Reborn, She's Back for Revenge novel Chapter 129

Chapter 129

Dwight lay in the hospital bed, a clear fluid dripping from an IV bag into his veins. Then, his eyelids, thin as paper, fluttered open.

“Dwight,” Fiona choked out, grabbing the bed rail. “Oh, thank God, you’re awake. You really gave me a scare this time…”

Dwight’s hand moved weakly to pat hers. He ignored her, his cloudy eyes finding Marcus in the doorway. “Marcus,” he rasped, his voice a dry crackle. “Get over here.”

Marcus had already talked to the doctor on his way in. It wasn’t just a heart attack. The shock to his system had caused a chain reaction. Dwight’s organs were shutting down. The prognosis was blunt: he had a month, tops.

He walked over and pulled up a chair by the bed. “The doctor says you’re stable,” Marcus said, his voice carefully neutral. “You just have to take it easy. Don’t get worked up. You’ll be around for years.”

A dry chuckle escaped Dwight’s throat. “I know this old body too well. I’m just running on borrowed time now.”

Dwight took a slow breath. “Of all my sons, Marcus, I never figured you for the first one to show up. And I definitely never figured you for the type to tell comforting lies.”

Marcus’s face was an unreadable mask. “I’m not lying. That’s what the doctor said.”

“I’ve lived my life. No real complaints,” Dwight sighed, his eyes looking far away. “Only one regret… What your mother and I did to you, Marcus. That was wrong. We failed you.”

At that, Fiona broke down completely, burying her face in her hands. “Marcus, we wanted to tell you… for so long,” she sobbed. “We even chose a new name for you. You wouldn’t have to be Marcus. You could have been-”

“Don’t,” Marcus cut in, his voice sharp and cold. “I was a kid. I didn’t get what you were going through, so I took off. That was my mistake, not yours.

‘It’s been years. I’ve already made my peace with my other self, and I don’t hold any of it against either of you.”

A faint, tired smile touched Dwight’s lips. ‘So that’s it, he thought ‘Marcus‘ forgiving us because he knows I’m dying. He doesn’t want me leaving this world with regrets!

But it wasn’t forgiveness Dwight wanted. He just desperately hoped that Marcus had found a way to put the past behind him, for his own peace of mind.

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Chapter 129

“I’ll be staying here with you for a while,” Marcus stated, not looking at either of them. He walked out. to the balcony, grabbed a book, and immediately hid his face behind it.

“Marcus still keeps that wall up,” Fiona murmured with a sigh..

Dwight let his eyes drift shut, the memories washing over him. He and Fiona had four sons before. Marcus came along. The fourth boy’s name was Marcos Larson.

Marcos was their golden child–bright, talented, and devoted. He was their entire future. Then, at eight years old, he drowned.

Fiona shattered, falling into a depression so deep she couldn’t find her way out. On a doctor’s advice, they decided to have another child to help her heal. That child was Marcus.

The name Marcus was chosen to be a near–echo of Marcos. Marcus’s entire childhood was spent in the shadow of the brother he was meant to replace. He was never allowed to simply be himself.

When he was five, Marcus learned the truth. And he ran away. He somehow ended up on a train that took him far from home. For five years, he was a ghost, too. The Larsons didn’t find him until he was

ten.

The boy the Larsons brought home was a stranger. The trauma had fractured Marcus’s mind, creating a wall no one in the family could ever get past.

This was when his dissociative identity disorder began. The other personality of him, Dodo, knew nothing of the Larsons. Dodo believed he was just an orphan.

His mind replayed the cruel whispers from his past. “Your parents don’t love you, Marcus. Not the real you. You’re not a person. You’re a ghost. You’re a substitute. You’re just the shadow Marcos left

behind. There is no Marcus.“”

Marcus jolted awake, shooting upright in the lounge chair.

Fiona was sitting right beside him, her eyes filled with concern. “Marcus, are you okay?”

He hadn’t meant to fall asleep, and certainly not to dream of the past. A sharp pain pulsed in his temples. He could feel Dodo clawing his way to the surface, fighting for control. With a surge of will, Marcus forced him back down.

“Oh, I tried calling Bernard this morning but couldn’t get through,” Fiona said, pulling out her phone. “I’ll try him again.”

She walked out onto the balcony, but it wasn’t really about the phone call. It was because she had no

idea how to act around Marcus.

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Chapter 129.

She had brought him into this world out of selfish need. And from the day he was born, she had failed him as a mother. They were never close.

Fiona’s call to Bernard went straight to voicemail again. She gave up and dialed Stella. The call went

through.

“Stella,” Fiona said, her voice tired. “It’s Dwight. He’s dying. There isn’t much time. You and Bernard need to bring Larry home.”

There was a stunned silence on the other end. “Oh, God,” Stella said finally. “Okay. Bernard’s tied up with something today. We’ll get the first flight out tomorrow morning.”

Stella hung up her phone, a worried look on her face. Flora, sitting across from her, leaned forward.

“Bad news from Bonrea?”

“It’s Larry’s grandfather. He’s fading.” Stella sighed. “And Larry’s SATs are coming up… I don’t know. He takes things to heart, and he and his grandfather are so close. I just pray he can hang on.”

Flora sighed, too. “That’s awful. Actually, and this is a strange coincidence, but May’s grandmother isn’t doing well either. Her caregiver called last night–her diabetes is acting up. And May needs to stay with her for two weeks.

“I was just worrying about sending her on a flight alone. Would it be too much trouble if she traveled with you?”

“Of course not,” Stella insisted. “The only problem is, it’s a 4 a.m. flight. That’s a brutal wakeup call for her… I have an idea. Why don’t you have her sleep over at our place tonight? We can all head to the airport together.”

A wave of relief washed over Flora’s face. “Stella, you’re a lifesaver. Thank you. I’ll call May right now. and tell her to meet up with Larry after school.”

After school, Edith got a text from Kerrie. Her piano lesson was canceled. With the unexpected free time, she found Larry in an empty classroom so they could go over some homework for their study

group.

As the head of the science study group, Edith collected questions from the other students. She’d then bring them to Larry, and he would break them down..

It was amazing, really. Their teachers would explain a concept one way, and it would go right over everyone’s heads. But Larry would break it down differently, and suddenly it all made sense. He just got how they thought.

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When they were done, Edith paused. “Hey, Larry,” she asked hesitantly, “how’s your uncle Marcus.

been?”

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He hadn’t been back to the Lovett Manor. It had been a whole week without a word from him, and an

uneasy feeling had been nagging at Edith.

The image of Marcus downing that chocolate, then the whole box of candy, was stuck in her head. The violent way his personalities had seemed to fight for control.

“He went back to Bonrea,” Larry said, his jaw tight. “And… I’m going too. My mom just texted. My grandpa is dying. I’m catching a flight tomorrow morning.

“I’ll probably be gone for at least two weeks. If you get stuck on homework, just text me. I’ll get back to you when I can.”

Edith was about to respond, but a girl poked her head into the classroom. “Larry, come on, let’s go.”

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