“I just want to understand. That’s all. Not to fix it. Just to know what it is that broke us.”
Remi leaned back in her chair, watched as the sun went down. Zoe’s words pierced her heart.Broke us.They were gentle words but sharp, like the edge of truth often was. Her little girl had grown in wisdom, and Remi found herself trying to pinpoint the exact moment that it happened. Somewhere between grief and heartbreak, her daughter had evolved into someone who could sit in silence, ever observant, ask the hard questions, and listen for the answers. And not just any answers but demanding the real ones.
“I’m still figuring it out, baby. But thank you for seeing me.”
“You’re welcome, Mom. I do see you.” Zoe looked at her mother with wide, bright eyes. “When you figure it out, will you let me know? So that I can help.”
Remi hesitated. “Yes. I will.”
Zoe reached for her mother’s hand. Remi took it and held it tightly. There was no more pretending, just two women, mother and daughter, sitting with the truth between them. For a moment anyway.
“I’m going up to take a shower,” Zoe announced as she stood up. “Do you need for me to sit with you a little longer?”
“No, baby. I’ll be okay. Go on up.”
Zoe kissed Remi’s cheek. “I love you, Mom.”
“I love you more.”
Remi’s phone dinged and lit up in the darkness. She grabbed it and read the text:
Aunt Remi. I have to tell you something. My mom is not doing well. The cancer is back, and it is running rampant.
Remi’s heart sank as she read the words on her screen. Her breath caught in her throat. She sat upright, the wine in her hand forgotten, her chest tightening as she reread the message.The cancer is back.
“Oh no,” she whispered. Her voice cracked in the darkness of the porch.
She stood and walked toward the screened window, holding the phone like it might fall apart in her hand. Her mind raced with images of Bianca hooked up to IVs. Fragile, the way she had once been, years ago. The nights Remi had stayed with her, sat with her during her treatments. All those silent prayers.
She thought they’d beaten it. She believed, despite everything, that Bianca was in the clear. Remi sank into the chair again, thumb trembling as she typed:
How bad is it? Is she in the hospital?
She stared at the screen, waiting for the typing bubbles. None came.
A lump rose in her throat as the heaviness settled in. The unresolved history, love, and betrayal all collided with the one thing that had always made her pause when it came to Bianca: She was still family.
A tear slid down her cheek, followed by another. And before she knew it, she was crying uncontrollably. “Damn you, B,” she whispered. “Damn you for doing what you did … and damn you for being someone who I still love.”
Mila texted back:She’s at the hospital. Providence Queen of the Valley. Please come.
“I knew that was her I saw earlier,” Remi whispered to herself, remembering the fragile woman she’d seen on the street.
She stepped into the house and placed the wineglass in the sink. Her hands were already moving—gathering keys, her sweater, her bag.
“Zoe!” she called.
The betrayal could wait, she thought. The pain could wait. But Bianca might not be able to.
Chapter Twenty-five
Remi
The road ahead was blurred as tears trickled down her cheeks. She blinked them away. She didn’t have time to fall apart. She glanced over at Zoe in the passenger seat, her face solemn as she stared straight ahead. The drive to the hospital was quiet. Remi didn’t play any music. And she was thankful that Zoe didn’t want to talk either. She didn’t want the noise or conversation to distract her from her thoughts.
When they walked into the cold hospital lobby, she spotted Mila right away—though she almost didn’t recognize her. Her head was shaved. Her frame, much like her mother’s, leaned against a brick wall, arms crossed tightly over her chest, earbuds in. She looked exhausted. Remi stood for a moment, just watching her.
Mila looked up, eyes locking with hers. She didn’t smile or wave. She just walked slowly toward her. When they reached one another, she didn’t say anything. Mila opened her arms and hugged Remi tight. Then she hugged Zoe.