Chapter 2

As the paramedics lifted Norman and Alison onto the stretchers, I caught a glimpse of Norman's body, hastily covered with a white sheet.

Alison still showed faint signs of life, an oxygen mask already strapped to her face.

I followed the ambulance, gripping Norman's icy hand, tears streaming down my cheeks.

"Norman, please, don't do this to me... Wake up..." I said.

The paramedic looked at me with sympathy. "Mrs. Riley, please try to stay calm. We'll do everything we can."

Of course, I knew they'd do their best.

But I also knew that sometimes, no matter how hard we tried, it just didn't change a thing.

When we arrived at the hospital, Norman was rushed straight into the emergency room. Alison was taken to another one.

I collapsed onto a bench in the hallway, burying my face in my hands, my shoulders shaking uncontrollably.

Hurried footsteps came rushing down the hallway.

I looked up, my eyes blurred with tears, and saw Simon and Celeste.

Simon had his suit jacket casually draped over his arm, his white shirt collar undone. He must've rushed here in a hurry.

Celeste was wearing a long beige knit dress with a puffy jacket thrown over her shoulders, her face pale, one hand pressed to her chest. She looked so fragile.

"Mom, what happened?" Simon's brows were furrowed. "How did Dad and Alison end up poisoned in the car?"

I sobbed, my words coming out in a jumble. "I-I don't know. I went to the garage to look for my earrings, and that's when I saw them.

The car was still running. I called you, but you didn't answer. I was so scared."

"Why didn't you call an ambulance right away?" Simon snapped. "Why did you call me first?"

Celeste gently tugged at his sleeve, her voice soft. "Simon, don't be like that. Estelle is already scared enough."

She turned to me, her eyes full of worry. "Estelle, please don't worry. He will be okay."

I looked into her beautiful eyes, which held just the right amount of concern and sympathy.

If I hadn't happened to catch her secretly dumping her heart meds and swapping them for vitamins three years ago, I might have been fooled by her too.

"Celeste, you came all the way here even though your heart isn't feeling well," I said, holding her hand. Her palm was icy cold. "It's my fault for bothering you so late."

"Estelle, don't say that." Celeste squeezed my hand back. "We're family."

The emergency room doors swung open.

The doctor stepped out, his face grim.

I jumped up, stumbling toward him. "Doctor, my husband... is he..."

"Mrs. Riley," the doctor said, pulling off his mask and shaking his head slowly. "We did everything we could. He'd been exposed to carbon monoxide for too long. By the time he got here..."

Everything went black, and my legs gave out.

Simon caught me, his voice trembling. "M-My dad is dead?"

The doctor nodded. "I'm so sorry for your loss. The other lady is in slightly better condition.

"She's still being treated, but her brain may have suffered irreversible damage. Even if she wakes up, she could have serious long-term effects."

Celeste let out a perfectly timed sob.

I buried myself in Simon's arms, wailing so hard it felt like my heart was being torn apart.

My cries echoed through the hallway, so piercing and desperate that even the nurses passing by had tears in their eyes.

I murmured, "Norman, how could you leave me all alone?

"Forty years together... and now you're just gone, just like that."

Simon held me, his arms rigid around me. I could feel him trembling, but I couldn't tell if it was from grief or something else.

When my tears finally slowed, I looked up at Simon, my face streaked with sorrow. "Simon, how did your dad end up in the car with Alison—"

Simon's face darkened. "Mom, this isn't the time to talk about that."

"But they weren't wearing anything," I blurted out, my voice suddenly shrill. "They had nothing on. In our own garage. On my birthday!"

Celeste rushed to soothe me. "Estelle, please, just take a breath. Maybe it's all just a misunderstanding."

"Misunderstanding?" I shoved Simon aside, stumbling to the emergency room doors, pressing my face to the glass to stare at the body under the sheet.

I said, "I saw it myself. They were wrapped around each other. Naked as the day they were born."

My voice echoed through the hallway, and a few family members craned their necks, peering around the corner to see what was going on.

Simon's face went pale as he stepped forward and grabbed my arm. "Mom, please, don't cause a scene here. Dad just passed. Can't you let him keep a little dignity?"

"Dignity?" I whipped around to face him, tears streaming down my cheeks. "He was fooling around with another woman in our car and ended up dead from carbon monoxide poisoning.

"And now you want me to give him dignity? Simon, I'm your mother. Your father betrayed me for forty years."

I shouted that last sentence with every bit of strength I had left.

Then I collapsed to the floor, passing out.

I fainted for real.

Low blood sugar and intense emotions combined to knock me out cold.

When I woke up, I found myself in a hospital room, hooked up to an IV. Dawn was breaking outside the window.

Celeste had fallen asleep at my bedside, slumped over the bed. Simon was standing by the window with his back to me, his shoulders drooping.

I stirred my hand.

Celeste woke with a start. "Estelle?"

Simon turned around, his eyes red and tired. He came over to the bed, his voice rough. "Mom, how are you feeling?"

I looked at him, my eyes filling with tears all over again. "Simon, your dad..."