Dark Love (The Two Sides of Me Book 3) by Amy Garcia

with Gabriella is helpful but its effectiveness on me is clearly nothing like hers. I remove the earbud after about thirty minutes and lay it in her lap, she doesn’t even move, she’s so engrossed in her faraway place I find myself jealous of this ability. Maybe with practice I can learn to separate myself from the world a little better.
    Mom scurries by me patting my knee as she goes. “Come on, I see Kelly coming down the hall.” No doubt mom has been keeping her eagle eye out for the return of David’s nurse.
    We meet her halfway, and my heart drops when I see the grim look on her face. I grab ahold of my mother's hand and squeeze tight. “What’s wrong?” Mom says before we are even close enough to Kelly for conversation. For once I’m glad for my mom’s bluntness.
    Words form sentences in my mind, but my mouth refuses to speak them. Fear has taken hold of my senses, and I feel faint. Deep breaths, remember deep breaths Mia, you need to know what she has to say no matter what it is. My step falters and mom notices pulling me closer to provide me with some stability.
    Before she can utter a word though I know he’s not gone, I still feel him; his presence is weak but still surrounding me.
    “I won’t sugar coat it, this is more complicated than Dr. Carter anticipated…”
    “ He’s ok though, he’s going to be alright right?” Mom interrupts
    “I believe so, Mrs. Galloway, but it’s going to take longer than we thought, and Dr. Carter hasn’t recovered from his injuries completely; he’s having a rough time of it.”
    I don’t fucking care if he’s having a rough time of it, that bastard brought his injuries on himself, now he’s paying for it. I’ve surprised myself lately with my selfishness and lack of compassion for others, mostly David. Having Evan in my life has caused such an orbital disturbance with his magnetism, I will never know which way is up or down again. All I know is the pull between us is too powerful to separate, my love for him is all encompassing, and I will follow him anywhere, even into death.
    “Do whatever it takes. You know what’s riding on the success of this surgery, give David a stool and get on with it.” I snap at her and whirl around going back to the tiny torture chamber they call a waiting room. My mother gasps at the frigid tone in my voice but I don’t care. The stress as of late is beginning to break me; mom has no idea the lengths I’ll go to keep him alive. Another Mia has recently possessed me. ‘Mafia wife, Mia’ as Isaac referred to me, and Mafia wife Mia is getting impatient and pissed.
    I spot Isaac and plop down with a grunt. “Where ya been?” I haven’t seen him for a few hours, and he is the only person who provides me comfort just by being here. We don’t have to speak it’s just something about his physical presence that makes me feel better. Maybe it’s the way he reminds me of Evan. I’ve always associated Isaac with Evan and vice versa, they go together like a set of salt and pepper shakers, complimenting each other but very different, both providing me with things I need, Evan is my breath, my soul, my other half where Isaac is my friend, confidant, and protector.
    “I had to handle some things.” He answers simply. I have a feeling I know what he’s been ‘handling’ and I don’t really want to know the particulars, so I choose a different path for our conversation.
    “It’s going to take longer than they thought. Kelly just informed us that David is getting weak.”
    “And what did you say?”
    “I told her to get him a place to sit and hurry up!” A proud smile spreads across his beautiful mouth, and he links his fingers with mine.
    “I can’t believe you’re the same woman I met in Evan’s hospital room six months ago.”
    “Why? I’m not so different.” He shakes his head and squeezes my hand.
    “Ok mafia wife, you keep telling yourself that.” I guess he’s right, I have changed. I’ve grown, learned