Beautiful Lies (Breaking Belles #2) - Alta Hensley Page 0,63

sister did, was good enough.

“He never hit us or anything, but I would have taken a physical beating over the verbal one we got each day he blessed us with his occasional presence. I came back to offer support for my sister, and I suppose if I was being honest with myself… I even came back for my mother in some sick way.”

He shook his head. “My mother wasn’t much better than my father. She was more concerned with parties and her charities than her own children. Both my parents were self-absorbed and did very little in raising us. You can thank the constant flow of nannies for my lovely personality.” A small smile quirked his lips. “But my sister was different. Jasmine had a pure heart, her love for me was the only genuine love I ever truly felt growing up and even now. She was like me. She didn’t ask to be born into this silver spoon-fed nightmare, nor did I.”

“It’s better than poverty. Trust me on that.”

He nodded. “Maybe. I wouldn’t know. But I’ll tell you this. I hate money. I hate what it does to people. I hate the thirst, materialistic need, and all-consuming greed that surrounded me my entire life.”

“Then why did you even want to try to become part of the Order?”

“For my sister. I need to complete the Trials in order to get the family business. VanDoren Enterprises does not automatically get passed down to me. It’s in my father’s will. A member of the Order must own the business. I have to become a member or lose it all.”

I watched how even talking about this bothered him. His jaw locked; his eyes seemed to darken with every word. “I don’t understand. You just said you hated all that. So why would you want the family business?”

“I don’t want it. But my sister does. And classic fucked up Order style prevents her from inheriting it at all. I’m doing this for her. Only for her.”

“Miss Collins?” I looked up and then jumped to my feet when I saw the nice nurse from last night.

“Yes?”

“I’m just getting off shift. But Dr. Reynard asked me to let you in a little early to see your sister since you’ve been waiting all night. She’s awake now.”

“Thank you!”

I grabbed Sully’s hand and all but dragged him through the door she was holding open. The rest of the waiting room was empty.

I was still reeling from all he’d told me.

He’d stayed and endured all those horrific Trials for love of a sister too. Family meant something to him. A huge part of his life had been defined by his father’s betrayal and abandonment—it was still abandonment even if it had been in a different form than my father’s. Even more insidious maybe, because he was still there all the time but making the active choice every day for work and the Order over his family waiting for him at home. Hurting Sully as deeply as my father had hurt me.

It was only a little further to Reba’s room. I did leave Sully outside since I didn’t want to have to explain him to Reba when the focus needed to be on her, but just knowing he was nearby was a huge comfort. Not that I wanted to explore that thought too much. But he’d seriously shown up for me last night, and after everything we’d been through together…

I rounded the corner and my mouth dropped open when I saw Reba.

“Beba,” I cried, using LeAnn’s pet name for her. I rushed to the bed and sat on the edge beside her tiny, wan little body.

What the hell had happened since I left just three months ago?

She was skin and fucking bones.

I grabbed her hand and it was ice cold to the touch. I immediately started chafing it back and forth to warm it up.

“Hey, babe,” I said, trying to infuse my voice with as much warmth as possible. She didn’t need to know how crazy freaked out I was seeing her like this.

Her eyes were sunken, her lips dry, her skin… She looked like she was…

She looked like she was dying.

I gripped her hand like I could send some of my own life force into her limp body.

She opened her mouth like she was trying to say hi or say my name but no words came out.

I shook my head. “No, babe. It’s fine. Don’t even try to talk. I heard you had a little mishap and your legs