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My Broken Valentine

Chapter 17 (The Derek Morgan Chronicles

By Cynthia FieldsPublished 12 months ago 6 min read
2
My Broken Valentine
Photo by Michael Yuan on Unsplash

“Ahem.”

Both Derek and Penelope looked toward the door.

“I hope I’m not interrupting anything.”

“Savannah?” Derek couldn’t believe his eyes.

Penelope stood to leave.

“I’ll let you two talk.”

“No, please stay,” Savannah insisted, “this is something you both need to hear.”

Savannah came closer and stood at the foot of the bed. Penelope took the seat next to the bed. The air in the room was tense to say the least.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” she began.

“Thanks,” Derek replied.

“You too, Penelope.”

Penelope nodded silently.

“And you,” he began, “are you and DJ alright?”

“Yes, a little shaken up but we’re both good, thanks for asking. Della she...I didn’t know anything...”

“...I know, I figured you weren’t in on any of that.”

“Look Derek, I am so sorry for what I did to you in our marriage.”

“Savannah.”

“No, please, I need to say this.”

“Fine.”

“I knew you didn’t love me, Derek long before you knew you didn’t love me.”

“Savannah, I tried to make us work, I wanted to make us work.”

“You wanted to make something work, I was just in the wrong place at the right time. I don’t blame you, I don’t.”

“I didn’t mean to hurt you, Savannah.”

“Yeah, tell that to my heart,” then exhaling and glancing at Penelope who was obviously uncomfortable, “I want you both to know that I won’t be bothering you anymore and Derek I will work with you to get your name removed from my son’s birth certificate.”

“Thank you.”

Savannah nodded and turned and headed to the door. Before leaving she turned and focused on Penelope.

“Penelope don’t let him go. Derek is a good man and you both deserve to be happy.”

“So do you Savannah, so do you,” Penelope replied.

“You’re right, I do,” then as she placed her hand on the doorknob, she turned back again for a final word to the couple.

“I think you both should know the name of DJ’s father; especially you Penelope.”

“Me, why me?”

“It’s Sam; he’s DJ’s father.”

Savannah saw the shock on both Penelope’s and Derek’s faces. Her chapter with Derek was officially over and the looks on the couple’s faces would be the only satisfaction she would receive and for that she would have to be content.

Home of Derek Morgan – Tuesday Morning (one day before Valentine’s Day)

Derek was forced to stay overnight in the hospital but now he was home. Penelope unlocked the door and the two entered the house. The trip home like the night before had been quiet with both Derek and Penelope trying to process Savannah’s parting bombshell launched before stepping out of the room and out of their lives. Penelope handed Derek a pain pill, a bottle of water and got him settled comfortably on the couch. With a promise to return, she made a hasty exit to run errands.

Derek knew exactly where she was headed and considered stopping her, but he didn’t. Instead, he used the cool chill in the air and the alone time to think about the mess he’d made of his life and hers. She’d said a lot the day before; before Savannah’s visit and he knew that she’d meant every word, but life had conspired against them so many times in the past and he wondered if happiness was in the cards for them.

Home of Sam Collier –

Sam wasn’t sure what to expect from his visit with Penelope. He hadn’t reached out to her, nor had he gone to visit her since her ordeal with Savannah’s nanny and even though it had been less than twenty-fours ago, if seemed like eternity. He should have been the first to have rushed to her rescue and to her side when she’d been found but instead, he became invisible and hid himself in his cowardice. He was ashamed of himself now. She had survived despite his inaction to help her or show even a miniscule of concern. Now she had asked to meet, he had a bad feeling and as he looked down at the velvet box in his hand, his heart sank. Why had it been so easy for him not to respond in her time of need? Had she been the love he’d always wanted or was it a matter of winning something that never belonged to him? He wasn’t sure and he didn’t want to allow his mind to contemplate the truth.

Penelope had taken the liberty to download a copy of DJ’s birth certificate; she wasn’t sure why, but she had come to let Sam know that she knew his secret, she knew that he had cheated on her with Derek’s wife. Of all the women in Virginia, Savannah had been his choice and for that, she felt angrier than she’d been in years. She exhaled to calm her nerves as she heard footsteps on the other side of the door.

Sam opened the door and let her in; he couldn’t read her facial expressions or her body language. He leaned down to embrace her and she stiffened beneath him.

“I was so worried about you.”

“Really, Sam?”

“Yes of course I was, what kind of question is that?”

“Well, I just haven’t heard from you. A girl should hear from her boyfriend especially after what I just went through.”

“I’m sorry Penelope, it just that I knew you had Derek and your team, and I know how you are when it comes to them.”

“And how’s that Sam?”

He needed space and so he turned and took a seat on the couch.

“All consumed.”

“Excuse me?”

“All consumed, like no one else matters, no one else exists,” he elaborated.

“Okay, I see what you’re doing but I’m not going to allow you to deflect your behavior on to me as if I caused you to behave badly.”

“That’s not what I’m doing, Penelope! We both know what your priorities are!”

“My priorities, Sam?”

“Yes, if it’s not your team or Derek then everything and everyone is a distant tenth!”

She was caught off guard momentarily. She began pacing the floor aware that he was staring and aware that he was confident he’d dodged a bullet, but he had not.

“My team...my team has been the family that I haven’t had since I was eighteen years old. My team has proven time and again that I can trust them and that if I need them, they are there for me. You, Sam stood by while a woman forced me at gunpoint from my home!”

“I-I...”

“I saw you, Sam! I saw you watching, I was in tears, and you were close enough to see that I was crying! Did you call my team Sam? Did you call the police?”

“I’m sorry, Penelope, I was so, so...stunned I didn’t know what to do! I wasn’t even sure of what I was seeing or what was happening!”

“We’re over, Sam.”

“Penelope don’t do this. We can work this out!”

“No Sam we can’t work this out.”

“Why, is it because of Derek?”

“It’s because of you Sam. You’re a liar and a cheat and I can accept that but you’re also a coward and that combination can get a girl killed.”

Sam felt frozen and confused just like he did the day before when he saw her leaving her apartment. He should stop her, beg her to stay and to give them another chance, but like yesterday he watched in silence...just like a coward.

“I almost forgot,” then turning slowly back to face him, “You may need this,” she pulled the paper from her bag and handed it to him. “Maybe if you ever decide to be a man and show up for your son, you’ll need this.”

She knew; he looked from the paper and then back at the look of disgust in her eyes. There was nothing he could say that would matter. So, he simply nodded and watched her leave, slamming the door as she left.

Fan Fiction
2

About the Creator

Cynthia Fields

I adore words and I love what happens when we grab them, sleep with them, holler and scream and laugh at them! I love what happens when we throw them in the air and watch them fall magically from our minds onto paper!

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  • HandsomelouiiThePoet (Lonzo ward)12 months ago

    Savannah made the right alternative...

  • Aww 👍✨🫵You are an Awesome Storyteller ❤️💯✨😉

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