"You think he's not breaking up with her because she's better than you." It's a statement, not a question and it irks me.
I train my gaze over her head. I can't look her in the eyes when I respond or she'll see right through my thinly veiled attempt to be strong. "He's marrying her. That's what he said. End of discussion."
"Why did he say he loved you then?" I hear the irritation in her tone. I know she wants me to fight for him but what is there to fight for? A man who repeatedly lied to me? A man who apparently thought it was okay to fuck me while he was planning a wedding with someone else?
"I don't care, Alexa." I turn to straighten the napkins on the counter. "I have to forget about him. I have to."
She wraps her arm around my waist, pulling me into a tight embrace. "You can't. You love him too."
***
"I'm going to meet the mother of my heart donor tomorrow." I throw the words out casually as if I'm announcing that I have an appointment to get a manicure.
Both my mother and Maria turn in unison. "You're going to what?" My mother drops the apple she's been peeling onto the counter. It starts to roll before Maria scoops it up in her hand.
"I'm going to have dinner with Coral's mother," I say the words proudly.
"Coral?" she asks tightly. "Who is that?"
"It's the name of my heart donor." I tap my foot in frustration. "Please don't act like you don't know her name."
"Don't take that tone with me." She drops the paring knife she's holding onto a plate. "I don't know her name. I've never known her name."
Her reply jars me. How could she have not known? My father knew who Coral was. He even knew Hunter.
"Dad knew," I spit back. "You're telling me you had no clue."
"Your father knew?" she asks, her voice trembling slightly.
"Yes." I don't move from my spot near the kitchen's entrance. "He knew all about Coral and how she died."
"For how long?" She pulls her hands into her lap to hide the fact that they're shaking.
"I don't know." I suddenly feel a pang of guilt for throwing this at her in the middle of a Tuesday afternoon. I thought she knew. I thought she and my father had agreed to hide the truth from me.
She bows her head towards her lap. "Why didn't he tell me?" she mumbles in barely more than a whisper.
"Do you want to come with me?" I know the timing is horrific. She just found out that my father had knowledge of my heart donor and now I'm asking her to face the mother of that woman in a little more than thirty-six hours.
Her eyes dart up and lock with mine. I see a faint hint of sadness wash over them. "I can't. I can't, Sadie."
Chapter 7
"I'm so glad you came, Sadie." Christina greets me as I walk through the door of Axel NY. When I spoke to Clive on the phone and he suggested the restaurant as the destination for my dinner with his mother and sister, I almost hung up on him. Finding the strength to board the train and travel back to Manhattan, and this place in particular, wasn't an easy task.
I don't look at her. I can't. This is the woman who is going to marry Hunter. She's going to have a life with him. All I had were a few fleeting weeks when I believed he could actually be my destiny.
"My mother is over there." She points to a small table tucked away in a corner near the back of the room. "She's so excited."
I nod silently as I follow Christina across the crowded space. I breathe a small sigh of relief when I realize that the table is only set for three. Hunter won't be here.
"You were never properly introduced." Christina stops as we near the table. "This is my mother, Faye Parker."
The petite woman stands and reaches to embrace me. I pull her into my chest knowing that this is just the first moment in an evening that is going to be filled with deep and difficult emotions.
As she pulls back I'm instantly aware that she's staring at my chest. I chose a black dress that completely covers my scar for tonight. I didn't want the constant reminder of her daughter's heart to overshadow our time together.
"Do you always cover it up?" She motions to my chest.