Chapter 16 Mythic Grey
MYTHIC GREY
LELANI HAD SUFFERED significant injuries during the car accident—her side had taken the brunt of the impact when another vehicle t-boned them.
The doctors had to perform emergency surgery to repair a lacerated spleen and some internal bleeding.
It was a severe injury, and she would need to stay in the hospital for a few weeks to recover.
Her mother had only sustained a few cuts and bruises.
I stayed with her overnight. Her mother was too groggy on her own pain meds to battle with me over that.
Lelani was in and out consciousness all night as the anesthesia wore off, but by the next morning, she was fully awake and aware of what had taken place.
The monitors beeped steadily as the nurse checked her vitals.
“I can’t believe this shit.” Lelani pouted as she attempted to adjust her position in bed, but moving made her wince in pain.
“Unt-uh,” her nurse grunted. “You should be still. Let me help you if you need to move.”
Lelani’s pout deepened. “If I didn’t have bad luck, I wouldn’t have any.”
“You’re lucky,” her nurse told her. “At least you were able to come out of that accident with your life.”
Lelani rolled her eyes, though the nurse wasn’t looking as she was diligently adjusting the IV drip.
I knew that Lelani was moreso upset that all of this had happened on top of what she was already dealing with. I wanted to comfort her, to hold her hand, but I felt a loyalty to Aviana that I couldn’t shake. My protection was for her.
Luckily, the door of the hospital room opened, and a doctor in scrubs and a white coat entered, preventing me from having to be loving to a woman who didn’t own my heart.
As the doctor strolled in, the nurse looked at him, and they both smiled a greeting as if they were familiar with each other.
“Good morning, Lelani. I’m Dr. Collins,” he introduced himself as he tapped on the iPad in his hand. “I was your surgeon.” He looked up from the tablet and glanced at her. Taking her in, he smiled a bit. “You’re looking as well as can be. How are you feeling? Are you in any pain?”
“Not really.”
“On a scale from one to ten, what’s your pain level?’
She thought for a second. “A five.”
His smile widened as he gave her a quick nod. “Well, that means the pain meds are working. But we’ll increase the dosage to get that down to zero.”
“Thank you,” she said weakly.
“I want to go over a few things with you, then I’ll be out of your hair so that you can continue to get some rest.”
As he spoke, I leaned closer in order to hear every detail in case she didn’t remember.
“You suffered a lacerated spleen during the accident,” he explained. “The surgery went well. Expect some pain and fatigue as you recover. We’ll monitor you closely, and I’ll prescribe medication to help manage any discomfort.”
Lelani nodded with heavy eyes. She was trying to process everything he was saying, but her expression shifted slightly as she listened.
“Will she still be able to get her biopsy?” I asked. “Her appointment is in like two weeks.” I looked at Lelani for verification, but strangely she nervously avoided my eyes and the doctor’s.
Dr. Collins looked confused as he glanced down at her chart on the iPad. “Biopsy?” he echoed, brows furrowing.
“Yes. On her brain tumor.”
Dr. Collins’ eyes bucked. “That’s not mentioned anywhere here. There seems to be a mix-up.”
I turned to Lelani, concerned when I noticed she had suddenly gone quiet and the color had drained from her face.
“Lelani?” I pushed. “When is your next chemo appointment? Shouldn’t it be in the chart since you see your doctor here?”
My brows knitted together as Lelani shut her eyes, regret etching her face as if she wanted to hide under the covers.
Dr. Collins continued to review the chart, but I was focused on Lelani who looked increasingly distressed.
“Cancer?” the doctor asked, looking up at her with concern. “None of your blood work indicates cancer, and there’s no info in your chart.”
She opened her eyes, and they were filled with tears as she shook her head, barely able to whisper, “No.”
“The fuck? What you mean no?” I snapped.
As Lelani began to sob, Dr. Collins interjected. “I’ll step out to give you some privacy.”
The sudden tension in the room had caused Dr. Collins and the nurse to turn crimson red as they rushed out.
I took a deep breath, trying not to explode in this hospital. “Lelani, what the fuck is going on?”
“You love her,” she cried so low that I could barely hear her.
Frowning, I asked, “What are you talking about?”
“Aviana,” she snapped, slamming her hands down on the bed.
“You love her. You want to be with her. I always knew it. I could tell by the way you looked at her. You are fucking obsessed with that girl, and I caught you all in the stairway at the club that day. Y’all were about to kiss.
I was scared that you were going to leave me for her, so I made something up to keep you. ”
I shot up out of my seat, making her eyes bulge. “Are you fucking serious? That’s some sick shit to lie about.”
I was roaring so loud it made her cringe. “Would you be quiet?”
I laughed psychotically. “Why? You don’t want these people to know how diabolical you are?”
“Being with someone who loves someone else will make you do some diabolical shit. You never loved me. You never looked at me the way you look at her. I was just a clone—something you used to try to replace something that never could be replaced.”
I couldn’t believe that she was telling this much truth. But I figured that her pain meds weren’t letting her think straight, so I kept asking her questions.
“So, there were never any doctor’s appointments? The headaches and throwing up was fake?”
She whimpered. “I faked all of it, okay? I was just leaving the house so that you thought I was going to the doctor. But that’s how much I love you, Mythic. I didn’t want to lose you, baby.”
I scoffed, shaking my head in disbelief I had never felt before. “Well…at least you weren’t lying about everything. You really are a sick bitch.”
She began to sob. I met the eyes of concerned staff and nurses who were standing around the door. I pulled my rage-filled eyes away from them all and charged down the hall.
Filled with rage, I felt the heat of betrayal surging through my veins as I looked at Lelani. My mind raced with anger and disbelief. I felt used, like a fool and like I had been set up. I prided myself on being a smart man, but this felt like a sucker punch. I had let a snake into my own backyard.
Every instinct in me screamed to kill her, to make her hurt for the way she had deceived me. I could see the fear in her eyes, the tears that streamed down her cheeks, and it only fueled my frustration.
I took a step back, forcing myself to breathe through the anger boiling inside me.
I could hear the dark thoughts whispering in the back of my mind, urging me to take drastic measures, to end this snake’s existence once and for all.
But I fought against it. I needed to get away before I did something I would regret—before I crossed a line I swore I never would.
With a final glance at Lelani, I turned and walked out of the room, clenching my fists to keep my emotions in check.
I could still hear her sobbing, calling out for me. “Mythic, please don’t leave me. Pleeeease.”
Every step as I stormed down the hall of the ICU was fueled by a simmering rage.
Lelani’s cries grew fainter as I reached the exit of the unit.
As I stalked through the hospital, I could feel the concerned looks from the staff, patients, and visitors.
My towering figure—a large, pissed-off Black man—drew attention, and I could see their judgment and worry.
I was a storm about to break, and they could see it.
I reached the elevator and pressed the button, pacing impatiently as I waited for the doors to slide open. Just as I was about to lose it, my phone buzzed in my pocket. I pulled it out and saw Timmy’s name flashing on the screen.
“What, Timmy?” I answered.
“Whoa. You good, boss?”
“Just tell me what you need.”
“Check your email,” he replied cautiously. “I got the evidence from Mia’s investigation and a copy of Jeremy’s recording.”
I grumbled a simple, “All right,” before ending the call.
AVIANA SCOTT
Emotionally and physically, I was all over the place.
When I woke up that morning, I called off work and planned to for the next few days.
I had used Jeremy’s death as an excuse to take some vacation time, when in actuality I needed time to process that my husband had killed him.
It all felt unreal, like I was in a hellish nightmare that I would soon wake up from.
I couldn’t do anything. I could taste the funk on my breath.
I hadn’t even had the energy to brush my teeth that morning.
My hair was a tangled mess. I had spent all morning just lying in bed, drowning in my own confusion and disappointment.
Then Mythic returned to the suite some time ago and changed my world forever.
He told me that Timmy had used his connections at the police department to get the evidence in Mia’s investigation that was linked to Damar.
My heart sunk when he mentioned that Timmy also got a copy of the recording of Jeremy’s death.
Hearing Jeremy struggle to breathe, followed by the gunshots that stole his life, made my stomach turn.
It was unbearable. And knowing it was his own father who had done it was even more crippling.
But what crushed me the most were the text messages I had read between Damar and Mia.
Each word cut deeper than the last, revealing that they had been having an affair and that Damar had been the one to teach her how to steal from Dream Realty.
My best friend and my husband had betrayed me in the worst way possible.
I felt like I was drowning in a sea of betrayal and heartache.