“It’s okay,” I reply warmly. “I would do anything for you, I hope you know that by now.”
She envelops me in a surprising hug, heating me up even more. We have shared even more now, there is an even deeper bond between us, and it could potentially take us anywhere. Not right now of course, but maybe in the future. I don’t want to get my hopes up too high, but the more that I learn about Serena, the deeper I fall for her, the more convinced I become that she is the one. I know her now, I see her in a more raw and honest way, and I adore every part of her. She isn’t what I was expecting, nor would I ever think that I might fall for a woman like her. But I have, and I continue to do so. I just don’t know the best way to make her see that this is everything.
“I have to go,” she eventually tells me sadly. “I’m going to ride in the ambulance with Mom so I can keep an eye on her. I don’t want her to be alone. I’m sure that you have a lot to get back to anyway…”
I nod once, wanting to relax her because I can see that she thinks she’s putting me out, but there isn’t a chance in hell that I am going anywhere. I will follow her to the hospital and see what’s going on. Whatever she thinks, I am in this now, I’m with her all the way, but I don’t want to freak her out about that. She has her mom to worry about, she doesn’t need to be checking in on me as well and feeling guilty because I have decided to stay. No way. Luckily I’m a grown ass man who can patiently take care of myself while she gets everything under control.
“Don’t even think about work, by the way.” I offer her a smile. “This is where you need to be right now.”
She clasps her hand to her mouth as if work hasn’t even occurred to her, which isn’t much of a surprise. I don’t think I would be worried about the office if I were in her shoes either. “Oh God, thank you, Will.”
With one last lingering look, she climbs into the ambulance to be beside her mother and she takes a seat to hold her hand. She is clearly going to be the best support that Maria could need right now to get her through the situation that she finds herself in, I really hope that it’s enough. I hope that she can be the inspiration she has always wanted to be and Maria sees another life without David. Anything has to be better than living with fear, surely?
I wait, watching as the ambulance drives away with Serena and Maria’s fate in its hands, before I get into my own car and follow it. I’m praying to every deity that will listen to me for everything to be okay because Serena needs some good luck. She needs her mother to be okay. I don’t know if she will be able to cope otherwise. It may well be the thing to tear her apart forever.
Chapter 17 – Serena
“Oh God, Mom, this is too much,” I mutter as I hold her hand, silently praying for her to wake up at long last. I have been assured that everything is good with her now, that her vitals are okay and she will recover from what’s happened, physically anyway, but she hasn’t yet opened her eyes and it’s killing me. “You really have to leave David now. You need to. We can’t carry on with the way that things have been going. No way. You must see that now.”
I lean my head forwards and rest it lightly on her chest. It’s reassuring to hear her heart beating, but it still isn’t enough. Until I get that reassurance from her that she is finally going to make her own life better, I won’t be able to relax. There is always going to be that worry of this happening all over again. It’s a very real fear.
“He will go to jail if you pursue it this time, Mom. There is so much evidence. He admitted to Will what he had done, and basically told the cops as well. The prosecution will have a lot. Plus, I will be on your side, I have seen a lot, and there will be other people as well, I’m sure of it. We can get this done. We can get rid of him… but you have to want it. I can’t do this if you don’t want it, it doesn’t work like that. You need to get away from him.”
I slide my eyes closed as the tears begin flowing once more. I can’t hold this emotion back anymore. It’s like this situation has opened the flood gates and there is no closing them now. Everything that I have looked back for years and years while I’ve been in survival mode is now free and I can’t stop it coming.