36. Serena
Serena
It didn’t take us long to make it to the hospital, after we headed home to clean up and change. In the shower I felt my hands shaking, and every time I closed my eyes, I saw the fire.
Most of the family was already there out front; even Noelle was in deep conversation with Reese’s mother, Pauline.
“Is Lu done yet? I wanna see my niece! If they name her after me, it’s a bonus.” Gigi crossed her legs on the chair.
Daddy didn’t look up from his magazine. “No one is naming her after you.”
“Why? You named me. Wasn’t the name you gave me good enough?”
Reese’s family was clustered near the vending machine. His older sister, Jennie, was practically vibrating with excitement, talking a mile a minute to the poor nurse stuck listening.
Erik turned to me.
“Serena,” he said quietly. His voice was low, only for me. “You have a second to talk?”
My throat tightened. I nodded, trying to act casual, like my heart wasn’t hammering in my chest.
“Yeah,” I said. “Yeah, okay.”
We walked down the hallway a bit away from the rest, and I cleared my throat. “So…”
Erik shoved his hands in his pockets. His jaw tightened, like he was working out what the hell to say.
“I’m sorry,” he said.
I let out a breath. “I should be saying that to you.”
He sighed, glancing down before looking back at me. “I shouldn’t have put my hands on Miles. That was…that was too far. I should have talked to you about things.”
“I shouldn’t have slapped you. I—” I swallowed. “I was angry. At you, at Mama, at myself. And maybe I took it out on you because…you’ve always been the one who had it together.”
His brow furrowed, his mouth parting slightly, but I pushed through.
“I was so jealous of you,” I whispered. “And I hated myself for it. I should have spoken up, but I thought I could fix things. Then when Lu left, I thought maybe I could take her spot. It would be you and me. But it never happened.”
“Rena, you should have told me,” Erik said.
“Be real, Erik, we’ve never been close. I’m used to doing things on my own. You’re used to saving Gigi and Laurene.”
“You’re right,” he murmured. “I haven’t been there for you the way I should’ve. And I’m sorry for that.”
The apology hit something deep inside me, something I hadn’t even realized was waiting. My throat tightened again, but this time it wasn’t anger—it was the ache of finally hearing the words I’d needed for so long.
I gave a shaky laugh. “God, I hated myself for wanting her attention so badly.”
He gave a small, almost helpless laugh and shook his head. “We’re a mess.”
“Complete disaster,” I agreed, laughing under my breath. “But this is our family.”
Erik disagreed. “We’ll do better. Not just for us, but the next generation. So they don’t have to deal with this.”
“I think that’s a good thing,” I said.
“I’m here for you, Serena. For anything. Whether you want to talk, rant, or have me listening, I’m here and I love you. I hope you can believe and trust me.”
I couldn’t help but laugh, and wipe a loose tear.
For a second, we just stood there—the space between us tight with all the years we’d let slip by. Then, almost shyly, Erik opened his arms. My heart skipped. And then, without thinking, I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around my brother.
“I missed you, Erik,” I whispered into his shoulder.
His arms tightened just slightly. “Missed you too, Rena.”
“Can I get a hug?” Miles said behind us.
Erik pulled back just enough to glance at him, brows raised. “After everything?”
Miles shrugged. “I feel like I earned it.”
I snorted.
Erik stared for a beat, then sighed and opened his arms. “Come here, dumbass.”
A sudden high-pitched screech tore down the hallway, cutting straight through the quiet moment between us.
“What the hell,” Erik muttered, already moving.
We hurried back down the corridor, my heels clicking sharp against the tile as my heart pounded in my chest.
As we rounded the corner, Gigi was planted right in front of Reese, her hands flailing.
“Spit it out!” she shouted, clearly unable to contain her excitement. “Are they okay? What’s the name? Is now my time to shine as the favorite aunt?”
“Georgiana,” Daddy said.
“How’s Laurene doing?” Noelle spoke, and Erik was beside her, with a hand on her shoulder.
“She’s good,” Reese said, looking exhausted but proud. “Tired, obviously. But she’s incredible. They’re both incredible. Her name is Daisy Ashbourne-King.”
A collective gasp filled the room, followed by a round of applause.
Gigi’s face lit up like a Christmas tree.
“Daisy!” She clapped her hands together. “Daisy! Oh my God, I’m going to spoil her rotten. Daisy Ashbourne-King, yes! That’s such a beautiful name, Reese! You’ve got taste, man. But you could have named her Gigi.”
Heels echoed down the hall before Reese could thank them.
We all turned.
Mama.
Her silhouette moved like a shadow at first, all sleek lines and sharp elegance, her chin lifting as she swept toward us. Her eyes flicked over the group—Erik, Noelle, Daddy, Reese, Jennie, Gigi—and finally, inevitably, me.
Only, when they reached me, they slid past as if I were a stranger standing in the hall.
My chest squeezed, but I lifted my chin. Not today.
“Oh, Mama, you just missed it!” Gigi practically launched herself forward, grabbing Mama’s hands. “Laurene’s perfect, the baby’s perfect, and her name is Daisy—Daisy. So feminine and dainty!?”
Mama’s lips curved, just slightly.
“Daisy,” she repeated, voice soft like she was tasting it. “That’s lovely.”
She nodded at Gigi, squeezed Erik’s arm in passing, murmured something low to Reese. Jennie hovered, practically bouncing in place, and Mama even gave her a gracious nod.
And me?
Nothing.
She didn’t so much as glance my way.
“Can we see them?” Jennie said as she came over with her daughter, Faith, on her hip.
“Yes—”
Gigi was the first to dart past me down the hall, followed by Daddy and Noelle. I stepped back, letting the family steamroll past me into the room.
I was going to follow behind everyone else when Miles said, “Can you stay out here, Serena?”
We were the only ones left in the hallway. I swallowed hard and took a hesitant step forward.
“I don’t know how we got here,” I whispered, my throat tightening. “But I hate it. I hate not talking to you. Thank you so much for tonight.”
“Well, we’re gonna be traumatized for a while,” Miles tried to joke. His expression turned serious. “We should probably talk about the big ugly thing between us, huh?”
I tensed, the words sinking into the pit of my stomach.
“Who is Jenese?”
Slowly, I exhaled, the truth trembling on my lips.
“She’s…someone I worked with. Someone I let get too close.
” My voice cracked, and I forced myself to hold his gaze.
“I met her after things went bad with you.
I…lost you, and things with Mama were bad at the time.
I thought Jenese could be a surrogate mom or something.
But she had me do things that really benefited her more than me.
“At first, it was just about the company. I thought I could control it, play the game. But I was wrong. Jenese got in deeper—she wanted leverage. I thought I had ended things, but then she came back and threatened to ruin everything.”
Miles stayed silent for a beat, his eyes dropping to the floor, his chest rising and falling in a slow, controlled breath. “You’ve been living a double life?”
“I wouldn’t say it like that.” I sighed. “But it felt like it sometimes. What about you? Who was that man?”
“Someone that was investigating Victor for the family of a man who worked for Victor and got hurt. Hopefully he can still help the family.”
I shook my head before the weight of what happened tonight settled. I let someone die. Someone who was bad… But a life was lost. Two lives.
“I was scared to tell you. To tell anyone,” I whispered, my voice barely audible. “That I’d been that desperate and became a mark for a con artist.”
He took another step toward me, his hand gently cupping my face, forcing me to meet his eyes. “I’ve seen the worst parts of you, Serena. And I still love you.”
A warmth spread through my chest and I smiled up at him. “I love you too.”