Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 380(@200wpm)___ 304(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
I crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Hope disappeared from his eyes quicker than the flame of a lit candle in the wind. He swallowed, his disappointment palpable. His wrists were bandaged, and he looked like he’d been hit by a shipping truck, his skin bruised like he’d taken a frying pan to the face. “Why did you ask him to save me?”
“I didn’t, actually,” I said. “He just did it, because he knew I didn’t want you dead.” I grabbed one of the chairs and pulled it closer to his bedside, even though I had no intention of taking his hand, of ever touching him again. Tragedy brought people closer together, but this tragedy wasn’t enough, not when he wasn’t innocent in this story. He didn’t exactly move mountains to save me, so I shouldn’t move mountains to make him feel wanted.
“Does my family know?”
“I haven’t told them.”
“Good. Let’s keep it that way.”
I looked at the window instead of his face, unable to bear the sight of his beaten expression. “What happened?”
He didn’t answer me for a long time. “I got what I deserved.”
“I don’t know what happened to you, but I’m sure no one deserves that.”
“I tried to get out, but I wasn’t quick enough.”
“Bastien told me.”
“At least Bastien killed them, so I don’t have to.”
“You’re going to continue the business?”
“I don’t know,” he said quietly. “I thought I was going to die last time I was conscious, so it’s hard to think further ahead than the next hour.”
I wouldn’t be the one to take care of him. I wouldn’t get him home and into bed. Wouldn’t bring him his meals and handle the house so he could rest. He’d thrown all that away when he’d stuck his dick in someone else. It seemed even less worth it now because we both knew none of those girls would come to the hospital if they knew he was there. “You’ll need to tell one of your brothers…so someone will come get you.”
His mood dropped further, like he’d expected me to do more for him. “Yeah. Call Anthony.”
“Sure, I can do that.”
I continued to sit there even though I didn’t have a reason to stay. I guess it was pity that kept me there. He’d thrown me away, and I was still the only person he could count on. He’d betrayed me, and I was still there when I shouldn’t be.
“Thank you for coming.”
“Yeah.”
“And thanks for…saving my life.”
I couldn’t take the credit for that, not when I didn’t have to ask. Because Bastien loved me enough not to make me ask. “You’re on your own now, Adrien. Take care of yourself.”
“I’ll try.”
I got to my feet then returned the chair to the wall.
“Fleur?”
I turned back to him, unsure what else there was to say.
“I’m sorry…for everything.” His eyes burned in their own darkness. “If I could take it all back, I would.”
I used to dismiss his apologies. Used to discount them as pleading. But I could see the sincerity like a beacon of light that called the ships home. “I know, Adrien.”
“And…” He didn’t grimace in pain as if that was the cause of the interruption. Didn’t seem to lose his train of thought either. He just struggled to get the words out. “And I’m happy for you…he’s a good guy.”
I’d never needed his blessing, but it was nice to receive it. The final page had finally turned, and the book had closed. It was a novella, more of a footnote compared to the story of my life. Just as winter ended the year, I felt the closure I’d sought for many months. The guilt-free acceptance of the end. I’d loved Adrien with all my heart, but those feelings had faded faster than the setting sun. Now, my heart burned white-hot for someone else, a torch I would carry for eternity. “I’m going to marry him.”
There wasn’t a wince or a look of surprise. Instead of turning the page back to the start, he let the book come to an end. Let the winter winds blow our past over the countryside and disappear. “I know.”
By the time we got home, it was nearly three in the morning.
Our dinner had been interrupted, so we hadn’t eaten. My appetite kicked in once we walked into his bedroom, now that all the fear and uncertainty had passed.
Bastien seemed to have the same thought because he pulled out his phone and fired off a text, and I assumed it was to Gerard. I supposed it could have been to anyone, but I knew Bastien well enough to suspect he was starving.
That man was always starving.
He changed out of his clothes and put on his sweatpants. He was shirtless, so the gauze around his arm that concealed the stitches underneath was visible like a commemorative medal. He poured himself a drink from the bar then took a seat at the table, eyes heavy like he was tired but too hungry for sleep. Then he grabbed a cigar, lit it up, and just let it sit between his lips.