The Lingering Kiss of Farewell novel Chapter 78

CH 78

Calvin

He sat in the penthouse a week later looking at everything that Wil had brought over; how he and Anabel had pieced it all together. Nothing was missed along the timeline of all that Marrin had done, and it was all compared to his own.

He stared at the pictures of her broken, battered body after her accident, and felt pain roll through his chest. There were many tubes coming from her broken body; the breathing tube, the drainage tube from her lower left rib cage, right where her birthmark would normally have been, and she had a bandage around her head and IV lines running. Her once lovely face was distorted by swelling and bruising.

She had two broken legs, both in casts, and she didn’t even look like herself, but he could still tell it was her at the same time. It was no wonder she couldn’t recall anything. He had read her medical files, but there had been no photos attached to them. “How’d you get these?” he asked quietly; he’d not gotten any pictures of

her.

“I can only guess that your tech guy

didn’t want to include them. Did he know Marrin?” Wil asked him.

“Yes,” Calvin nodded. “That’s why he was willing to help me.”

“Then he likely made a judgement call of his own,” Wil commented.

“She doesn’t even really look like herself.” He sighed.

“No, and that was how who she really was got past the doctors and nurses. That, and when she woke up knowing her name was Marilyn, they didn’t need to look into it. She was still bruised a bit even when she was released from the hospital, as is my understanding, no one really connected the dots. Everything fit with her driver’s license,” Wil told him.

Calvin could only nod. He’d felt pain before knowing she’d been in an accident, and lost her memory, but to see all of this, the full extent of it, he hated knowing he was the root cause of it. If he’d never divorced her, she’d never have been in that accident in the first place.

“Calvin, I have to attend that meeting with Marilyn the day after tomorrow, you know this.”

“I understand, Wil.” He nodded.

“Do you really? The actual situation.” Wil frowned at him as he questioned him.

“Yes, she doesn’t know who I am, even though you showed her this file. It did not jog her memory at all,”

Calvin answered him.

“Correct, Marrin?” Wil asked him a moment later.

“Doesn’t actually exist anymore.” Calvin sighed and closed the file almost as if he was closing that part of his life. He had to accept that she was gone, the woman he’d loved was long gone and not likely to come back to

him at all.

“That is right, so I’m going to deal with Marilyn, who has only ever seen your angry obsessive side.” Wil told

him.

“But on paper she understands I’m the twins‘ father now, right?” Calvin looked at Wil.

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“Yes, but that doesn’t mean she is going to give you what you want.” Wil sighed this time, and it was on the heavy side. “You also can’t come to Virginia for the meeting.”

He just nodded “I know, I have made things much worse, but at the same time, Wil, I can’t take back what I’ve already started with boy’s school. I promised that school that technology, I have to follow through.”

Wil nodded “Kelly can follow it through with like 98% of it. I’ll have to sort that other 2% out with her. I believe

you were supposed to turn up in person to present everything to the school on the day of delivery”

That had been his plan, not to get involved with anything but turn up and present it all in person, lay eyes on his boys for the first time, if possible, in person. “Is she really still willing to deal with you even after all this?” Calvin asked. A part of him didn’t actually believe she would be willing to, not after all she’d already shown him; her unwillingness to be around him.

“Mm. It seems that way, or I think it’s more along the lines of this will be the last meeting she attends with me. Liam did state Marilyn was unhappy about how things have turned out, but wanted to talk to me herself

in person.

“I don’t know if that’s a good thing or a bad thing to be honest. Liam didn’t elaborate on the subject, but he also didn’t sound encouraging either. All I know is she didn’t cancel it, for her own reasons, which are as yet unknown to me. I’m flying out at lunchtime tomorrow.”

“You can take my Jet.” Calvin offered.

“I’ve already booked it through an airline.” Will shook his head, “Best to just leave it as such.”

Calvin nodded. “I’d say apologise to her on my behalf, but I don’t think that she will be willing to accept it at this point in time.”

“Probably not, will you stay put here in Houston, no more trying to work around me to get to her?” He asked now, looking right at Calvin, with narrowed eyes.

Calvin leaned back on the couch and sighed “I won’t if you won’t,” he stated simply and watched Wil nod and get up. “I’ll stay right here and work. I think she’s suffered enough. Unless Marilyn asks for me directly, I’ll stay away for now,” he told him, and he meant it.

He got up to see Wil out “How’s Anabell?” he asked as they walked to the front door.

“Annoyed with you for harming her favourite author, and pissed off at you for hurting Marrin, it’s why she yelled at you that day out the front of the office.”

“Great, so she hates me too.” he muttered. He’d always liked Anabell, and she him. Not so much anymore.

“Hate’s a strong word, and I don’t think it’s that, disappointed and angry, but not hate. She did, however, laugh when she realised Marrin outplayed you at your own game. She also stated it was your own fault, and now you have to suffer the consequences. Thinks we should stay out of it altogether on the one hand, but on the other doesn’t trust you to be alone around Marilyn either.”

“Probably wise,” Calvin could only agree. “I’ll just make a bigger mess of things. It seems to be my M.O.”

“So while I’m gone, you’ll be doing what exactly?” Wil asked him directly.

“Working in my office at the head office, do you want to lo–jack me or my phone?” Calvin asked in a half–joking tone, only to see Wil actually stop and really think about it.

“I was kidding Wil.” Calvin muttered now.

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