I looked down at the pages.
“You agreed.”
“I agreed to marry Rosie because I loved her.”
“That does not explain why you signed this.”
“If I refused, they were going to move forward with the facility.”
“You could have told me.”
“They threatened to stop me from seeing her.”
“She was an adult.”
“They controlled her trust. Her transportation. Her appointments. Her access to legal advice. They had spent years convincing everyone that Rosie could not make major decisions without them.”
My hands began shaking.
“I signed because it bought us time.”
Ben wiped his face.
“I used their agreement to get access to the legal documents. Then I helped Rosie obtain an independent capacity evaluation and her own attorney.”
I looked at him.
“Rosie knew?”
“Not at first.”
The answer reignited my anger.
“You lied to her.”
“For one year.”
His voice broke.
“And I hated myself every day.”
I clutched the contract against my chest.
“If she dies—”
My voice failed.
Ben covered his face.
“She cannot.”
Fast footsteps echoed down the corridor.
We both turned.
The doctor was approaching.
One look at his face made my knees weaken.
Ben stood so quickly that he nearly fell.
Before the doctor reached us, the elevator doors opened.
My parents stepped out.
My mother carried her coat neatly over one arm.
My father was adjusting his cuff links.
They walked toward us with worried expressions that suddenly looked rehearsed.
“How is she?” Mom asked.
The doctor stopped in front of us.
“Rosie is stable.”
For a moment, I did not understand the word.
“Stable?” Ben repeated.
“We controlled the bleeding. She required a transfusion, and she remains in intensive recovery, but her vital signs have improved.”
“And the babies?” I asked.
“Both are breathing with minimal assistance. They are small, but they are doing well.”
A sob escaped me.
I grabbed Ben’s arm.
“She made it.”
He covered his mouth as tears ran down his face.
“She made it.”
My mother stepped forward with her arms open.
“Oh, thank God.”
I moved away from her.
“What you did?”
She stopped.
“What are you talking about?”
I unfolded the contract.
The color disappeared from both my parents’ faces.
Dad recovered first.
“This is not the place.”
“You tried to pay Ben to marry Rosie.”
My mother glanced toward the doctor.
“Keep your voice down.”
“You planned to send her away.”
