Billionaire, I Am Not Your Wife! novel Chapter 12

Chapter 11. Reunion

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?”

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