AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Fourth one down,” he directs.
I walk, my hands still in cuffs as I approach the chair. When I sit down, a door opens on the other side and Tilly steps through.
Her eyes look swollen from crying. She tries to hide them under her Timber Creek PD hat, but I still see it. The exhaustion. The emotional turmoil. All because of me.
She sits down, and instead of grabbing the phone attached to the wall, she lifts her hands.
I’m so sorry, Grey. Are you ok?
I couldn’t move my hands well, but I did the best I could.
You have nothing to be sorry for.
She yanks on the hoodie she’s wearing. My hoodie. Before she signs again.
We’re going to get you out of here. I promise.
What if I deserve it? I ask.
You don’t. You were protecting me.
I drop my head. She looks so broken. So scared. What if I was convicted? What if I spent the rest of my life in a jail cell?
She didn’t deserve weekly visits on the other side of a fucking glass window. She deserved so much more, and I thought it was the right time. A time when I could actually give it to her.
A loud thud sounds against the glass. I lift my head to see her raised from the chair.
Look at me. She waves her hand over her face. Do not give up on me.
What if I’m in here? What if I’m the monster they’re saying I am? I ask.
Her hands shake. She’s growing angrier by the second and I was sinking further away. Into that dark part of my mind.
Don’t wait for me, Rosie.
It killed me. I wasn’t even saying the words aloud, but it split me in two.
If this goes south, you don’t need to waste your time on me. You keep living.
Multiple tears slide down her cheeks as she slams her hand against the glass again.
No! You don’t get to decide for me anymore!
My throat clogs. This whole thing was too much. Too many regrets. Not enough time.
I love you. I sign. No matter what happens, I love you.
I feel the dampness on my cheeks. I can’t even remember the last time I actually cried, but I can’t hold them back. Here I was in an orange jumpsuit, charged with murder, while the woman I had loved for almost a decade stood on the other side. Just out of reach. Like she’s always been.
I swipe at my face with the back of my hand, and she leans down, close enough I could count every wet eyelash lining her ocean eyes.
She’s so calm. Staring at me hard enough I almost can’t bear it.
Then she lifts those dainty hands. I will never apologize for doing what’s best for you.
Then she turns and walks away. Leaving me so damn proud and broken all at the same time.
Chapter 53
