Chapter 6 - The Shadows Outside
For three days, I refused to let him in.
Dad paced outside the ICU room like a caged animal.
He sent in flowers, he sent in notes, but I had Claire throw them in the trash.
The physical pain in my chest was immense, but the emotional scar of his dismissal was deeper.
Dr. Aris, my cardiologist, explained the reality to me on the fourth day.
I had Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy—a thickening of the heart muscle.
It was manageable, but Aunt Susan’s "supplement" had forced my defective heart to beat out of rhythm until it just gave up.
“You’ll need a pacemaker,” Dr. Aris explained gently.
“And no heavy lifting, ever again.”
When the doctor left, Maya sat on the edge of my bed.
“Dad is crying out there, Leo.
He hasn't gone home.”
“He didn’t care when I was dying on the floor, Maya,” I said, my voice steady despite the monitor picking up my rising heart rate.
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“He only cares now because he realizes he’s the villain of the story.
I won’t forgive him just to make him feel better about himself.”
