Chapter 16

The hotel room was small—modest, clean, quiet. But to Lindsey, it felt like a coffin.

She sat curled up on the bed, knees pulled to her chest, the pillow soaked with silent sobs. The soft hum of city traffic filtered through the closed windows, but she barely heard it. Her world had narrowed to a loop of memories she didn’t want to replay. The image of Mandy kissing Parker played over and over in her mind like a cruel film reel she couldn’t shut off.

She hadn’t waited for an explanation. She didn’t need one. At least, that’s what she told herself as she left the hospital barefoot in her gown, grabbing her bag from reception and disappearing into a cab. The receptionist had offered to call someone—Parker, probably—but Lindsey refused. She just needed to get away. From the building. From the moment. From him.

She checked into the first hotel she could find, paid in cash, and didn’t give her full name.

And now she sat in that room, phone buzzing endlessly on the nightstand.

Parker.

Calling. Over. And over.

She blocked him.

Her heart felt like it was ripping itself apart inside her chest. Why did this hurt more than anything Alex had done?

Because I trusted him. Because I thought this was real.

Lindsey curled tighter into herself, shoulders shaking. The worst part wasn’t just the kiss.

It was that tiny, painful voice whispering… You were foolish to believe in love again.

Eventually, exhaustion pulled her under, and she drifted into a restless sleep, tears still clinging to her lashes.

Meanwhile, Parker was unraveling.

He had burst back into the hospital room with flowers and food in hand, only to find the bed empty, Lindsey’s hospital gown discarded on the floor. At first, he thought maybe she’d stepped out for air, but when the nurses said no one had seen her leave, dread began to bloom in his chest.

He combed every hallway, every waiting area, even checked the emergency exits. Nothing. Then, one of the nurses remembered the hallway security cams. Parker demanded access, and within minutes, he was staring at a grainy video feed from earlier that morning.

There she was.

Lindsey.

Barefoot. Pale. Weak—but moving. Fast.

Then she stopped—right at the corner near the entrance. And from the angle, he could see it clearly.

She had seen him.

Him and Mandy.

The hug. The kiss. The hesitation.

And then she ran. Down the hall. Out the door.

“God,” Parker muttered, gripping the edge of the desk. “She thinks…” He couldn’t finish the sentence.

His stomach dropped. She must have thought it was something. That it meant something. The look on her face when she turned away—betrayal. Pain.

He ran his hands through his hair, pulling slightly at the roots, desperate.

“I need to find her,” he told security. “Now.”

He activated every contact he had—called friends in local hotels, asked for silent favors, activated GPS links she had used when they traveled together for work. Eventually, a lead came through: a booking under an alias she’d used once before.

Within twenty minutes, Parker was at the hotel’s front desk, begging the manager for access. The moment he got the key card, he ran—actually ran—to the room.

He knocked first. No answer.

“Lindsey,” he called softly. “It’s me. Please open the door.”

Still silence.

Finally, with a trembling hand, he unlocked the door and stepped inside.

There she was.

Lying on her side in bed, fast asleep, a dried tear trail on her cheek.

Parker didn’t speak. He didn’t dare. He walked over slowly, knelt beside the bed, and gently brushed a stray curl from her face. His heart cracked just seeing her like this.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispered. “God, Lindsey, I’m so sorry.”

He sat beside her and stayed there. Watching. Waiting.

She stirred hours later, eyes fluttering open.

And the moment she saw him—sitting beside her, holding her hand—she jerked back, voice rough.

“What are you doing here?”

“Lindsey—”

“Get out,” she said, pushing at him weakly. “How dare you come here?”

“Please,” he said, standing slowly. “Let me explain.”

“I saw it,” she said, eyes wide and hurt. “I saw it, Parker. You let her kiss you. You didn’t stop her. You said you were mine.”

“I didn’t—” He sighed, his shoulders sagging. “I didn’t expect her to be there. It was nothing. A mistake. I stopped her.”

“You hugged her,” Lindsey said, voice cracking. “You smiled.”

“Because I was surprised, not happy. Lindsey, Mandy and I—we were nothing. A fling years ago. I never loved her. I was never even close. She meant nothing.”

“Then why didn’t you push her away immediately?” she snapped.

“I did,” he said, stepping closer, his voice pleading. “The moment I realized what was happening, I stopped her. I told her I was with someone. I told her about you.”

Lindsey blinked. “You did?”

“I did,” he whispered. “And she asked to meet you. That’s when you saw us.”

She turned away, arms folded tightly over her chest.

“I’m not like him, Lindsey,” Parker said quietly. “I’m not Alex. I won’t lie. I won’t cheat. I won’t break you.”

A silence stretched between them.

“I was scared,” she admitted finally. “Because it felt too good to be true. I thought… maybe I wasn’t ready. Maybe I’m just broken.”

“You’re not broken,” he said immediately, moving to kneel in front of her. “You’ve been hurt. But that doesn’t mean you can’t be loved the right way.”

Her chin trembled.

“I hate how easily I ran,” she whispered. “How fast I believed the worst.”

“I don’t,” he said. “Because it means you still care.”

Their eyes locked.

And slowly, painfully, she reached for his hand.

“I want to believe you.”

“Then let me prove it,” Parker said. “Let me be the man you don’t have to run from.”

She let herself fall into his arms again.

And for the first time in days… it felt like home.