Ch. 9
POV: KORI
"Ryland!" I call. "Ryland, wait!"
The front door slams behind him, and I thrust it open. He's standing directly on the other side, and I run right into him. Startled, I fall back a few steps. "God, I wasn't expecting you to stop."
He spins around instantly. "Oh my God, would you shut up?" he snaps.
"What the hell are you doing?" I snap back, shocked.
Archer's at my side a moment later, and he takes me by the shoulders and pulls me back a step towards him. "Ryland," he says, his eyes wide, "what's going on?"
"I'm leaving. You're staying here," Ryland says. His arms are crossed over his chest tightly, the muscles in his biceps flexing. He scowls down at me, never even glancing in Archer’s direction. There's something like pain in his eyes. Whatever he just heard on that phone call has him on the verge of a panic attack.
"Where are you going? What about the project?" I ask, reaching my hand out to…do what? Take his hand? I don’t know. I run it through my hair instead.
“Something’s come up.” Ryland runs his right hand down his face, shaking his head slightly. “Just…fuck, I don't care. Stay here.”
“I can't just sit around in your house.” I throw my hands up, almost smacking Archer in the mouth. “At least let me come with you.”
"Absolutely not," Ryland growls. "Just go home then."
"You want me to walk home?"
"You walked here like two days ago, did you not?"
“Guys, guys!” Archer says, waving his hands in front of Ryland’s face. Ryland’s gaze finally snaps over to him, and he says, “please calm down. Ryland, just tell us what’s wrong. Who was that on the phone?”
“Dad.” Ryland hisses the word like it’s some terrible disease. “He said my mom’s in the hospital. So if you two don’t mind, I’m leaving to go see her. Archer, get back inside.”
Archer stiffens. I watch the muscles in his jaw flex as the brothers stare at each other. For once, Archer’s face is set serious and unwavering, nothing like the shy boy I'm used to. But Ryland is an unmovable force, his lips curled back in a snarl, the challenge written clearly on his face. After a moment, Archer takes a step backwards, towards the house. He glances at me and shakes his head ever so slightly.
Heart thumping, I turn to Ryland. “Let me come with you. Please.”
“No.” His gray eyes flash angrily, and a small voice in my head suggests that maybe I’m a little out of my skill range right now. If I’m being honest, I don’t think I’ve ever won an argument against Ryland.
“You shouldn’t be alone right now!” I barrel on anyways. “Look at you, you’re upset. Please, let me come. I’ll-I’ll sit in the car-”
"Fuck off and go home, Kiwi." Ryland's eyes dart behind me, and I turn. Hannah's in the doorway now, staring at us strangely. I watch Ryland and Hannah lock eyes, a silent conversation passing between them.
I grit my teeth. It's not my place to go. I have no reason to go. There's no reason for him to let me come with him. But damn it, when I turn back to look at him, he's looking at me again. And the look in his eyes kills me.
And then he says, “Fine.”
I blink. "What?"
Ryland turns swiftly and starts walking to his car without another word.
I take a step forward, and then feel someone grab my arm. "Hannah," Archer murmurs, holding my arm tight, "could you give us a minute, please?"
Hannah locks eyes with me for a moment, and then she slowly backs her wheelchair up, turning around and moving back into the house.
"Kori," Archer pleads, "wait, please. I really think you should sit this one out. Ryland and our dad don't get along, and if his mom is seriously hurt, things could get ugly. He doesn't..." Archer stumbles over his words, spitting them out quickly, "He doesn't want people seeing that side of him. He doesn't want you seeing that side of him. People aren’t really supposed to know about his mom, but she’s really important to him, she's like his world, and-"
I take Archer's hand off my arm and wrap both of my palms around it. "Archer, it's alright. I've known you guys since elementary school. I promise you, there's nothing Ryland can do or say now that'll scare me off. Not anymore. And trust me, he’s not the only one with daddy issues."
Archer shakes his head wildly. "No, no you don't understand-"
A loud honking noise comes from behind us, and we both jump. I squeeze Archer's hand. "I've got to go."
Archer blinks at me before nodding slowly, dropping his hand to his side.
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I've never been inside a hospital before. Unless you count birth. Then, I've been in a hospital once.
I follow behind Ryland as we approach the front desk, and the lady behind the counter looks up at him.
“I’m here to see Lorelei Anderson,” Ryland says. “She’s my mom.”
The lady stares at Ryland strangely. After a moment, she scoots forward in her seat and leans over her computer. “Room 311.”
Ryland turns swiftly, and I have to almost jog to keep up with his pace. He walks right past the elevator and pushes the door open leading to the stairwell, and I silently groan.
It’s much quieter up on the 3rd floor. I feel like I can hear my footsteps echoing. Ryland stops directly in front of his mom's door, and my heart flips in my chest. “So,” I say, “should I-“
“Wait outside?” He doesn’t look at me, instead staring at the closed door. “You might as well have stayed at the house, then, huh?”
He knocks softly on the door, three times. After a second, he pushes it open slowly and steps into the room. After a moment, I step inside too.
I almost immediately run into Ryland again. He's stopped barely a step into the room, his eyes locked on the woman lying in the hospital bed. I slide behind him and look over. She's frail, her tiny body propped up by pillows. Her head's turned, and she's gazing out of the hospital window. A red scarf is wrapped around her head, and there's tubes coming out of her nose and connecting to the machines at the side of her bed. Her skin is tinged gray, and her chest rises and falls in slow breaths.
When she turns to face us, my heart breaks. She looks just like him.
"Hey, mom," Ryland says. His voice is strained, and within seconds he's at her side. He drops to his knees, saying, "How do you feel?"
His mom smiles, sitting up a little straighter. "I'm alright, baby." Her eyes drift over to mine, and her faces melts in recognition. "Oh my. You're Robert Merrick's daughter, yes?"
I nod, moving closer. "Yes, ma'am. My name is Kori."
She reaches out, and I take her hand. She's shockingly young, early 30s perhaps, and I keep blinking at her. "You look just like him," she says, her gray eyes sparkling. "But I can see so much of your mother in you as well. You're beautiful."
I blush. "Thank you, ma'am."
"Oh, none of that now. Call me Lorelei, love."
I feel my heart swell in my chest, and I nod. The realization hits that I've never actually met Ryland's mother before. Everything Kansas told me about the brothers' past echoes in my head, and it becomes increasingly harder to breathe.
Ryland's eyes are all over his mother. "What happened? What did the doctors say?"
"Nothing I haven't already heard before." Lorelei closes her eyes for a moment and sighs.
Ryland opens his mouth, and suddenly there's a sharp knock on the door. I turn swiftly to see the door swing open wide, a man standing in the doorframe.
I'm not sure what I was expecting. Ryland's father used to come and pick the twins up a lot, but he stopped halfway through fourth grade. I figured he just had more important things to do, since he pretty much owns the whole town. His business is one of the most successful in the country, and he's got influence everywhere.
We were so young, so I barely remember what he looked like. Still, from Ryland's fierce tone and Archer's nerves, I was expecting something...else. Maybe some 7-foot dude with muscles that could rival a god. Or an old, balding man who walked with a cane. Something not like the man I'm staring at now.
Because the man standing in the doorframe is absolutely, breathtakingly beautiful.
His hair is thick and smooth, wholly black like Ryland's. His jawline and nose are sharp, his face seemingly perfectly symmetrical. He's built, with broad shoulders and arms. But that's where the similarities between the two ends. His eyes are a rich brown, darker than Archer's, and he's dressed sharply in a navy-blue suit that fits him so perfectly, it's almost unfair. He looks like he's in his late 30s, which surprises me the most.
He doesn't look at me. Doesn't look at Lorelei. His gaze is fixed entirely on Ryland. Ever so slightly, he nods towards the hallway. Then, he turns sharply and walks out, leaving the door open.
Ryland's face is masked in fury. He looks over at his mom, squeezing her hand. "I'll be back," he whispers fiercely. "If not today, then tomorrow."
She nods. "Of course, honey."
Ryland stands then, walking towards the door. At the last moment, he turns to stare at me. Our eyes lock, and lightning courses through me.
"Stay with her," he says, each word filled with more emotion than I ever thought Ryland Park could muster. "Please."
And then he's gone, the door shutting softly behind him.
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POV: RYLAND
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"Look at me," he says.
I look up, my hand still gripping the doorknob. I hate his face. I can't stand to look at him for too long. Slowly, I release the doorknob and try to keep my shoulders loose and relaxed.
Simon Park grins at me, his teeth flashing. "How embarrassing," my father says, shaking his head. "The first time I see you in years, and you're on your knees in front of a woman." He pauses for a second, tilting his head. "Two women, actually. Perhaps I should praise you instead."
"She's my mother," I say sharply. I refuse to acknowledge the other. "Watch how you talk about her."
"Yes, yes, I'm painfully aware." My father rubs his chin like he's lost in thought. "What is your fascination with that young girl?"
The world screeches to a halt. "What are you talking about?"
"Look at you. I haven't even said her name yet, and you're already falling apart." My father breaks into a wide grin and shrugs. "Koraline Merrick, daughter of Robert and Abigail Merrick. 17 years old, sister of Kansas Merrick. Above average in school, and on the volleyball court. Yes, I know who she is. I know who every person in this town is. But I'll admit, I had to do some extensive research on her and a few others after that little stunt you pulled."
I can't breathe. My legs are shaking, and I feel like I might just topple over. "What?"
"After you left, I had her looked into. I'll never understand what it is about her that drew you in so much. Ryland, you have disappointed me in so many ways," he says, his voice deadly calm. "Do not let this be another."
"I don't know-"
"Honestly, this is getting tiresome." He walks in a slow circle, not taking his eyes off me. "You think you're smart, but you're forgetting who taught you your tricks, boy. Your mistake, my son," -I flinch hard at the word- "is that you always allow your emotions to get in the way. No matter what the task is, you can't separate your head from your heart. And that'll be the death of you, no doubt. It surely started to catch up to you that day, didn't it?"
"Shut your mouth." The words rip my throat as they come out, as I hurl them at him.
My father looks bored and irritated. "I have no interests in distractions. You threaten everything I've built, everything I've worked for. You think I'm going to allow your stupid infatuation with that girl to ruin everything?" He flings a finger towards the door, to the girl behind it, holding my mother's hand tight. "You lost your mind that day, Ryland. Lost your mind over a stupid girl with nothing to her name." He exhales a short breath. "I don't know why I'm surprised.
"You know, the Montgomerys wanted to burn my company to the ground, with you roasting on top," he continues, and I flinch. "They wanted me to pay for what happened to their son with everything I had. What you had done to their son. Even after covering up, even after four years, I'm still fighting the battle. Add on top the young girl with the wheelchair, and it’s a mess that could crush my company to the ground if I let up." My father goes silent then, staring at me. Assessing me. After a moment, he nods towards my mother's room and says, "You will pay for her treatment."
My spine goes rigid. "What?"
He shrugs. "Surely you don't expect me to clean up this mess again, do you? You should count yourself lucky she survived the first time. When things like leukemia circle back for a second round, they come back harder, stronger. You might as well spend these last months saying goodbye."
Pain. Pure pain is ripping through my chest, through my lungs. "What? You can't-"
My father crosses his arms, clicks his tongue. "You were a miscalculation, I'll admit. Archer never had the guts, the drive to be what I needed him to be. I could always tell. He's too soft to manage himself, let alone a business. But you...you could've been different. I see myself in you, boy. You and I could've been quite powerful. I’ve got big things planned for the future, and I need someone who I know can continue the legacy. You’ve got it in you to rule with an iron fist, to take what’s yours. But you insist on denying what you could be. And truly, I am no longer feeling gracious."
"Gracious?" I manage to say. "All of this sick shit that's happened, and for what? So I can take over when you're dead? That's what you're worried about? Gracious, my fucking ass. Is that what you call what you've done? "
"Yes, I do," he says, the charismatic tone gone. Now his voice is like ice. "Without me, your mother would be dead. Without me, boy, you'd be rotting in a prison cell. Or worse, six feet under alongside your mother. You should be forever grateful for what I've done for you, for your mother, for this family. You have no idea the lengths I had to go through to cover your ass. Sending you out of town was a far nicer option than I originally had planned." He snarls softly. "Did you know I still get questioned about that summer? From corporates from other states? It took almost everything I had to hide what happened, and I’m still paying for it. And that makes you a worthless investment, son. No one has forgotten, Ryland. I certainly haven't, and if you think your time away was punishment enough, you’re sadly mistaken."
I blink at him slowly. I think my lungs have officially collapsed.
My father runs a hand through his hair. Releases a ragged breath, as if to regain his composure. Then, he says, "I hope that with this second chance, you won't disappoint me again." He closes the distance between us and leans forward, hissing sharply, "Do not make me regret bringing you back. Do not make me have to speak with that young girl myself, because I will take absolute delight in doing so. If you so much as step one foot out of line, I'll send you so far west, your time in that youth detention center will feel like a vacation. And I'll ruin every person you've ever cared about."
I have to force my legs not to give out underneath me as his words echo in my head. "...you sent me to juvy?"
He leans back, tilting his head at me. "Did you truly believe that was boarding school?" That wide grin spreads on his face again, and he claps a hand onto my shoulder. "You're more naive than I thought."
My father shoots me one last smile before walking past me. Walking right past my mother's hospital room. He continues down the hallway without another word. I hear him thank a nurse, and then the ping of the elevator as it arrives. I wait for the doors to open, and then close. He's gone now.
I fall back against the wall and crumple to the ground.
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TO BE CONTINUED...
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This chapter was actually really hard to start, but once I got going, I couldn't stop. But honestly, I wasn't initially intending for it to be this long.
-Zuffy <3
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