Chapter 3 Family Crisis

Annette's pov

I don't like hospitals, and I hate the psychiatrist hospital more.

Five years of regular monthly visits and my skin still crawls everytime. You don't used to things like this, the creepy laughter, the scary patient who just stares at you, not daring to blink, the harsh smell of disinfectant and the unsettling atmosphere. But still, I visit three times every month, because that's all the support I can offer her.

I'm being led to her room when my phone buzzed. I reached for it inside my purse and read the message.

" Soon love, very soon, you'd be where you belong, in my arms. "

I scoffed as I made to delete and block the unknown number. Apparently, Cole's not tired of his silly games, he thinks he can sacre me, well, those days are over. I'm not the small, struggling and weak girl he knew, I've changed. I've moved on.

The nurse gave me a tense smile as I approached her counter.

" Hello Ann. "

" Hello, Mrs Young. "

" She's having a rough day today Ann, more hallucinations and tantrums. " She sighed.

I swallowed a lump in my throat as I walk forward.

When I walk into her ward, she's sitting on her bed, facing the wall, I can see her scattered hair, a darker shade of blonde, her legs crossed together.

Sadness overwhelms me as I look at my mother, she's leaner, more thin. Strands of her hair are all over her bed, she must have pulled them out.

Six years ago, she was so energetic and full of life. She was an artist and my father was her inspiration .

I still remember all the times my father told me how they first met. He was on an art exhibition, he had fallen in love with her painting and then, he fell in love with the brains behind the painting.

She loved him so damm much that his death turned her into a shadow of herself, one moment I was morning the loss of my hero, the other second, mom was diagnosed with complex grief disorder.

" Mom. " I called out to her. She doesn't turn to look at me.

"Leave Annette. " She orders me.

" Mom..I....."

" Go away, Annette. It's your fault he's dead. If it weren't for you, my husband would still be alive. "

I force to keep back the tears stinging my eyes, I know this was one of her trauma symptoms acting out, but I couldn't help but admit that in a way, I caused my father's death.

★

I try not to fall asleep in the middle of a meeting. The tiredness from work, the exhaustion from my visit to my mother yesterday. It didn't help that the asylum was a two hour drive, or the fact that I had cried all the way back to Seattle. Five years and theres no significant improvement to my mother's mental health.

When I got home, I barely got any sleep either, I had another argument with my brother Peter concerning his gambling in front of Laura, our little sister. Everything was falling apart in my life.

Sleep, that's what I need, to sleep and forget all my worries.

Sebastian nudges me with is elbow and I jerk awake, returning half of my attentions to where my boss, Debra, stands. She talking about our management statistics that I heard a dozen times.

I look out though the glass panel from my side and find.....

Holy crap!

Mr Anderson's been watching us, no, he's watching me. My eyes mets his brooding gaze. My heart drops to the floor as he smiles slowly at me, the same smile he gave me last week when he kissed me, in the foyer after the meeting. Thank God it was empty except for the both of us.

Looking at him, Its like I'm back in the foyer, him cupping my face in his hands and kissing me, he didn't even care if anyone could walk in on us. And after wards he just left. He kissed me a left me without any explanation , the same way he did at the club.

He winks at me from outside. Did he just do that? Did the rest of the team see him? My stomach flutters with odd feelings. I don't understand what this man wants from me. If he wants to get laid, he can get any lady he wants in Seattle, he owns the entire Anderson Empire for crying out loud, eight hotels, five breweries and God knows how many clubs and spas.

Why act like an evil spirit sent to torment me?

Mom's in the asylum, struggling to hold what's left of her sanity, Peter still hasn't cut off from the gang like he promised, I'm struggling to save up for Laura college dreams and pay off the loan I took for the mortgage, Cole's stalking me and somehow, I managed to have some foreplay with a man I didn't know is my CEO an what........he wants to get more?

When I decided to move back to Seattle with my siblings four months ago, I did that so we could get a shot at a normal life. This wasn't what I had envisioned. So much for normal now.

The meeting ended and the day went by quickly as well, I packed my laptop in my bag and arrange my things. I leave work early and head straight home. Peter wasn't around by the time I arrive and Laura had sleepover with her friends. I'm lying on my bed when I'm suddenly woken up by a loud knock on the door. My heart skipped a beat, and I jump up at once. I cautiously approached the door with a baseball bat in one hand, just in case. I opened the door slowly, expecting anything but what I saw. Peter was on the floor, with bloodstains on his clothes and bloodshot eyes. Blood is coming out of his nose and mouth.

"PETER!" I screamed.

" What happened to you? Who did this? Get up. We need to go to the hospital ."

"Annette, no, I can't," Peter replied weakly.

"What do you mean you can't? Look at you, you're in so much pain right now. Your eyes are swollen, and you're bleeding." I started weeping uncontrollably, my heart going out to my brother seeing him in distress. He held my hand in his and looked at me with pleading eyes.

"Ann, I'm in trouble. Big, big trouble. I need your help. I got scammed today, Trevor and I, we took some money from the macho brothers. We got scammed of it, the entire two hundred thousand ". He cries more as my heart drops to my fucking knee.

The macho brothers were the most notorious gang crew in the hometown we just left. I begged Peter to stop associating with them but he didn't, it's one of the reasons I decided to move to Seattle but now he's gotten into a bigger mess. He stiffed as if he remembers something then fix his eyes on me.

" Annette, I think Laura might be in danger. "