“To see Meesha.”
Her mouth tightens into a thin line. “Why? That girl never deserved you. This is your chance to move back to Canada and find someone worthy.” Her voice softens, becoming almost gentle. “Frédérique—”
“Stop, Maman.” I turn to face her fully, no longer willing to sidestep the truth. “I’ve allowed your interference for too long,”I continue, my voice low but resolute. “You’ve undermined my relationship with Meesha from the beginning. No more.”
Her face pales. “I would never—”
“You’ve done nothing but. The constant criticism. Bringing Fréd here. Calling the caterer behind our backs.”
“I only want what’s best for you—” she reaches toward me, her hand hovering in the space between us.
“What’s best for me is the woman I love.” I take a deep breath before saying the words I should have years ago. “I need you to understand something clearly. If you can’t respect my choices, if you continue trying to manipulate my relationships, I will cut you out of my life.”
Her face drains of color. “You don’t mean that.”
“I do. I love you, Maman. But I choose Meesha. I will always choose her.”
Her eyes widen with shock. “You would choose her over your own mother?”
“I shouldn’t have to choose at all.” I grab my jacket and keys. “But yes, if forced, I choose Meesha.”
“Even with her infidelity?” The question is a last attempt to wound me.
“Even with her mistake,” I correct firmly.
Maman’s shoulders sag. “And if she hurts you again?”
“Then I’ll deal with it,” I say, softening my tone. “But that’s for me to decide, not you. When I return with Meesha, I expect you to treat her with respect.” I step toward the door, pausing for one final clarification. “And Maman? Fréd needs to start packing. We can find you a nurse here if you truly need one.”
Her lips part in shock, but I’m already moving, propelled by clarity and purpose. Trust can be rebuilt. Hearts can heal. But a life without Meesha isn’t one I’m willing to live.
Meesha
“How did she takeit?” I ask, checking Kayla’s vitals on the monitor. Her discharge is scheduled for tomorrow, a success story in a week that’s otherwise felt like a personal apocalypse.
Kayla’s fingers twist the edge of her blanket. “She cried for two hours straight.”
My heart constricts. Five days since Connor walked out, and my own tears still come without warning.
“I’m sorry. That must have been awful.”
“It was,” she admits, meeting my eyes. “But then something weird happened. After all that crying, she hugged me.”
I pause, chart forgotten in my hands. “She hugged you?”
Kayla nods with a hint of wonder on her face. “She said she was devastated, but at least now she understood why I’d been acting so strange. That not knowing was worse than the truth.”
While this sixteen-year-old found the courage to face her mistake, I’d hidden mine until it exploded in my face.
“The thing is,” Kayla continues, “she said if Asher had told her, or if she’d found out some other way instead of hearingit from me...” She shrugs. “She thinks it would have broken us completely.”
I swallow hard, remembering Dennis’s smug face at Kamal’s party and the revelation that shattered my world.
“So you’re okay?” I ask.
“Not yet.” Kayla’s smile is small but genuine. “But we’re talking. That’s something, right?”
“That’s everything,” I say.
