(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
(Sybil’s POV)When we got to the hospital, John accompanied me up to Charlie’s floor. He didn’t specify why he was doing that, but I had a sneaking suspicion that he just wanted to talk to Mark about my conversation with Emma.We were both surprised to see Willa sitting near Charlie’s bed when we entered his room. She was gazing at him, concern etched on her face. He was unconscious, hooked up to a ventilator. I was devastated to see him like that, and also confused and slightly alarmed to see her sitting there. She had her faults, but I knew that she wouldn’t do anything to hurt him. Still, I didn’t trust her and wondered what had motivated her to come into his room.I approached her. “Willa, what are you doing here?”She turned to me and gave me a small, insincere smile. “I wanted to come and be with Charlie. He has always been just like a brother to me.” She started stroking his hand.This was extremely hard to believe. She had barely even acknowledged him when we were growing up.
(Sybil’s POV)I couldn’t believe it. This was the second time in a few days that Willa had blamed me for injuring her, when it was obviously self-inflicted. The worst thing of all this was that everybody automatically believed her, without even letting me tell my side of the story.Willa touched the side of her face that she had just slapped. “Why did you do that, Sybil?” She glowered at me. “If you really want to punish me for whatever it is you think I did, at least wait until after the baby is born. He or she didn’t do anything to you!”John looked at me disapprovingly. “Beating up a pregnant woman, Sybil? Seriously? How could you sink so low?” He helped Willa get up off the floor.I rolled my eyes, sick of Willa’s behavior. “I didn’t hit her. She did it herself.”John gave me a look that clearly showed that he did not believe me, as he put a protective arm around Willa. “Come on, Sybil,” he said, “I know that you’re upset right now, but this is going much too far. You should apolo