Total pages in book: 135
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 124451 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 622(@200wpm)___ 498(@250wpm)___ 415(@300wpm)
My eyes widen, horror rocking through my body. She shouldn’t be out of bed, not even for a moment, and especially not after suffering a punctured lung. Is she out of her goddamn mind? My mouth drops as I prepare to bitch her ass out, but the scathing stare she sends me is a warning to keep my mouth shut.
“I’m waiting,” she says, glancing between Mom and Orlando, her brow raising with impatience as she steps out of the doorway, making space.
Seeing Orlando’s indecision as he looks back at my mother, a smug as fuck grin cuts across my face. “Come, Cora. We will deal with this when your daughter returns home.”
Like hell.
Mom looks between me and Addie before turning back to Orlando. “But—”
“NOW,” he demands, that one syllable turning his face red with anger.
Mom whimpers and walks out of the room, unaware of how much easier it is to breathe without her here. Orlando spares me one last scathing stare before finally following Mom out the door, and I don’t miss the way Addison shrinks back, trying to keep as far away from the asshole as possible.
Once he steps through the doorway, Addison turns and steps out behind him, her voice echoing up the hospital corridor. “Oh, and go ahead and cut her off, asshole. You know damn well my family has the means to support her. Brielle doesn’t need you and neither does the rest of the world. Go and drown yourself. The world would be a better place without you in it.”
Without waiting for a reply, she steps back into my room and slams the door shut before immediately collapsing against it. Panic soars through my chest as I prepare to throw myself out of my bed, but she holds up a hand, letting me know she’s okay. “Oh. My. God. You’re an idiot. What the hell are you doing?” I demand.
“What does it look like I’m doing?” she grumbles, taking a few calming breaths through the pain. “You clearly weren’t getting the job done on your own.”
“You should be in bed.”
Addison grips her drip tighter before finally pushing off the door and walking across my room, trying to keep the grimace off her face. “Yeah … I’m not going to make it all the way back to my room,” she says, reaching the end of my bed and falling against it. “Shove over.”
Gripping the side of my bed, I heave myself over, the pain in my abdomen almost enough to make me wish I were dead. “Sure thing,” Addie mutters. “Take your time, why don’t you? Just suffering a punctured lung here, but it’s fine. I’ll wait.”
Rolling my eyes, I pull the blankets back and she slides in beside me. I help as much as I can, but between the two of us, we’re pretty much useless.
After what feels like a lifetime, she finally settles beside me and we’re both as comfortable as we’re ever going to get, only the heavy silence in the room is going to kill us both. “Addie,” I say, my gaze slowly meeting hers. I swallow hard, the haunting knowledge of what she’s been through crushing my chest from the inside out. “Are you okay?”
Her lips flinch and move as she tries to figure out how to word her response, and after a short pause, she finally shakes her head. “I don’t think so,” she whispers, the hollowness in her gaze killing me. “Up until last night, I thought I was going to be okay. The nightmares were going away, and that dirty, unclean feeling was starting to fade. I think maybe that has something to do with Hudson, but when I saw Colby last night … I just … I don’t think I’m ever going to be okay.”
Tears well in her eyes, and I pull her closer. “Whatever you need, I’ve got your back.”
“Will you go into his room and finish what Tanner started?”
“If that’s what you need,” I tell her. “But you know we’re gonna get caught, right? Even the best ski masks aren’t going to disguise our gimpy asses crawling down the hall. I don’t know about you, but I won’t be able to pull off a jumpsuit.”
“Speak for yourself,” she says. “I’d look bomb in a jumpsuit.”
I laugh and she relaxes again, up until broken, pained words fall from her lips. “Tanner hasn’t been brave enough to ask, and I … I don’t really want to talk to him about it, but will you tell him that Colby didn’t, you know … rape me again.”
Relief pounds through my body and my eyes close for a moment. “Oh, thank God,” I say. “I know they said your clothes had been torn, but I wasn’t sure. I’ve been so worried about you, and yes, of course I’ll let Tanner know.”