Sins of a Black Diamond Bride

CHAPTER 4

I looked up at the stranger in the wheelchair. My voice came out shaking. “Who are you? Why did you sound so much like my mom?”

He did not answer right away. He wheeled his chair closer until he sat right beside me on the grass.

My legs gave out. I dropped to my knees. He reached out without a word and stroked my hair gently. His touch felt soft and steady.

A moment later he said quietly, “I’m sorry for your loss.”

I sniffed and lifted my head. Tears blurred my eyes as I looked at him.

He added, “The news has been all over the state.”

That broke me again. I dropped my head onto his legs and cried louder. My shoulders shook hard with every sob.

Then he whispered, “Happy birthday, Veda.”

The words cut deep. I gasped between sobs. “I don’t want to be twenty-two anymore. Please, God… take me back to twenty-one. I want to stay twenty-one forever if it means this pain goes away. I don’t want this life. I don’t want any of it.”

My voice cracked until it became a whisper. The birthday I had waited for all year now felt like a heavy weight on my chest. I would give anything, anything at all, to go back to the day before everything was stolen from me.

I kept crying, lost in the darkness inside me.

“Veda!”

Nanny Maureen’s voice cut through the air. Anthony’s voice followed. They rushed toward me.

The moment I saw them I pushed myself up and ran into Nanny Maureen’s open arms. She held me tight and rocked me slowly, like I was small again. I buried my face in her chest and cried.

Anthony rubbed slow circles on my back. “I’m here now,” he whispered. “I’m never leaving. I’ll be with you every step of the way.”

I pulled away from Nanny Maureen and fell into Anthony’s arms. “Please don’t ever leave me,” I begged. My voice broke. “Please.”

“I won’t,” he said. He cupped my face with both hands and wiped my tears with his thumbs. “I love you so much. I’ll be here through all of this. You’re not alone.”

He kissed my forehead, then both of my eyes, and pulled me close again. I held onto him like he was the only steady thing left.

Nanny Maureen spoke gently. “We need to get her back inside so she can rest.”

I turned to look for the stranger, but his wheelchair was already gone.

Anthony nodded. He lifted me off the ground and carried me back to the hospital room. I clung to his neck. He laid me on the bed and sat beside me, pulling my head onto his chest.

Nanny Maureen said, “I’ll go speak to the doctor about what happens next.”

Anthony nodded. “I’ll stay with her.”

Once she left, Anthony kissed the top of my head and whispered, “Happy birthday.”

I did not answer. My mind felt far away. Now it was only Anthony and Nanny Maureen. They were all the family I had left. I had missed my final exams. Everything had changed in one day.

I raised my head and looked at his face. “Promise me again,” I begged. “Promise you’ll never leave me.”

He kissed my forehead softly. “I promise. You’re my life. I love you… so much.”

I reached up and pressed my lips to his. Tears slipped from my closed eyes as we kissed.

Nanny Maureen walked back in. She tried to smile. “The doctor says you’re in good shape to be discharged, but they want to keep you overnight for observation. You can go home tomorrow.”

Anthony smiled down at me. “That’s great news. You’ll be going home tomorrow.”

Nanny Maureen hesitated, then asked carefully, “In that case, I’ll go arrange things back home. You’ve been away for four whole weeks.”

“There won’t be any need for that, Nanny Maureen,” I said quietly. “I’ll be moving back home, back to the House of Rain. I want to be close to their memories. That’s all I have now.”

“But Veda… are you sure you want to move back into the House of Rain? Do you think you can handle everything that goes on in that house?”

“I don’t care what happens there,” I said. “I just want to be close to my parents’ memories.”

Anthony nodded. “If that’s what you want, I’ll support you.”

Nanny Maureen looked worried. “And after you move in… what next? Will you take over the family business as the heiress to the House of Rain? Will you sit on your father’s throne as the new head of the House of Rain in the Chicago Mafia council?”

I lifted my head from Anthony’s chest. A single tear slipped from one eye. The weight of her question pressed heavy on my shoulders.

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The Next Morning

The doctor came in early and checked me one last time. He signed the discharge papers. Nanny Maureen helped me pack the few things I had. I changed into the simple black dress she brought from home. My leg bounced as I kept glancing at the clock.

“Where is Chase?” I asked again. “He should be here by now.”

Chase had driven for my mother for years. He was never late.

Nanny Maureen tried to calm me. “He’ll be here soon, sweetheart. I called him earlier.”

We waited longer. My hands twisted together in my lap. “Call him again, please. Something bad hasn’t happened again, has it? Chase is never late.”

Nanny Maureen nodded and stepped toward the door when she bumped into Anthony. She gave him a quiet nod, phone already at her ear, and left the room.

The moment she was gone I rushed into Anthony’s arms. He held me warm and close. I lifted my head and kissed him, needing to feel something solid.

When we pulled apart he asked softly, “The driver isn’t here yet?”

I shook my head.

“We can’t keep waiting,” he said. “I’ll take you both home myself.”

Nanny Maureen walked back in, her face tight with worry. “Chase isn’t picking up his calls.”

“There’s no need,” I told her. “Anthony is taking us home.”

She gathered my things quickly. We walked out of the room, down the hallway, and outside. Anthony held my hand the whole way.

Light rain fell outside. The morning sky looked gray and heavy. Cool air touched my face and carried the scent of wet pavement.

Anthony asked us to wait under the shelter. “I’ll bring the car around.”

He jogged off and soon returned in his black SUV. We climbed in. He drove us out of the hospital grounds and onto the highway toward the House of Rain.

I rested my head against the cool window and closed my eyes. I had not been home in almost three years. The house held so many memories. All I wanted now was quiet. With Anthony beside me, I hoped I could find it.

His hand slid into mine. I opened my eyes and looked down at our joined fingers, then up at his face.

He gave a soft smile and whispered, “I love you.”

I nodded and squeezed his hand tight. I brought it to my lips for a gentle kiss. “I love you too.”

“Whatever awaits us,” he said quietly, “we’ll go through it together.”

Nanny Maureen added from the back seat, her voice warm but tired, “And I’ll be here too. Come rain or shine.”

I closed my eyes again and held his hand like it was the only thing keeping me steady. The car moved closer to home with every mile.