothing. The air rushed past my face.
Then arms. Strong. Warm. Wrapped around my waist.
Brett caught me.
He held me against his chest. His body was solid. His heart was beating fast. Or maybe that was mine.
I looked up.
His face was close. Too close. His eyes were dark brown. Almost black. There was something in them I couldn't name.
His face. The same face. The same eyes. The same jaw.
From eight years ago. From the hotel room. From the night I gave my virginity to a stranger because I had thought that Jace had abandoned me.
Brett.
The man from that night. And possibly the father of my daughter.
He was holding me.
And he didn't even know who I was.
He looked away first. His jaw tightened. He steadied me on my feet and let go.
"You need to stay put," he said. His voice was rough. "This isn't the time. You need to focus on recovery."
I gathered myself. My legs were still shaking. But I stood up straight.
I took his hands off my waist. One at a time. Slowly.
"I have to go," I said.
"Go where?"
"Out of this hospital. Away from this bed. I can't stay here another minute while Jace and Millie are somehow having the best s*x of their lives."
Brett looked at me for a long time. Then he nodded.
"At least let me drive you."
I wanted to say no. I wanted to push past him and walk out the door and never look back.
But my legs were still weak. My head was still spinning. And something about his voice made me feel like I wasn't alone.
"Okay," I said.
The lobby was bright.
Too bright. The lights hurt my eyes. People moved past us in blurry shapes.
Brett walked beside me. Close enough that I could feel the heat from his arm. Close enough that I could have reached out and touched him.
Then I saw the Tv screen in the lobby.
A big television mounted on the wall. The news was on. A woman with perfect hair was holding a microphone. Behind her, a man in a suit was smiling.
Jace.
I stopped walking.
Brett stopped too. He looked at me. Then on the screen.
"Roberta—"
I couldn't hear him.
The screen was showing Jace. And next to him, Millie. She was wearing a white dress. Her hair was curled. Her smile was perfect.
Nolan was between them. Holding both their hands. Smiling.
The headline read: Jace Riggs Finally Introduces Wife and Heir After Eight Years of Privacy.
The reporter was talking. Her voice was bright. Cheerful.
"After eight years of keeping his personal life out of the spotlight, billionaire Jace Riggs has finally introduced the world to his wife, Millie Riggs, and their son, Nolan. The couple spoke exclusively with us today about their love story and their journey as a family."
The screen cut to Jace. He was holding Millie's hand. Looking at her like she was the only woman in the world.
"Millie is the love of my life," he said. "I've known her for years. She's been my rock. My support. I wouldn't be where I am today without her."
Millie smiled. Blushed. "Jace is too kind. We're just happy to finally share our family with the world."
The reporter asked about their son. Jace put his hand on Nolan's head.
"He's our miracle," Jace said. "He went through a difficult health crisis recently, but he's a fighter. Just like his mother."
Difficult health crisis.
Our miracle.
My hands were shaking.
He's talking about Nolan. The son who got my daughter's bone marrow. The son who lived while Ziva died.
And Millie. Standing there. Smiling. Playing the part of the loving wife.
She was Nolan's mother. She was the one who destroyed my family.
And now she was standing next to my husband. On television. Holding his hand. Being introduced as his wife.
His wife.
The word hit me like a slap.
I was his wife. For eight years. He kept me hidden. A secret.
And the moment I'm in a coma, the moment Ziva is dead, he puts her in my place.
"They're not human," I whispered. "They're not even human. Animals are better than them."
Brett didn't say anything. He just stood there. Watching me. Making sure I didn't fall.
I watched the screen until the segment ended. Until Jace's face disappeared. Until Millie's smile faded into the next story.
Then I walked to the door.
The car was warm.
Brett started the engine. He didn't look at me.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"The Riggs Architectural building. That's where the interview was held. That's where they are. Take me there now."
He hesitated. His hands stayed on the wheel.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
He didn't ask again. He put the car in drive and pulled out of the parking lot.
The city passed outside the window.
Buildings. Streets. People. All of it blurring together.
I thought about Ziva.
The way she used to run to the door when I came home. The way she said "Mommy." The way she held my hand when she was scared.
They used my daughter.
I should have fought harder. I should have stopped them. I should have—
"Can I ask you something?"
Brett's voice cut through my thoughts.
I looked at him. His eyes were on the road.
"You're really Jace Riggs's wife?"
"Yes."
"For eight years?"
I nodded.
He was quiet for a moment. Then: "Is Jace Ziva's father?"
The question landed in my chest like a stone.
Is Jace Ziva's father?
I thought about the DNA test. The papers Jace showed me. The numbers that said zero. Zero percent probability.
I thought about Millie. About the results she picked up. About the results she claimed Jace wasn't the father.
What if Ziva really isn't Jace's daughter?
Then she's—
I looked at Brett.
His hands on the wheel. His jaw. His eyes.
Then she's his. She could be Brett's daughter.
Oh God. I really don't know whose daughter Ziva was.
The thought made my heart race.
The tears came before I could stop them.
Not quiet tears. Not the kind you can hide.
Loud tears. Ugly tears. The kind that come from somewhere deep and don't care who's watching.
I put my hands over my face. My body shook.
Brett didn't say anything.
Then the car slowed. Stopped.
I looked up. We were on an empty street. Trees on both sides. No buildings. No people.
He opened his door. Got out. He walked around the front of the car.
He opened my door.
He stood there. Tall. Broad. His face was hard to read.
"Come out," he said.
"What?"
"Come out of the car."
- Writer
