Page 153 of The Twisted Beats

“Yes, Cash?”

“She wouldn’t do what my pops did, would she?”

So far, the first three months of this year have been riddledwith one terrible thing after another. I’m about at my breaking point.

The stress is more than someone my age should have to deal with. We’re about to go on the road for the summer and Livianna’s been working nonstop.

Since her blood clot diagnosis, her parents hover over her. I don’t blame them because she’s on blood thinners and if she injures herself, she could bleed to death. Their fear does nothing to calm my always electrocuting nerves.

She can’t seem to catch a break, and because of that, we get very little alone time together. On top of that, she can no longer take any kind of birth control with hormones.

They say they think she’s prone to blood clots. Since she’s so young and got one, they won’t take any chances. I guess it’s highly unusual, but that seems to be our luck.

A pit grows deeper in my stomach every day that gets closer to us being apart. I’m not sure how much more either of us can take.

Trying to fill the emptiness that’s creeping in, I decide to take her a dozen roses to the studio. I’m still scraping by, but I need to see her smile again. It’s been way too long since her eyes have sparkled when she does.

She’s on set in front of a live audience when I get there. A studio hand shows me a place off to the side of the stage where I can wait for her.

My chest swells as I take her in. She’s not only gorgeous, but she’s sexy as fuck. Nobody in the crowd can take their eyes off her. My breath comes in faster as a zap of fiery jealousy strikes my heart.

Is this how she feels when I’m working?

Sebastian Holloway strolls onto the set, wrapping his arms around her waist. I haven’t seen him since my birthday.

Before that, he was at my concert trying to force Livianna against the wall to get her to make out with him. I clench down on my teeth.

He twists her around and dips her backward. He says something to her. Then they kiss. I can’t stop staring at them pressed together. My heart thunders.

And then it happens. His tongue slides over her bottom lip and dips into her mouth. It steals my breath and my hands start to shake. I’m about to throw the rose down and tear him off her, but some guy slaps me on the shoulder.

“I see you still don’t mind sharing her.” He releases a wicked laugh. “I can’t stop thinking about her. She may not have been a virgin when I got her, but her pussy sure was tight like one. I could barely slide two fingers in.”

I spin around to have the douchebag my uncle hired on New Year’s Eve grinning at me like I’m the stupidest guy in town. The satisfied gleam in his smug gaze has me seeing red.

The second my fist slams against his jaw, it swings to the side. Blood spittle flies through the air. I tackle him to the floor and pound on his face over and over. He grunts as the cracks from my blows echo around us.

“Callum! Stop!” Livianna screams, but it doesn’t register.

I keep hitting this motherfucker who tried to rape my girlfriend and did a hell of a lot more to her than she owned up to. I can’t stop. The scorching heat running through my veins takes over and rips through me like a volcano.

Someone grabs my arm. My elbow flies back and smacks hard against something behind me. From the corner of my eye, I see Livianna fall to the ground.

I jump off the guy and rush to her side. “Lily, fucking hell. I didn’t know it was you. I’m so sorry.”

She’s on her stomach, pushing herself up when my heart breaks into pieces. Blood runs from her nose and the corner of her mouth like a hose. A huge dark red puddle forms and expands below her in seconds.

The blood thinners… She could die.

Everything in my world goes black as my life shatters. What the fuck have I done?

Chapter Thirty-Two

LIVIANNA/LILY

Then

Fevered Halos & The Wounds They Circle