CH 46
Calvin
He’d gotten daily updates from the hospital about Marilyn’s progress, seeing that he couldn’t go there and visit her himself in person. Wil had not only rounded on him about it, after hearing that he had tried to go and see her from her lawyer, Hamilton, something along the lines of ‘You need to control your client or have him be slapped with an AVO and a restraining order.”
ahead To which Will had pressed that very point, stating that Hamilton Stevens would actually be able to go and get one, quite easily at that, due to the two incidents that Calvin had instigated both times, happening within 24 hours of each other. He was seen as a threat to Miss Riddley.
Then he had outright vetoed Calvin from going there, stating, “If you do not listen to me, then I can no longer be your lawyer, Calvin. I don’t ask much, and I’m on your side of all of this, so do this or lose me as your lawyer and find someone else to be your confidante.”
He’d been scolded by his friend as both his friend and his lawyer. Who’d then reminded him of the already bad publicity he was getting over the first attack, and though nothing had been confirmed about that second one. Marilyn had been more seriously injured, and there were plenty of rumours about it being him, because it happened at the time of their mediation. The Texas reporters were currently watching him like a hawk. Trying to catch him doing something horrible or illegal where she was concerned.
Calvin had actually stopped and listened to Wil, was abiding by what he’d been told, didn’t want to lose him as a lawyer or a friend. He was also taking a hit on the stock market, though not as big as he had expected it to be. But the press was now aware that he was paying for all of Marilyn’s medical expenses and that VIP suite as well. That had been leaked by someone working in the hospital was his thoughts on the matter, someone that was a Marilyn Riddley fan was all he could gather.
They’d managed to snap a picture of him in the hospital, outside the ICU. He’d read the article, “Calvin Reeves pays for the medical bills of Marilyn Riddley. He must be guilty of assaulting her a second time, or why would he pay up‘ had been the line to go with the photo of him.
The hospital director had apologised to him for the leak, but there was nothing he could do about it. He had stated it could be near on anyone, a doctor, a nurse, an orderly or a cleaner, or there could have been multiple people involved. It could well have been another patient or a patient’s family member. That just figured out what was going on from him being there.
That article had no names attached to it other than the journalist; they’d stated the photos and information had been given by an anonymous source. The hospital was still looking into it themselves. Checking corridor footage to see if they could track who took photos of him outside the ICU.
The flowers he’d ordered had made it to her room before she had, but that was all he knew, and he’d made an
effort after hearing her children were staying with her to send gaming consoles for the children to play with while there. Trying to show everyone that he was not only sorry for what had happened, but willing to pay for everything, and that he had considered her children in the factor of her injured state, and how they might be feeling being copped up in the hospital with her.
He’d had several meetings himself now with the doctors at the hospital, though had steadfastly stayed away from Marilyn and her lawyers. He was there to discuss her situation and what was expected of her recovery
CH 16
Because If she was Marrin’s sister he wanted to show her the same curtesy he would have once afforded to
Marrin herself.
Maybe Marrin would see it, or hear about it, and make an appearance. That was his actual goal at the moment. Because he believed that he’d finally found a way to get to Marrin herself. His actions over that one 24–hour period had shown to himself that he was completely out of control.
That he had become so obsessed with Marrin that he couldn’t think straight, and wasn’t in his right mind at all about any thoughts on her. That his thoughts on Marrin herself were not good or healthy even, that her name alone invoked anger in him, and a need to punish her as well. He’d not really understood that about himself.
Because all he’d ever wanted was to have her back in his life, to tell her he loved her, apologise for the divorce
and the way things had turned out between them. To have her in his life for the rest of his life. But
somewhere along the way he’d seemed to have forgotten that, and he was now very self–aware of his very
destructive nature in the matter.
That he’d allowed his grief over the loss of her, and the way it had come about to become twisted, and he’d
turned hateful against the woman he actually loved, and all because of the pain he’d suffered. Pain, that he’d
caused himself. Will was right; this was all his fault and he’d spent a long time trying to sort through his own thoughts over the past few days, and bring himself out of those twisted thoughts of wanting to hurt and punish Marrin.
Something he had no right to do. He’d been the one to divorce her, and she’d just accepted it and left him to
never be seen by him ever again. He even recalled Wil telling him she believed that was what he wanted. So he could now understand that was what she’d done, she’d just left him because he’d left her.
Once he’d realised Marilyn wasn’t Marrin, seeing that there was no birthmark on the woman, and seeing that with his own eyes, it was undeniable that she wasn’t who he thought she was. It had been easier to convince
himself she was Marilyn, and not Marrin.
He now realised that she had not come here to Houston on purpose, just to pretend she was Marrin. This had
also helped him clear up his thoughts and bring him back to his senses. That not everyone that looked like Marrin would try and pretend to be her, just to get money from him.
This woman wanted absolutely nothing to do with him, and that had seemed to snap him out of his own
delusions and obsession, but now he had to contend with the guilt of what he’d done to an innocent woman.
Everything had been unwarranted. He’d become a tyrant and was in fact a nightmare of a man for her, an innocent woman who knew nothing of him or his circumstances.
It wasn’t fair to her or her children, who now had to know that someone had targeted their own mother, and harmed her for no real reason, only that he’d not liked what she looked like. It was certain that it would seem
completely crazy to them, and it was indeed crazy. Because that was exactly what it came down to in the
end
So, he was out to make it up to her, to her children. Apologise and hopefully Marrin would actually see this and understand that he hadn’t meant to harm Marilyn. That he was just obsessed with finding her and could
see her way to coming to understand him, once they got to meet and talk.
He had arranged a meeting with Marilyn’s lawyers to discuss a full holistic recovery plan that he and the doctors had come up with for her recovery. He knew she was going to need assistance, she could barely walk right now or even shower herself because of the broken wrist and ankle. She was off most of her painkillers
and starting to show signs of coming good, finally.
But he was hoping to be able to provide her with the best home care support, have a nurse and physio with her 24 hours a day until she was fully recovered. He’d also managed to attain a chef to cook meals, and a nanny to look after the children. Though he was hoping to do this all here, net her up out at Cliffside
He still owned the place but rarely went there at all himself. He’d done so at first when missing Marrin, but
eventually, as he’d twisted things inside his mind of what had happened, he’d stopped going there because it had caused him nothing but pain. He’d not been to Cliffside in years other than that one time to pick up Marrin’s perfume and take it back to his apartment. It sat empty but was maintained by a live in housekeeper and gardener. He’d not been able to get rid of the place.
He had told Wil to put it on the market at one point and then freaked out the moment he’d gotten an offer on
the place, had withdrawn it from the market. He couldn’t sell it. The thought of losing the place he’d been
happy with Marrin in and where he had intended on living with her to raise a family, had hit him, and he’d not
actually been able to let it go.
He could actually remember the day Wil had told him there was an offer on the table for Cliffside. He’d looked up at Wil damned near horrified, and his heart had hammered inside his chest, panic had welled up, and he’d
actually yelled at Wil about what the hell was he thinking. Selling Marrin’s house, was he crazy? Where would
she live when she came back to him?
Wil had stared at him for a moment, and then just turned and walked out of his office with a shake of his
head. “You’re the one who told me to sell it,” he’d shot over his shoulder. “Bloody lucky I thought to tell you
about the offer before just handing it over aren’t you.”
Calvin had been lucky his friend knew him well. He’d given him full authority for him to just sell it, and not tell
him about the sale. He had told Wil that as long as he got market value for it, he didn’t care. Calvin hadn’t
wanted to be involved at all. Had told Wil to handle it all. His friend had known better, it seemed, than to just
actually sell it and never tell him.
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