"Let him go!"
Mr. Ratcliff''s voice boomed through the hall-he was furious now. "What kind of son hits his own mother?"
Robbie didn''t even look back at the house staff calling after him. He charged upstairs, straight into Reese and Sebastian''s room, yanked a photo off the dresser, and hurled it to the floor. The ss shattered. He stomped on it again and again, grinding his heel right over Reese''s smiling face until it was smudged and dirty. Only then did some of the anger inside him start to fade.
You want to protect that brat so much? Fine. You''re not my mom anymore. Whatever I do from now on, you don''t get to act disappointed. This is what you asked for!
Out in the yard, Reese suddenly realized how close she and Matthew were standing. Her cheeks flushed and she quickly pulled her hand away, crouching to get a better look at the cut on his lower back.
"I''m taking you to the hospital," she said.
"I''m fine," Matthew tried to protest.
He stood up, but the movement pulled at his wound and pain shed across his face.
Reese steadied him. "You''re bleeding and you still want to act tough?"
Mr. Ratcliff turned to the butler. "Get the car now. Take them to the hospital." "Annie hit her head too. She needs to be checked," Reese added.
"I''ll take them," Sebastian said quickly, his voice a little tight. For some reason, thest thing he wanted was for Reese and Matthew to be alone together. Reese was his wife, not someone Matthew should be getting close to.
Mr. Ratcliff nodded. "Good idea."
Sebastian stepped in, gently taking Matthew''s arm from Reese and helping him toward the ck Bentley. Matthew noticed how Sebastian''s grip tightened, but he didn''t say anything. He just let himself be led away.
Reese took Annie''s little hand and turned to Mr. Ratcliff. "Grandpa, we''re heading out."
He waved tiredly, clearly worn out after all the chaos. "Go on. Call us if you need anything."
Reese nodded, gave Dylon a quick look from behind Mr. Ratcliff, and caught Zach off to the side, watching everything with an amused smile. Ignoring him, she gathered Annie and left.
At the hospital, Matthew was rushed
into the emergency room. Reese
told Sebastian to wait and took Annie upstairs for her checkup. Thankfully, Annie''s injury was just a scratch. The doctor cleaned the wound and prescribed some antibiotics.
When Reese came back downstairs, Sebastian was gone. She found Matthew lying on his stomach in the ER, his lower back wrapped in a fresh white bandage that stood out sharply against his tan skin.
Matthew felt her eyes on him and his ears went red. He tried to pull the nket over his bare chest, but the movement tugged at his wound and fresh blood seeped through the gauze.
"Don''t move." Reese rushed over, pressing gently on the bandage to stop the bleeding. She felt a wave of guit grash over her. “I''m so sorry: should''ve taught Robbie better. He hurt Annie, and now you''re hurt too."
"This isn''t your fault." Matthew''s voice was gentle, and the warmth of her hand on his back made his ears burn even more.
"I know Ratcliff family rules. You probably barely saw Robbie after he was born, right? If anyone''s to me, it''s the people in that family who spoiled him and never taught him right from wrong."
Reese froze, taken aback. During her whole life, she''d been med for everything her mom''s death, her husband''s affairs, even Robbie''s mistakes. The Ratcliffs never see her son, but whenever Robbie
her
messed up, she was the one
used of being a bad mother.
No one had ever told her it wasn''t her fault. No one had ever told her to stop ming herself or that she didn''t have to apologize for other people''s mistakes.
She looked away from Matthew''s gentle gaze, but she couldn''t hide the tears in her eyes. She wiped them away quickly.
A few steps away, Annie''s eyes filled with tears as she looked at Matthew''s bandaged back.
"This is all my fault," she whispered. "I didn''t know it was Robbie''s swing. I shouldn''t have sat on it. If I hadn''t, none of this would''ve happened."