Filed to story: Sedona Preston and Logan Hayes Book PDF Free
I’d shaken my head, overwhelmed by the weight of the gesture and what it had implied
“Because you have a kind heart, Sedona. + see it in the way you look at my great-grandson, in the way you speak to the staff, in the way you try so hard to make everyone around you comfortable even when you’re clearly uncomfortable yourself.”
She’d squeezed my shoulders gently with love as she continued speaking.
“This family needs kindness. It needs someone who leads with love instead of pride. That’s you, my dear. Not Sherry, not Katherine-you.”
I’d worn the necklace only once after that, and kept it inside my jewerely box for safe keeping, it was too precious for me to be wearing anyhow.
I had made it a habit to be visiting her every month, where I would spend timew, being myself and engage her in conversations or games like chess.
Grandma Brooke had believed I belonged in this family. And that I was worth cherishing but she had been wrong about that. I didn’t belong here, that much was clear now, but she hadn’t been wrong about me having value. About me being worthy of love and respect.
I carefully placed the necklace in my suitcase, wrapping it in a soft scarf for protection. This, at least, I would take. Not because of the money value, but because it represented the one person in this entire nightmare who’d loved me for me.
I took one last look around the bedroom, at the life I was leaving behind. The fancy bed with the expensive linens and decorations. None of it had ever been mine. Not really.
I zipped up my suitcase, which in reality was just one small bag. Everything that mattered fit in one bag. That should have told me something about this life I’d been living.
As I rolled the suitcase toward the door, I caught sight of our wedding photo on the dresser. I’d looked at it this morning, had seen Logan’s forced smile and my own naive joy. Now I looked at it one more time, really looked at it.
And then I walked away.
I left my keys on the kitchen counter and also left a note on the dining room table, short and simple: “I meant what I said. I want a divorce. My lawyer will contact you. Please don’t try to find me.”
I left the wedding ring on top of the note. And then I walked out the door, pulling it closed behind me with a soft click that sounded like freedom.
Cameron’s POV
The lobby of the Hilton Hotel was bustling with the usual evening crowd that consisted of different people -business travelers checking in, tourists consulting maps, the background noise sounding like familiar chatter as I stood near the elevators, scanning the space, my heart hammering against my ribs.
And then I saw her.
Sedona was sitting in one of the chairs near the window, her small frame was nearly swallowed by the design.
She was staring out at nothing in particular, but she looked pale and sickly. Even from across the lobby, I could see how much weight she’d lost, how fragile she looked, like a strong wind might blow her easily away.
My little sister, who’d once been ranked third in junior tennis nationally, who played in competitions and won in ways that would make coaches weep with joy, my little sister who had been vibrant and fierce and full of life, was reduced to this.
I felt my throat tighten, felt the tears that I blinked away, I couldn’t afford to shed them. Not yet. Not when she needed me to be strong, so she could rest on me.
I took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down. Then I walked toward her, my footsteps slow, trying not to rush to her.
“Sedona,” I said softly when I was close enough.
She turned, and the moment her eyes met mine, her face crumpled. She stood slowly, placing her balance on her legs, and I closed the distance between us in three strides, catching her as she fell into my arms.
“Cam,” she sobbed into my chest, her whole body shaking. “Cam, I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry.”
“Shh, I’ve got you,” I murmured, holding her tight, one hand cradling the back of her head the way I used to when she was little and had nightmares.
“I’ve got you, habibti. You’re safe now.”
The Arabic endearment, which was our mother’s endearment term for her children made her cry harder as she used my chest to muffled her cries.
I let her, standing there in the middle of the hotel lobby, not caring who was watching or what they thought. Let them stare. My sister needed this, needed to finally break after holding herself together for God knows how long.
After several minutes, her sobs quieted to hiccups, and she pulled back slightly, wiping at her face with shaking hands as she tried to dry her tears with her hands before I handed her a handkerchief that she took gratefully.
“I’m sorry. I’m such a mess.”
“You have nothing to apologize for.” I kept one arm around her shoulders, gently leading her back to the chair
“Come on, sit down. Have you eaten anything today?”
She shook her head, and I swallowed my frustration, trying not to lose my cool on it. Of course she hadn’t. She had been too fixated on her husband negligence towards her, she had forgotten to take care of her basic needs.
“We’re going to order room service. A lot of it. And you’re going to eat, even if I have to feed you myself.”
A watery smile crossed her face as she sniffled before chuckling. “You sound like Mom.”
“Good. Someone needs to take care of you.” I signaled to the front desk, and within minutes, we were in her room. It was a double bed that looked clean and has standard hotel look.
I made a mental note to get her moved to a suite tomorrow. If my sister was going to spend any more time than necessary in this city, she was going to be comfortable.
I ordered nearly everything on the room service menu, ignoring Sedona’s protests. Then I sat down across from her, studying her face in the light that was coming from the bulbs in the room.
She looked worse than I’d initially thought. The dark circles under her eyes weren’t just from lack of sleep, they were evidences that whatever illness she had been suffering from, it had been for a prolonged time and not just now. Her facial features looked worse now that I was closer, her cheekbones were sunken, her eyes were dull and her skin were dry,to touch. Even her hands that she placed on her laps were shaking slightly.
“Tell me everything,” I said quietly. “From the beginning. How did you end up here, Sedona?”
She took a shaky breath and began to talk. The story came out in small batches, as she told me a summary of how she had met Logan through the accident, and their whirlwind romance. She sounded dull, like she was reciting from a script, rather than her real life.
“I thought he loved me,” she whispered at one point. “I really thought I’d found something real, Cam. Something that was mine, not something that is arranged by someone else because of a merger. Just… love.”
My hands clenched into fists as she continued.
“His mother told me,” Sedona said, her voice breaking. “She told me I was just a replacement. That Logan only married me because I looked like Katherine. That if I didn’t resemble her, he never would have looked at me twice.”
“Jesus Christ,” I muttered, my anger building with every word. “Sedona-“
“And Nick.” Her voice dropped to barely a whisper. “My own son told me he hates me. He said I’m the devil. He said he wishes Katherine was his mother instead.”
I stood abruptly, pacing to the window because I needed to move or I was going to put my fist through the wall.
