I struggled to my feet and returned to my room, only to be told that I hadn't paid my hospital bills and had to leave immediately. Cecilia hadn't given me any time to think. Almost simultaneously, my father's creditors called. They threatened to throw him off a thirty-story building if I didn't pay them.
I felt all the strength leave my body. I sat on the edge of the bed, found a sticky note in my bag and wrote a message for Jace. Then I took the check Cecilia had left and left the hospital. By the time I managed to get my father back from the debt collectors, my wounds had bled through the bandages.
"I'm sorry," he sobbed. "I failed you. Cut ties with me, go back to your husband."
I closed my eyes in despair, tears slipping down my cheeks. "I can't go back." I had taken the money. So, I had no right to return.