(Sybil’s POV)After spending a few more minutes with Charlie, I could see that his eyelids were starting to droop. “You should get some rest,” I said. “I’ll get going now, so you can sleep.”He nodded, yawning. “It was great to see you, though, Sybil. You’ll come back soon, won’t you?”“Of course.” I fluffed his pillow and helped him get comfortable, kissing him on the forehead before I left.When I got out to the parking lot, I took out my phone and was just about to call an Uber, when I heard Alex call out my name.“Over here, Sybil!” Alex waved to me, standing next to his car. “Want a lift?”I smiled and walked over to him. “Have you been out here this whole time? You really didn’t have to wait for me.” I hadn’t seen him inside the hospital when we all arrived, but that was normal. He had even less reason to be there than I did.“Willa has outdone herself once again!” Alex shook his head in amazement as we got into the car. “Anything to get attention.”“Do you really think that her
(Sybil’s POV)I woke up the next morning with a searing headache, and my mouth felt like something had crawled into it and died. I was in a bed, but I couldn’t remember how I had ended up there. The last thing that I remembered was drinking and talking with Alex and Emma at Darcy’s. Everything after that was a blur. From the way I felt right now, I knew that I had had a lot to drink.I tried to sit up and get out of bed, but found that there was a man’s arm draped across my waist. I panicked, trying desperately to remember what had happened the night before. My eyes hadn’t adjusted yet to the sunlight shining in the window, and I didn’t know where I was, or who I was with. This was awful!Or was it? I could use this to my advantage, I suddenly realized. John was stubbornly refusing to divorce me, even though I was sure that he knew it was the best solution for both of us. But what if I gave him a specific reason? If I confessed to John that I had cheated on him, maybe he would finall
(Sybil’s POV)I knew that I shouldn’t let John kiss me. I tried to resist at first, but found it more difficult as the kiss went on. The feel of his lips on mine had always sent a chill running down my spine, and now was no exception. Logically, I knew that it was a bad idea. We shouldn’t be doing this, not now. It didn’t solve all of the problems between us. It just provided a temporary reprieve from them.I couldn’t help melting into his embrace, though, and kissing him in return. It was as though my body and my brain were no longer connected. He’d always had this effect over me. Most of the time, I would ultimately end up giving in to his demands, whether or not I was in the mood.Now that I thought about it, our marriage was mostly based on sex. Sure, we enjoyed each other’s company in other ways. We talked to each other about all sorts of things, just not anything too personal. We also had a similar taste in movies and television. Sometimes we just hung out together. We usually
(Sybil’s POV)John looked at me for a minute, probably trying to figure out if I was telling the truth. Then he turned to walk out of the bathroom. “I’m going to the hospital to see Willa,” he said. Finally, he was doing the right thing. He should have been with her the night before, not with me.I decided to stay in the bathroom for a few minutes, to give John the chance to get dressed and leave. While I was there, I thought that it would be a good idea to take a shower. I knew that it would help me feel better, both physically and mentally.After putting on some clothes, I went down to the dining room for breakfast. I didn’t really feel like eating, but I thought I should at least try. I hadn’t eaten anything for dinner the night before. I had only eaten some pretzels while I was at Darcy’s.My mother-in-law was already sitting at the table, staring at me as I walked in and sat down. “You look terrible,” she said, “but then again, it’s no wonder.” She clucked disapprovingly at me.I
(Sybil’s POV)“I know you told me everything already,” Emma said as she handed me a cup of strong, black coffee and sat down with me in the same booth we had been sitting in the night before, “but I just want to make sure I understand.”I gratefully took the coffee from her and started drinking it. I knew that it would help my hangover. “What did I tell you, exactly?”“You said that your husband’s ex, who is now his fiancée, is pregnant.” She leaned back in her seat and looked at me quizzically.“Ex-husband, once he agrees to get a divorce,” I corrected her, “but, yes, that’s exactly right.”She shook her head in bewilderment. “I don’t get what he’s trying to do. Doesn’t he see how much simpler it would be for him if you were divorced? Then he could marry… What did you say her name was, again?”“Willa,” I said, “the one and only Willa Worthington.”“Willa Worthington? The actress?” Emma gawked at me.“That’s the one.” I always forgot that most people just knew Willa as an actress. The
(Sybil’s POV)I hung up the phone, suddenly feeling unsteady on my feet. Emma immediately noticed that something was wrong. She jumped up and took my arm, guiding me to the chair that she had just vacated. “Sybil, what is it?”“That was the hospital. My brother’s condition has gotten much worse.” I sniffled, tears falling freely. I had already told her all about Charlie, so she knew exactly what I was talking about. “I need to go see him.”She gave me a sympathetic smile. “Would you like me to drive you? I’ll even go in with you, if you want me to.”“I’d like that. Thank you.” I smiled back at her, thankful that I didn’t have to go through this alone. She really was a good friend. I called my parents on the way to the hospital.When we got there, I thought that I should mention this to John. He was a shareholder of the hospital, and although he was the last person that I wanted to talk to at the moment, I knew that he would be able to ensure that Charlie got the best care possible. I
(Sybil’s POV)When the doctor came out of Charlie’s room, John and I stood up to talk to him, with Emma standing a short distance behind us. The doctor looked so familiar, but I couldn’t place him at first. Then he turned to look at me, and memories came flooding back. It was Mark, one of John’s old friends from school. He had been two years ahead of me, just like John, but I remembered having spoken to him once or twice at school.“Hi, Sybil. It’s been such a long time.” Mark gave me a small smile, though he had a sad look in his eyes. I knew that whatever he had to tell me, it would definitely not be good news.“I know. It’s great to see you,” I replied. Under normal circumstances, I would have wanted to take the time to catch up with him properly, but right now I was just concerned about Charlie. We could talk more later. “You’re Charlie’s doctor? That’s an incredible coincidence!”“Actually, it’s not a coincidence,” he replied, “John asked me to come here.”John smiled at me. “Mar
(Sybil’s POV)I woke up the next morning, still wrapped in John’s warm embrace. It was kind of odd how we were more intimate lately than we ever were before. Our marriage was ending, so we really needed to stop doing this.He was still asleep, his arm pinning me down. I moved it carefully, so as not to wake him, and sat up.His eyes slowly opened and he gazed at me. “Where are you going? It’s not as if you have somewhere to be,” he said groggily, grabbing my arm, “you made it perfectly clear that you were quitting your job and moving out of my house. This apartment is all you have now.”That was true. I was free from all that had been tying me down for the last three years. Well, almost. We still had to officialize our divorce, but it wouldn’t be long now. He had accepted my resignation, so that had to be a good sign.I was this close to starting a new life. A life without my brother in it, I reminded myself as I thought of what Mark had told me the day before. I couldn’t face that id