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“And I won’t put him in the position to have to.” She rips her eyes away from mine. “Hazel, please look at me.” I’ve never begged a woman for anything, but I would sell my soul to the devil for her to just give me her attention.
“My dad said five minutes. Time’s up. Leave.” She aims her gaze at the window, refusing to look at me. Her tears fall down her beautiful face. I ache to capture each one, but I’ve done enough damage. Without another word, I do as she asks.
My shoes eat up the floor as I storm out of the hospital. I grab for my phone, calling my assistant. “Winston, set up all the meetings in London. Let the Stockton investment buyers know I’ll be moving my office there for the next six months. Have them prepare—”
“So, you’re just going to leave?”
I turn around, finding Heath right behind me.
“It’s what’s best,” I reply.
“For who?” He stares at me, waiting for an answer I don’t have. “Just tell me why you did it.”
“I already told you.”
“Tell me again, asshole.”
I disconnect my call without another word and shove both hands in my pockets. Sighing heavily, I give him the confession he demands. “Like a moth to a flame, she was this bright light that brought happiness into my life, and I just couldn’t stop. The more I resisted her beautiful glow, the more she got to me. I did what I did, knowing, in the end, I’d be the one to go up in flames. But I also did it knowing that for once in my life, I would finally get to know what being at peace felt like.” I think about her smile. The way her laughter could wipe my entire shit day clear of negativity. The way she ate her food like a little bird. How feisty she gets when she’s tired or hungry or horny. How breathtaking she is when she sleeps or stares off into the world as if no one’s watching. How she fills a part of my heart that I never knew existed. “I guess you could say the beast fell for the beauty.” With that, I turn around and start walking to my car, but his voice stops me.
“I’ll never forgive you for this.”
I turn back. “I don’t expect you to.”
“You ever fucking hurt her, they’ll be looking for pieces of your body in every state.”
“I told you I’ll stay—”
“So much as one fucking tear.”
“Heath—”
“I’m not fucking done, asshole! My daughter is resilient. With time, she would find a way to pick herself back up and move on from this. But I also know how strong-willed she is, and having her resent me for the rest of her life is not something I can live with.” He takes a moment, gathering his thoughts. “I’m not doing this for you. I’m doing this for her.”
I’m not sure what he’s getting at, but hope resurfaces in my chest. “I love her,” I tell him, hoping he understands the severity of how far I would go for her.
“Save it, man. I can’t even stomach to hear that shit right now. I need to see my baby girl stop crying for a goddamn second. Make that fucking happen.” He turns around, grumbling, “Asshole,” under his breath, and walks back into the hospital.HazelThe doctor has signed off on me being released today. On the outside, I’m good to go—no physical wounds. Evan didn’t rape me, thank God. On the inside, though, there’s so much wreckage, it almost seems impossible I’ll make it out of this alive. My heart is shattered into a million devastated pieces. There’s this cold darkness in its place. Regret, anger, depression. They now fill the void of a man who once held my heart.
“Hey, baby girl.” Dad walks in with Violet at his side. “Are you ready to go?”
I slide off the bed and grab the medication sheet the doctor prescribed me. Antidepressants, Xanax—basically everything to put me into a zombie-induced state. Hopefully, my mind will forget the reality I’m living in.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I lie, refusing to make eye contact with Dad. Violet steps forward, comforting me as we walk out of my room. Even though she’s been nothing but supportive, I can’t rid myself of this dull resentment I have toward her—the bitterness that she gets to have the happily ever after.
“Sorry, kiddo, it’s mandatory you be wheeled out,” Dad says.
I barely acknowledge him as I take a seat, my eyes glued to the ground. Tile after tile, I count them as I’m wheeled down the hall. That’s the only thing I can do, count each one to distract my mind. Because when I leave here, I’ll have nothing.
“Hazel, I know you don’t want to hear this right now, but from this point forward, you need to make better decisions,” my dad starts, and I bite the inside of my cheek, fighting back the tears. “You need to really evaluate your future and decide what’s best for you. I love you and won’t let anything or anyone harm you or get in the way of your happiness. Because that’s what I want—you to be happy.”
