27. Everly

27

Everly

I woke up to a dull, throbbing pain radiating from everywhere. My eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the harsh fluorescent lights above. As my vision cleared, I saw Mom sitting next to me; her face etched with worry lines. Her hand gripped mine tightly, her knuckles white.

"Mom?" My voice cracked, dry and raspy.

"Oh, Everly," she said, her voice breaking. "You're awake."

I blinked slowly, the events of the night crashing back into my mind. Trying to get to my mother's house. Being taken to the frat house. The attack. And then... the crash. I remembered the feeling of the ice giving way beneath me, and then... darkness.

I blinked, but my right eye wouldn't open fully. "Where's Cooper?" I croaked.

Mom's expression darkened. "Somewhere he'll never hurt you again."

I frowned, confusion washing over me. "What are you talking about? Cooper?—"

"Here's some water," she interrupted, pressing a cup to my lips.

The cool liquid soothed my dry throat as I swallowed. I tried again. "Cooper saved me."

Mom's lips pressed into a thin line. She looked away, her grip on the cup tightening. The room felt suffocating, the air thick with unspoken words and heavy emotions. My thoughts raced, trying to piece together the fragments of memory and the tension hanging in the air.

I tried to sit up but winced as a sharp pain shot through my side. Mom placed a firm hand on my shoulder, urging me to stay still.

"Don't move too much," she advised softly. "You need to rest."

I sank back into the pillows, frustration gnawing at me. I wanted to see Cooper, to thank him properly for what he did.

"How bad is it?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"You have a few cracked ribs," Mom said quietly. "And a mild concussion. Not to mention the bruises."

My mind wandered back to that moment on the ice when everything went wrong and Cooper appeared out of nowhere, his strong arms pulling me from danger.

"And Holly?" I asked again.

Mom gave a reassuring nod. "She's fine too. A pretty deep cut on her forehead, but… fine."

Relief washed over me like a wave.

"And Cooper?" I asked.

"Like I said." She wouldn't look at me.

"What?" I asked. "What have you done?"

"Done?" she asked, adjusting her sweater. "Nothing. I've been here. I've been watching over you."

"You've been keeping everything from me," I said, remembering why I left campus in the first place. "My whole life is a lie."

Mom leaned forward, her face pale and worried. "Oh, Everly, are you—" She reached for me, her hand trembling.

"Don't touch me!" I snapped, jerking back instinctively. Guilt and pain shot through me immediately; she'd always been there for me. But now? Now she was part of the betrayal.

Her eyes widened with hurt and confusion. "Everly," she said softly. "What's happened?"

I sucked in a breath, then another, forcing myself to calm down. "Dad," I managed to say between gasps. "Where is he?"

Mom's face tightened as if she was bracing for impact. "Everly, what are you talking about? Your father is?—"

"No," I interrupted her sharply. "He's not." My voice wavered but held firm. "You've been lying, and I need to know why." My anger deflated into a plea. "Now." Then softer still, "Please."

She sat there for a moment, frozen by the weight of my words. Her eyes darted away as if searching for an escape route that didn't exist.

The machines continued to beep in the background—a jarring contrast to the tension between us—and it only made everything feel more surreal.

"Honey," Mom began, her voice trembling slightly.

"I already know the truth," I said, my voice barely more than a whisper. "But I want to hear it from you. I need to understand."

She sighed, a heavy sound that seemed to carry the weight of years of secrets. "Your father..."

"Was everything a lie?" My voice cracked, the words tasting bitter on my tongue.

"No," she said, shaking her head slowly. "Your father was a good man before... before everything."

"Mom," I insisted, my eyes locking onto hers, demanding honesty.

She fiddled with her sleeve, avoiding my gaze. "I don't know what you want me to say," she mumbled.

"The truth," I said firmly. "If he's not here, if I haven't seen him my whole life, where is he? And why... why did he stay away?"

Mom's shoulders slumped as if the weight of my questions was too much to bear. "Because that's what we arranged," she finally admitted. "I agreed to no child support if he wouldn't have anything to do with you."

"But why... why would you do that?" My voice wavered, caught between anger and heartbreak. "Why would you keep him from me?"

"Because..." She paused, struggling for words. "Because he ruined everything."

"How?"

Mom sighed deeply, her eyes clouding with old memories. "He left us, Everly," she said. "He left us for a tryst with Mary Sinclaire."

The name hit me like a punch to the gut. Mary Sinclaire—was this Cooper's mother?

"So he just... abandoned us?" My voice broke again, tears blurring my vision.

"Yes," Mom whispered, her own eyes filling with unshed tears. "He chose her over us."

The room felt suddenly too small, the air too thick to breathe. The life I'd known was crumbling around me, piece by painful piece.

"And… and he was okay to just… to never have anything to do with me?" My voice trembled as I stood there, feeling a fresh wave of betrayal wash over me. "Why… why would you do that? Why keep me from him?"

Mom's eyes softened, but her words were a sharp knife. "I didn't want you hurt," she said, her voice barely more than a whisper. "I didn't want you to know your father was capable of something so cruel. I'd rather you remember him as the man I knew before… before her. And this way, you wouldn't have to interact with her family."

"You mean her sons?" I shot back, the bitterness in my voice palpable.

Mom's gaze faltered, her eyes dropping to the floor. "I don't regret that," she said firmly. "They're monsters, both of them."

"Maybe because their family fell apart because of the same scandal you completely lied to me about," I countered, my anger boiling over. I winced at a flare of pain. "You don't know what it's like, telling people how my dad is dead. I'm a fool, Mom. Because of you?—"

"I did it for your own good," she interrupted, desperation creeping into her voice.

"No," I said, shaking my head. "You did this for your own good. I know it's hard, and it's scary dealing with pain. Trust me, I've had my share in the last week. But lying to me for your own good? You can't do that, Mom. Life deals us cards; we get to decide how we play them. But you made those decisions for me. I never got the chance."

"Who knows who you'd have been if you grew up with your father," she said softly, almost as if trying to convince herself.

"I don't know," I replied, my voice raw with emotion. "But I would have liked to have found out." The realization hit me hard as I looked at her—my entire childhood framed by her decisions. "That's why you homeschooled me? So I wouldn't find out?" The pieces clicked into place painfully.

"So you wouldn't have to deal with the scandal," Mom pointed out defensively. "You don't know what it was like—the whispers, the gossip. I didn't want you to endure that."

"I didn't," I said bitterly. "I didn't endure anything because of you."

"What do you want me to say?" Her voice trembled as she spoke, eyes searching mine for something—anything—that might offer a way out.

"I want you to acknowledge that what you did was wrong," I said, my tone firm despite the storm of emotions swirling inside me. "And I want an apology for what you called Cooper and Damien Sinclaire. They aren't monsters."

"How do you know?" she asked.

"I met Cooper," I replied, the words hanging heavy in the air. "He saved me."

Mom clutched her pearl necklace, her fingers trembling against the smooth beads. "Did you hear what he?—"

"I'm in love with him, Mom," I interrupted, my voice breaking slightly but resolute.

"Don't joke," she said, her eyes widening in shock.

"I'm not," I said, taking a deep breath to steady myself. "I don't think he loves me, but I love him." The admission felt like tearing off a bandage—painful but necessary.

"You don't know what love is."

"And who's fault is that?" I clenched my teeth together. "I'm getting really sick and tired of people telling me how I feel. Whether you accept it or not, fine. But I love him, Mom. Because he deserves love. Because he's the best man I know. And that's not going to change." I sucked in a breath.

Her eyes filled with worry. "You're not going to do anything with Cooper Sinclaire, are you?"

I met her gaze squarely. "Mom, I'd marry him right now if he asked me."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Actually, I know exactly what I'm talking about," I replied, my voice steady. "And if you can't accept that, you can leave."

Her eyes widened in shock. "You're not serious."

"For once in my life, I'm making my own choices," I said firmly. "And I choose him. I'll always choose him. You can accept that or not, but if you don't, I'd like you to leave."

Mom's jaw tightened, her hands clenching into fists at her sides. "I can't accept that," she said through gritted teeth. "He's Mary's son?—"

"Then leave," I interrupted, my voice unwavering. "Mom, I'm not kidding. Go. And only come back when you can accept him."

"And if I can't ever accept him?" she asked quietly.

My chest squeezed painfully at her words. This was still my mom, the woman who had raised me and protected me—maybe too much, but always out of love.

"That's your choice, Mom," I said. "I can't force you to do anything."

She stood there for a moment; her face a storm of emotions. Then, without another word, she turned and walked out of the room.

The door closed behind her with a soft click, leaving me alone in the sterile hospital room. The silence was deafening, broken only by the rhythmic beeping of the machines monitoring my vitals.

I lay back against the pillows. My relationship with my mom had always been complicated, but this felt like a turning point—a moment where I had finally taken control of my own life.

But it also felt like losing something precious.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I thought about Cooper and everything we'd been through together. He had become my anchor in a world that seemed to be constantly shifting beneath my feet.

I knew this decision would change everything—my relationship with Mom, the way I saw myself, and even how others saw me—but for the first time in my life, it felt like the right choice.

Because loving Cooper wasn't just about choosing him over someone else; it was about choosing myself and what made me truly happy.

And that was something worth fighting for.

Even if it still didn't explain where he was.