Chapter 34
The doctor looks at us both with horror.
I am still processing this information. I wrap my arm around Evie’s shoulders, because I realize that she is shaking. “Those nightmares you’ve been having,” I whisper softly to her.
“Yes,” she answers with a shudder.
“You’ve only been in France for five weeks,” I say slowly. “And we only had sex about… four weeks ago?”
“Oh my god, Gabe,” Yvette says hoarsely. She buries her face in my shoulder. “I am so sorry. I didn’t know.”
“What are you apologizing for? This was done to you.” I rub her back gently, trying to comfort her. But my voice is furious, and the ultrasound printout crumples in my hand. “Do you know who did this?”
“Yes,” she answers weakly. “I think so.”
“I’m sorry,” the doctor interrupts. “Are you saying this pregnancy is the result of a sexual assault?”
“Yes,” Yvette says again. “I think I’m going to throw up. I was unconscious.”
I am scowling. “What kind of a sick and twisted piece of shit has sex with a girl in a coma?”
“It happens more than we realize,” the doctor answers, shaking her head with disgust. “But I’m sorry it happened to you, Yvette. Is there anything I can do? If you’re going to seek legal action—we can save the embryo and perform a DNA analysis to identify who assaulted you.”
“Yes,” Yvette says. “I need that.”
I don’t think I’ve ever heard her say “yes” so many times in the decade I’ve known her. She looks so weak and defeated. I wrap my arms around her and hold her close.
“Excuse me for a minute. I’m so sorry,” the doctor says, leaving the room.
“Gabe,” Evie says brokenly. “I only ever considered having the baby because I thought it was yours. I know how much you wanted this, and I wanted to be the one to give it to you. I wanted to make you happy. But I can’t.”
“It’s okay. Shhh, don’t worry about that now.”
“If I had known it wasn’t yours…” she shakes her head in horror. “I can’t believe this. I guess we will never be fixed now.”
“Evie… I hate to break it to you, sweetheart. But the pregnancy wasn’t fixing us at all.” I smile sadly, and rub my hand over her hair. “Let’s forget about us for a second. Someone hurt you, and I need to know who it was. What do you remember?”
She swallows and stares into space. Her eyes are vacant and faraway, like she’s back in America, back in that coma. Like it’s happening to her again. Now I know why she’s been like this. And I want justice for her—if she wants justice for herself.
“Who was it?” I ask again, softly.
“I have to tell you something…” she says with a shudder. “Milla knew, but I don’t think she ever told you. That was kind of her.”
Even hearing the name causes an ache in my chest. “What did Milla know?”
“I was seeing someone before I got sick,” Evie explains. “It was just a casual sex thing, but he ended up getting a little creepy, and I started avoiding him. But then I got sick…”
“And this person visited you in the hospital?” I ask her.
She laughs. “You don’t understand. When I got sick, I picked up his phone call and asked him for help… because he’s an ICU doctor. So he told me that if I came into his hospital, he would offer me the best possible care…”
“No,” I say softly. “No, no, no. Do not say what I think you’re going to say.”
“It was Dr. Mike Masterson.”
“Fuck!” I shout. I have to stand up and step away from Evie, because a wave of rage courses through me. I grab the ultrasound machine and smash it into the floor.
“Gabe!” Evie says. “That looks expensive.”
“Does it look like I care right now? Camilla just married that fucker!”
“What?” Evie asks. “That’s ridiculous. Why would she do that? She’s in love with you.”
“And she thought I was having a baby with you. I told her never to speak to me again,” I say brokenly.
“Okay, let’s forget about us for a minute and focus on Milla,” Yvette says, sitting up straight and lifting her hand. “She could be in danger. Mike used to do this thing where he would tie me up so I couldn’t move… and he would keep my phone far away from me. I felt really unsafe. I thought it was all in my head, and maybe I just wasn’t freaky enough to enjoy his fetishes, but… oh god, Gabe.”
“Do you think he would hurt Milla?” I ask her.
“Yes. Easily. Milla is too innocent, and she won’t see through his polite, fake crap.”
“Fuck. They’ve been married for days now. I stood outside that church and I know I could have stopped the wedding, but I was too much of a pussy to go inside.”
Yvette gets up and slaps me across the face. She’s stronger now, and it actually stings.
“I’m sorry I lied about going to America,” I tell her. “I just…”
“I knew where you went, you idiot. I didn’t even expect you to come back. I’m slapping you because you love that girl and you flew across the world to see her and you let her marry the asshole who raped me.”
I stare at her for a minute. “We need to call and check on her.” With shaking hands, I reach for my phone and dial Milla. There is no answer. “She might have blocked me.”
“Or he’s taken her phone,” Yvette says.
The thought gives me chills. “We should call the police to check on her.”
“Yes, call them right away. He’s dangerous. You know—I really believe that if it was up to him, they would have kept me on that ventilator forever? Gabe… it was worse than being dead. He was never going to let me wake up.”
We stare at each other, horrified by the thought. Every single day she was on that
