I Married My Ex's Billionaire Father
Chapter 80: The Actions Of His Controlling Mother

Chapter 80: The Actions Of His Controlling Mother

The car screeched to a halt, the sudden stop sending Brooke’s head forward. A sharp pain shot through her face as her nose connected with the windshield. Brooke’ panicked gasp filled the car as she gingerly touched her nose and winced in pain.

"Brooke, are you okay?" Brandon asked, his calm voice a sharp contrast from the chaos that had just ensued.

Blood trickled down Brooke’s face, she quickly pulled on the mirror as stared at her bloodied face in horror. "I think I broke my nose," she muttered, her voice muffled then she turned to Brandon. "You did this to me!"

Brandon’s brow twitched and he looked at her coldly. "How can you say that? I saw an animal crossing out of nowhere and I swerved to avoid it." He said.

Brooke looked at him in disbelief. "There was no animal," she raised a finger and pointed it at him. "You knew that I did not put on my seatbelt, you knew what would happen."

"I hope that next time you put on your seatbelt in order to avoid incidents like this." He said to her then started to drive to the hospital while Brooke glared at him.

He glanced at her seat and noticed that there were some drops of blood on the dashboard and he swore silently. Her blood was going to ruin his car. He wanted badly to drop her on the side of the road, but he knew he had to get her to a hospital immediately.

When the car got to a stop at the hospital, he came down and helped her out of the car and into the emergency room. He switched from being disinterested to being the most considerate boyfriend possible.

As they rushed through the emergency room doors, a nurse assessed Brooke’s condition, her eyes narrowing in concern.

"What happened to you?" she asked, her voice sharp.

"Car accident," Brandon replied, his voice reassured and charming.

The nurse’s gaze lingered on Brooke’s bruised face, her skepticism evident. "A car accident, huh? Well, this does not look like a typical fender bender."

Brooke winced, her face contorted in pain. "It was just a freak accident," she mumbled, her voice barely audible.

"I tell my girlfriend to always buckle up when she is in the car but she is always so forgetful." Brandon said as he smiled at Brooke then turned to the nurse. "I was trying to dodge the little bunny that hopped onto my path and the subsequent swerve caused this."

The nurse’s eyes narrowed as she seemed to not be charmed by Brandon’s tone, she nodded, but her expression remained doubtful. "Alright, well, we will get you fixed up honey. But I am going to need to report this to the authorities."

"Is that really necessary?" Brooke asked.

"It is for your safety Miss but if you insist, we can forgo that." The nurse answered. "Please, give me a minute."

As the nurse left, Brooke turned to Brandon, her eyes flashing with anger. "Did you hear that? You had better marry me," she hissed. "Or else I will tell everyone what really happened."

Brandon stared at her, his anger held back by the awareness of where they were.

"I don’t do well with threats Brooke," he said, his voice barely a whisper. "I already said I was going to marry you, don’t push it."

"I only want you to be mine forever." Brooke said plaintively and reaching for Brandon, her eyes brimmed with tears and she did not notice his annoyed look. "If we were together, I would always want to protect you."

Brandon held her bloodied hands to stop her from touching him, "I have told you, we will get married." He said.

"Promise?" Brooke asked hopefully.

Brandon sighed, "promise."

Brooke’s face lit up with a triumphant smile. "Good," she said. "Now, let’s get this over with."

When the nurse returned, Brooke smiled firmly and said. "I really would prefer if you did not file that report, please."

The nurse glanced between Brooke and Brandon then looked at Brooke again. "I would not advice that, but it is your choice."

Brandon smiled at the nurse’s disappointed face and waited until Brooke’s nose had been cleaned and dressed. Fortunately, it was a sprain not a broken nose and she was allowed to go home after.

As he drove her home, Brandon glanced at Brooke’s sleeping face and wondered how he was going to get rid of her. He did not love her at all, the infatuation he had felt towards her had faded quickly.

Moreover, if he married Brooke, that would close the Chapter for him and Lyse. He wanted to remain single so that whenever Lyse tired of her old husband he would be able to convince her that he had changed, that he loved her.

His thoughts went to Levi Van Doren, he hated him. He was the obstacle standing between h and Lyse being together, if he had not married her then there would still be a chance for them.

’If he is an obstacle I might have to get rid of him. If not, Lyse will be trapped with him.’

It was Brandon’s belief that Lyse still loved him. She was hurt by his behavior at the chapel on their wedding day, but if he could get a chance to talk to her, he could make her see reason and give him a chance.

He was suffering because of the actions of his controlling mother, but this time he would ensure that she could not get involved.

*

Lyse woke up with a start, her head pounding. She was in a hospital bed, the sterile white walls surrounding her. A wave of confusion washed over her as she tried to piece together the fragments of her memory.

The last thing she could remember was answering a strange phone call, from a man claiming to be her first husband. Saying the same things she had heard on the phone the day Max had kidnapped her.

Then, a strange sensation, an itchy, uncomfortable reaction, and the comforting presence of Levi carrying her out. After that, nothing.

Fear gnawed at her as she tried to recall the events that had led her to this hospital bed. What had happened? Why was she here? A shiver ran down her spine as she imagined the worst. Had she been Poisoned? Is that why her parents had invited them over? To poison her? Did they hate her that much?

A nurse entered the room, her expression sympathetic. "Mrs Van Doren, good to see that you are awake," she said. "How are you feeling?"

Lyse tried to speak, but her voice was hoarse. "What happened to me?" she managed to croak out.

The nurse hesitated, her gaze uncertain. "You seem to have had a severe allergic reaction. It was quite serious, but thankfully you are stable now."

Lyse’s heart sank. An allergic reaction? But to what? She could not remember eating anything unusual, or coming into contact with any allergens.

The nurse continued, "We are still trying to figure out what caused the reaction. We have run some tests, but the results are not back yet."

Lyse nodded, her mind racing. She needed to find out more. And she needed to protect herself from whatever danger might be lurking in the shadows. Somehow it felt like she was walking about with a target on her back. Her life had never been hard but it seemed that it was even worse now that she was married to Levi.

She also needed to know who had called her and why he was just reaching out to her now. What kind of husband would wait for a month before reaching out to his supposed wife? It felt like someone wanted to blackmail her.

She decided that as soon as possible, she would go and check who she had gotten married to. She could no longer continue to bury her head in the sand and pretend that everything was fine.

"Would you like some water ma’am?" The nurse asked and helped position the straw so that Lyse could drink.

When she was done, Lyse asked. "Where is Levi?" She did not want to admit it but she was disappointed to wake up and not see Levi beside her.

’It is probably best that he is keeping his distance. All the words he had said at the dining table yesterday had just been him trying to protect this fake marriage.’

Lyse consoled herself.

"Mr Van Doren had been by your bedside all night, he had to leave to tend to some matters. I am sure he will be back soon." The nurse said with a kindly voice.

"I will just leave you alone now." She continued, "if you need me just press this button and I will be here in a jiff."

When the nurse was sure that everything was okay and Lyse was comfortable, she left the room.

Lyse settled in bed and stared at the television screen unseeingly when the door opened and she turned to look at the large bouquet of flowers that entered. She waited for the person carrying them to reveal their face.