Total pages in book: 62
Estimated words: 59120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 59120 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 296(@200wpm)___ 236(@250wpm)___ 197(@300wpm)
“I’ll go,” I whisper, and take three steps to the door. My arms are shaking, but I don’t reach for the handle yet. I want to see if he’ll call me back. It’s stupid, I know, but something deep inside me hopes he will.
He doesn’t say a word. He doesn’t even lift his head.
His silence is all the answer I need.
Travis
I can’t fucking believe she’s here. Two goddamn years I’ve spent rotting in silence, every heartbeat haunted by the memory of her turning away—and now she breezes into my hospital room as if nothing ever happened. Violet erased me from her life without a backward glance, and here she stands under these flickering fluorescent lights, looking exactly the same—but feeling more like a stranger than ever.
I slam my fist into the metal rail. Bones crack, a shockwave of pain rips through my arm, and I bellow in raw agony. Harley, scribbling chords beside me, looks up. He pushes to his feet, his face tight and more than a little pissed off with my action. Harley isn’t known to go easy, and he sure as hell doesn’t take any shit, which is why he is the one sitting here beside me, trying to keep me from doing anything else that could harm someone.
“Cool it, man. Losing your shit won’t change a thing.”
“Why the fuck is she here?” I rasp, fists clenched so tight my knuckles go white.
“Because you nearly fucking died, brother.”
“That didn’t matter when she left,” I spit, voice raising. “I was gutted, pleading for her to stay, and she blocked me out like anything we ever shared together didn’t matter. Wouldn’t even fucking take a goddamned call to at least talk to me. It’s fucked.”
Harley crosses his arms, tilting his head. “It’s not always black and white.”
I laugh through gritted teeth. “Bullshit. It couldn’t be any more black and white if it tried. She walked and never looked back. End of story.”
He steps closer, leaning down so he can meet my furious glare. “You fucked up, too. Sometimes pain cuts so deep you can’t see past it.”
My ribs seize at the words. “I know I fucked up. I’d have torn out my own heart to fix us. But she wouldn’t even sit with me. She disappeared and never even bothered to give me closure.”
“Look, I’m not here to tell you what to do, man. I’m just here to make sure you don’t do any more dumb shit, like break your fucking hand. Will you just cool it and rest? That’s all you should be worrying about right now.”
I turn away and slam the pain button. Warm relief washes through my spine, dulling the ache. It’s the only mercy I get—from the shattered mess in my body and the fucking void in my heart.
Violet being back is the last thing I need. The final goddamn knife.
Violet
Two weeks.
That’s how long I avoid the hospital. The memory of Travis’s face and the way his words hit me like venom has been enough to keep me far from the place, but I know I can’t avoid it forever. I have a choice: I either stay and sort it out with him, or I leave and never look back again. That’s it. There really is no in-between. I made the choice to stay, because his words cut deep. He is hurt that I never gave him the chance, so now I’m doing that. I’m not going to leave until I give him the chance to say what he needs to say.
Chief has been keeping me updated with daily texts when he visits. So far, all I know is that he is out of ICU, doing well, and is in physical therapy. He should be home any day now and is one lucky son of a bitch. Chief’s words, not mine. Reagan hasn’t left yet, and is enjoying her job-free life. Mostly, she is enjoying spending time with Harley. The two of them have a somewhat rocky past, but I can clearly see being back in town has reignited some kind of flame that I thought was long put out.
“You’re not going to feel better avoiding him forever,” Reagan says as we sit across from each other on Chief’s sofa one evening, drinking cheap wine from plastic cups. “You gotta pull your big girl panties on and go and see him.”
I huff, swallowing another mouthful. “I know that, but it isn’t that easy to just walk in there and face him again. If you saw the way he looked at me, trust me, you’d understand.”
“Yes, I know, but you made a choice and I’m making you stick to that choice, even if you try to back out.”
I snort. “I have no doubt. I will go, I’m just not sure I’m ready to hear his angry voice yell at me...”