012: You're No Longer My Wife

Alexander's POV

Doctor Harrington arrived sooner than we had expected. And without wasting a second, he got straight to work. In less than ten minutes, my cast was off, and the next twenty minutes was spent examining my legs and teaching me how to walk again. I didn't quite get a hang of the walking part, but Dr Harrington promised me that with constant practice I should be back on my feet like any regular human.

"It might take weeks, months even, but with steady practice he'll walk perfectly fine again. Shall I recommend a trainer?"

"No, I think we can handle things on our own here." I replied with a smile, one that mirrored the enormous joy I felt at the moment.

"You're in good hands, Heather is a capable student of mine. I'm certain you'll be alright." Dr Harrington commented before picking up his suitcase. "Have a nice day Mr Forger, you too Heather."

"Thank you for everything." Heather said to the doctor who merely smiled before exiting the room. Heather turned towards me, and although she was happy for me, she was still concerned. "Shouldn't you sit? You've been standing for a while now." She suggested, but I merely waved it off.

"I haven't stood this long in a while, Heather. I'm fine, don't worry about me—" I hadn't finished when the loud ringing of my phone interrupted me. Reaching into my pocket, I pulled my phone out and failed to recognize the number in front of my screen. At first I decided to ignore it, but on second thought, I picked up the phone.

"Congratulations Alex, I hear you can walk again." I froze the moment I recognized the voice at the end. The sudden pause had caused me to lose my balance, and my wobbly legs didn't help much either. Heather had stepped in and helped me before I could meet the cold hard floor.

"I told you to sit, didn't I?" She chastised as she helped me onto the couch.

"Mathew?" I asked just to make sure my ears weren't deceiving me.

"Bingo! I'm surprised you still remember me, Alex." Mathew returned, his cheery and eerie at the same time. "It's been a while, cous. You've been through a lot from what I heard, but you can walk now, can't you?"

I didn't speak, I had no idea what to reply to that question. If anything my father had told me was true then there was a solid possibility that Mathew was asking just so he would come and put an end to my life. But then again what was the use of hiding it from him? What was the use of being scared of him? I might not have a cartel of my own, but I had a security team, capable of replicating anything that his tiny little cult could ever dream of.

"Baby steps..." I finally replied, keeping my tone even though my heart was practically racing. How on earth did he even come to find out that I was walking again? And how did he manage to call me just minutes after doctor Harrington had left?

Mathew chuckled lightly even though I failed to see what was comedic about our conversation. “Good. I’d hate for our long-awaited reunion to be delayed because you couldn’t stand on your own two feet.”

“What do you want, Mathew?” I asked bluntly, cutting through the pretense. Heather inched closer, only recognizing that I was speaking about the man who had threatened to kill me once I could walk again when my demeanor changed.

I turned and gave her a reassuring smile, just to make sure she didn't lose herself with worry.

“This is what I always liked about you, Alex. You always go straight to the point.” Mathew mused. There was a brief silence before he continued. “I’ve been thinking, Alex. Family bonds are important, don’t you think? It’s about time we… rekindled ours.”

“Family bonds?” I repeated, disbelief and a spark of anger coloring my voice. “I know all about your threat, Mathew. I understand that you have some sort of vendetta against my father, but trying to come after me is a bad idea.”

A low hum was his only response, followed by a long, exasperated sigh. “I see, so he finally worked up the courage to tell you the truth. But don't you think it's unfair? Your father took away the only person I cared for, isn't it only fair that I take away the only thing he cares for as well?”

"Have a good day, Mathew." I said before ending the call and tossing the phone aside in rage. Father hadn't lied, but that didn't excuse the fact that he left crippled for a year because of his own happiness. If he had told me the truth, I was certain we would have found a way to work things out, but he was far too selfish to do anybody else besides himself a favor.

“What did he say?” Heather asked softly, her brows knit with concern.

“Nothing good,” I muttered, leaning back against the couch. My legs felt like lead, my earlier joy completely overtaken by anger and fear. "Logan was right, he was telling the truth."

"You should inform the police, Alex. If you don't then I will—"

"Don't do anything, Heather. The last thing I want is for you to get dragged into all of this." I stopped her before she could reach for her phone. Her face fell in fear and disappointment, she was scared and that was completely understandable.

"But I'm your wife, I'm already dragged into all of this!" Heather argued.

She was right, and that only made things worse for the both of us. However, thinking back now, Mathew never mentioned anything about my marriage. If he knew that I was married, I was certain he would have mentioned it. Even though I hated to admit it, I was grateful to my father for going for a discreet family. The Stones weren't exactly famous, so nobody knew about Heather, the only people who knew about our marriage was father and Dr Harrington. For her own safety, it was crucial that our marriage remained a secret, it was the only way that she could go to college and finish her education without being targeted.

"I'm sorry, Heather, but from now henceforth you're no longer my wife.”