Between Loves (The Pendant Series Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

someone with no blood connection love me as her own. Once I felt those arms wrapping around me with the unconditional love Teresa so easily harbored I let out all of the pent-up grief I had been feeling. I cried about Ray’s infidelity, the disassociation from Adrian because of Ray’s jealousy, Chrissy and I fighting, Granny’s illness, and now the most recent trauma in my life; the death of Nouri. Everything poured out and flooded into my heart with a pain I had never felt before.
    How was I going to get past this?
    I sobbed uncontrollably in Teresa’s arms as she consoled me. Ray leaned against the wall, useless. He was obviously still shell-shocked from his earlier discovery.
    “There, there, Sidney. Everything will be okay,” Teresa cooed as she stroked my brown hair, which undoubtedly was caked with dry blood.
    “Mom,” Ray said, “the cafeteria’s still open. Do you think you can go down there and get Sidney and me some coffee?”
    I shook my head at him. “Ray. I’m fine. I don’t need anything.” I began to object but then I saw a hint of irritation flash behind his eyes as he tried to silently tell me he wanted to speak with me alone.
    His mother was oblivious to his cue but she accepted his request anyway. “Sure, honey. Your father is still parking the car, so I’ll give him a call on his cellular and have him meet me in the cafeteria.”
    Teresa kissed my forehead before letting me go. Dr. Kyle and Chrissy took this opportunity to take flight as well. The doctor promised to start processing all of the necessary paperwork for her new position, and Chrissy danced out of the room, heading home to start packing for her move.
    Ray walked them all out of the room, and then stood by the doorway until they were out of sight. I watched as my emotionless boyfriend stood with his arms folded across his white t-shirt. His blue eyes remained dead.
    Swiftly, he closed the hospital door, and strode across the room to my bed. Taking my hand, he ordered, “Don’t tell my mom about the note.”
    I attempted to sit up, but the pain in my head instantly shot through my body and straight down to my toes. “Ouch,” I cried.
    “Did you hear me?” Ray asked, now pacing back and forth within the room.
    “My head,” I whimpered, concentrating on my breathing until the pain slowly began to subside.
    “Sidney. I said don’t tell—”
    “Yes, I’m not deaf, Ray. Sorry, I’m a little preoccupied with the pain.” I folded my arms across my chest and stared straight ahead at the stark white wall. My eyebrows furrowed.
    “I don’t want to worry her,” Ray said softly.
    I rolled my eyes. “No, Ray, you don’t want her to know about Lilly.”
    His silence confirmed my suspicions. Now was as good a time as any to confront him. “She knew I was coming back with you, didn’t she? You’ve still been talking to her.”
    At that precise moment, Dr. Kyle burst into the room, interrupting the unbearable silence and giving Ray an escape to evade my accusations. He took a seat in the same chair the detective had sat in earlier.
    “Sorry for the intrusion. I just need you to sign a few papers, Sidney.” The doctor handed me a clipboard and I began penning my signature next to every X. “You took a pretty rough beating yesterday, wouldn’t you agree?”
    Pushing aside the uneasy emotions that often seemed to come with Ray, I replied, “I’ve been taking a lot of beatings lately, Dr. Kyle.”
    Ignoring my subliminal cry for sympathy, the old doctor accepted my signatures and turned to leave. “I’ll have your prescription for some painkillers ready for you in the morning, and then you can be on your way. I’ll send a nurse in to check you out at nine o’clock tomorrow.”
    “Thank you, Doctor.”
    Before the old man left the room, Ray had devised a plan to escape our argument. “I’m going to check on my parents,” he said flatly as he walked out with the good