Winning the Heir Who Bullied Me Chapter 91

**APRIL’S POV**

“I can’t breathe, Spring.”

“Sorry,” I exhale, loosening my grip on June.

“I’m here,” she says softly. “You don’t need to hold on so tight; I’m not going anywhere.”

I sigh, the image of her on that stall flashing through my mind. She has no idea how bad it looked. She has no idea how close she’d been to going somewhere.

I place a kiss on the back of her head, on the bandage wrapped around it, and say my millionth prayer of thanksgiving.

It’s a little bit past midnight, and I’m in June’s hospital bed. She asked me to sleep in mine in the next room, but I refused. If she thinks she’s leaving my sight even for a second for the foreseeable future, she’s sorely mistaken.

We’ve barely spoken since I climbed into bed with her, just enjoying the comfort of each other’s warmth. I lightly stroke her arm, needing to keep physical contact to remind myself that she’s here. I count the breaths each time her back presses into my chest as she inhales and exhales.

Call me overboard; call me too much.

My sister almost died. She’ll be lucky if I don’t follow her to her marital home.

June’s breathing evens out, and I think she’s fallen asleep, but then I hear, “Don’t leave.”

Despite her complaints about her restricted respiration, I tighten my arms around her. “I’m never leaving you, Summer.”

“No.” She shifts, turning in my arms so she’s facing me. I reach out and adjust the IV line in her arm so it’s not tangled or pulling against the injection site.

“I mean, don’t leave the competition.”

I frown. “How do you—”

“This clinic has surprisingly thin walls,” June answers simply.

I hug her closer, resting my chin gently on her head. “Don’t worry about that, Summer.”

She pushes against my chest, forcing me away. “No, I’m worrying about it.”

I sigh. “June, I’ve made my decision, and that’s that.”

After Nathan left my room without an explanation as to where he was going, I spent the next ten minutes trying to collect myself. To reassure myself that the conclusion I made was for the best.

If not for me, then for my sister.

Staying in this competition means putting her in harm’s way. It’s a no-brainer.

June exhales. “Did you know Doctor Penny has twins?”

I frown, confused by the sudden topic switch. “She mentioned a son, but…okay?”

My sister nods. “Jamie and Jackie. They’re ten, so we can play together. Jamie likes art—Penny says their house is filled with framed drawings he made himself. And Jackie is really good with computers—she created an app on Penny’s phone that helps her keep track of all her duties. Penny says they bicker a lot, but that’s only because they love each other a lot.”

I pull back to look at June.

“Summer… Why are you telling me all this?”

I feel her tense, like she’s bracing herself. “Penny thinks I would get along great with them.”

I swallow past the knot building in my throat. “And why would she think that?”

“Because she asked me to come live with them for—”

“No.”

June sighs. “Spring—”

I sit up on the bed, shifting to rest on the headboard. *“No.”*

June shifts, too, mirroring my position. “It would only be for the rest of the competition.”

I shake my head, hugging my knees to myself. “*No*, June.”

“April—”

“I know all you remember is a small bump,” I say. “But it was more than that. You looked like you were dead, Summer. *Dead*.”

June inhales sharply, but I keep going. “I thought I was going to lose you, too.”

I reach out and take her hand—the one without an IV line—and squeeze tightly. “I’m leaving the competition so I don’t inadvertently put you in any more danger.”

“Then let me—”

“I’m not letting you out of my sight!”

“You can’t be with me twenty-four-seven, Spring; that’s not how it works.”

I scoff. I know she heard our conversation, but I can’t believe June is throwing Nathan’s words back in my face.

“I’ll make it work.”

June huffs. “So, what, you’re just going to suffocate me for the rest of my life?”

I blink rapidly. “What?” I whisper. “You think I suffocate you?”

“No, I—”

She sighs heavily, and something tightens in my chest as I watch my little sister struggle to find the words to explain why she wants to leave me.

“You were eighteen when Mom and Dad died, Spring,” she says, and I freeze. Why is she bringing that up now?

“But even before then, you practically took care of me. You were the one who took me to doctor’s appointments; you came home on the weekends to meal prep for me; you called three times a day to make sure I got my shots on time.”

June was only six when all that happened. I can’t believe she noticed and remembers.

“And then they died, and you stepped into the role of father and mother effortlessly. You should have been enjoying your college years, making reckless decisions, being a teenager.”

She sighs. “Instead, you were being a parent to your sick sister. You let your whole life revolve around me. Lou invited you to parties, but you wouldn’t go because of me. You didn’t date boys because of me. And I know your school work—and scholarship—is suffering because you work too much.” She sighs again. *“Because of me.”*

I reach out to take her hand. “Summer, I love you. All of that pales when it comes to you.”

“Exactly.” She sniffs. “It shouldn’t be that way. You’re my *sister*, not my mother.”

The words aren’t necessarily hurtful, but they carve at me anyway. Maybe because I see June as something of my child. I mean, I’ve been her sole caregiver since she was six; doesn’t that count for something?

June continues, “I love you, Spring.” She squeezes my hand. “And I’m so, so grateful I’ve had you all these years, but I hate that you’ve put your life on hold because of me.”

“Summer, I don’t ca—”

“*I* care,” she says earnestly. “You’ve sacrificed so much, *too* much. And I—” Her voice breaks. “*I hate it*. I hate watching you run yourself ragged between your jobs and college just so you can afford my medication. You’re a twenty-one-year-old single mother, you know that, Spring?”

Tears brim in my eyes.

“So, what? You want me to stop caring for you?” I ask shakily. “If I don’t, who will?”

June shifts closer. “I don’t want you to stop caring for me, Summer. I want you to start caring for yourself.”

“I can do both,” I whisper.

She shakes her head. “Not very well. You take care of me and neglect yourself. Like now, you’re ready to leave Nathan behind for me. You’ll sacrifice your happiness to keep me safe.”

“Because that’s what sisters do!”

“When is it my turn?!” June says. “When do *I* get to sacrifice for *you*?”

“It’s not your job!”

“Neither is it yours!”

“So you’re telling me you’re okay with getting hurt? You’re okay with *dying* just so I can marry a boy I like?”

June sighs. “Don’t be dramatic.”

“June, I had your *blood* on my hands. You could have died!”

“Maybe I should’ve died!”

My eyes widen, June’s words stunning me to silence.

A tear slips down her face. “At least if I died, then you would be free.”