I knew he was behind me. I felt his presence even before I turned my head.

I met this eyes briefly and turned back to watch my father inside the ICU.

I’d conjured a lot of scenarios about seeing him again. When I told him last time that I never wanted to see him again, I was in the thick of my pain upon learning his betrayal.

I figured later that I couldn’t avoid seeing him again at some point. But I surely didn’t want it to happen this way, at the hospital where my father still lay in a coma. It was just too reminiscent of another time in the recent past where I thought we had something real going. When I thought that he really cared for me.

I thought I wouldn’t be affected so much by his presence again. I was wrong. My throat constricted painfully. My chest clenched with emotions I couldn’t name now. They were too chaotic. I hated him. I missed him. I still loved him. But I shouldn’t. He was a past chapter in my life. A bad chapter not worth a back read.

Done. Finished.

I gathered myself and faced him.

He stood there in this imperious stance he was known for. It would intimidate anybody, but I’d known him in private, and he wasn’t all hard and cold. He had softness and warmth. For a while he let me feel this side of him. Made me believe it was real. And then he crushed me.

What they’d all said about him was true. Joshua Landis was a ruthless conqueror. I had all the scars to prove it.

“Did you come here to gloat?”

He shook his head, his eyes devoid of their usual sharpness. They were dull, lifeless. Probably like my own. On closer inspection, he was thinner, paler. His hair looked like it hadn’t been trimmed in a while. Though his clothes looked impeccable as always, sophisticated and polished down to his shiny Italian shoes, there was something lacking in his aura today.

No, he didn’t come here to gloat.

“How are you, Cressy?”

I gathered my cardigan tighter around me. The room seemed to have become colder. “I wish I could say I’m okay.” I glanced briefly behind me. “As you can see, I’m not.”

Silence.

“Why are you here, Josh?”

He walked closer. I fought not to step back. I didn’t want him near me. I felt brittle from the inside out. I didn’t want to show any weakness in front of him. Not anymore.

He stared at me, his eyes, sad.

He should be. It wasn’t fair that I was alone in this pain. He should at least feel guilty for what he did, if he had some conscience left.

“I missed you.”

His words wafted between us, hung in the air I could almost see the letters. They danced between us in slow-motion, scattering. I wanted to put them in order like a child learning his alphabet. I used to wish he would say it to me, even just once, because I’d missed him everyday. Now that he did, it sounded strange, like I didn’t know what it meant.

His eyes looked earnest, as if he truly meant it.

I turned away from him and watched my father again to remind me it was all a ruse. Another trap. I didn’t want to believe in another illusion. What more did he want? He had Madden Securities already.

“Is that all you came to say? Frankly, I don’t have time for such…inane things. I have more important stuff to deal with.”

I heard him sigh.

“I came to tell you that a vital witness has come forward to clear your father’s name. She agreed to become a state witness in exchange for immunity.”

I turned around and faced him again. “W-who?”

“Her name is Ruby Heidegger, an American married to a Swiss diplomat. Magnus deposited his loot in a Swiss Bank under her and her husband’s name. The FBI is confident the money would be recovered, or at least a big chunk of it.”

“How…?”

“It was Karin. She presented a new angle to the FBI. Ruby was one of her bitches apparently, an ex-mistress of my grandfather’s. She became Magnus’ mistress, too and they remained connected even after she married the Swiss man. She claims that Magnus arranged the marriage so he could use them as his dummies for his off-shore accounts. Magnus had been doing the Ponzi scheme for almost a decade now.”

“Is Ruby going to talk about this in public? Clear my father’s name?”

“Yes, in a senate hearing.”

I shook my head in sad incredulity. Just like that, my father was vindicated. His innocence was proven beyond reasonable doubt. He was simply a victim of Magnus Rutledge’s diabolical greed. I knew this all along, but nobody believed it outside of our family, least of all this man in front of me. Now he was telling me this news, probably expecting me to be ecstatic.

The fact remained that my father had suffered tremendously. His good name had been tarnished almost beyond repair and no amount of commiseration could bring back all that he’d lost. He had been judged unfairly by the public, and all his anguish and shame from that ordeal could never be erased by this exoneration. He lost his beloved company, not only to Magnus, but more irrevocably, to Joshua. Most painful of all, he lost his life.

I wiped my tears as they ran down my face. I couldn’t stop them. It was just too ironic. Miracles happened way too late for my father.

“Cressy…”

“Thank you for telling me this personally, Josh. I appreciate it.” I turned away again as I just couldn’t stop crying anymore. There was no joy to be found in this. There was nothing to celebrate. My father still lay in that bed inside this glass room, breathing through tubes. We didn’t know if he’d ever wake up.

“Please, I’d like to be alone with my father now. If you have anything that I’d need to sign regarding Madden Securities, just channel it through Mr. Gatz. He’d know what to do.”

“Cressy…”

“Goodbye, Josh.”

I knew he was staring at my back. I felt him all over me. I willed myself not to give in to my longing.

This was closure.

“I have a gift for you. I’ll just leave it here.”

I heard his footsteps.

He was walking away.

So far away now.

Gone.

I touched my belly gently.

My heart was badly broken but a small heart was now beating healthily inside me. A new beginning for me. This was the only reason I hadn’t lost faith in life. The only reason I would fight to the death to keep it.

He’d taken everything from me, but this little angel was mine.

All mine.

I slowly turned around, knowing the room would be empty.

It was, except for a brown envelop lying on the bench.

The gift.