Page 34 of The Jaded Notes

LIVIANNA/LILY

Then

Strange Worlds & Terrible Memories

Some people heal you just by holding the pieces while you fall apart. But the ones who stay after? They’re the ones who break you in all the right ways.

The panic that hijacked my chest only minutes ago quiets, tucked away beneath the hush of this place. This…sanctuary.

Sanctuary? No, this is something else. It’s a temple, a place of worship, maybe? Perhaps a confessional of some sort.

The lights change to a beautiful greenish-blue tint, and a blanket of warmth rolls from the ceiling, covering me. I almost feel like I’m being hugged in a blissful dream. Maybe I passed out and I’m stuck in a strange reality.

“Jax…” My voice sounds foreign to me. Fragile. Drenched in awe, confusion, a touch of fear, and a million questions. “What is this place?”

His jaw ticks, and he’s tense. It seems like he wants to answer when he opens his mouth, but he closes it just as fast.It’s as if, if he speaks, he’ll expose something I’m not allowed to know.

An intense wave of gratitude hits—that he brought me here at all when it’s clearly something he’s struggling with now. It fills me to my core. I’m beyond grateful.

“Jax, thank you for bringing me up here while I was having my panic attack. It helped.” I place my hand on his knee. “But if you don’t want me in this space, we can go back to your office.”

His gaze travels to where my hand is resting. He takes a breath, and his body relaxes. He shifts, sitting back with his knees drawn up. He circles his arms around them and peers at me.

“No, Livianna. Let’s finish the interview here. I have a feeling you’ll be more open with me in this environment.” He starts taking off his Italian leather shoes and gestures to my heels. “I’ve never had anyone up here, but the rule is no shoes in this area.”

“I wouldn’t dare break one of your rules.”

Something like fire flares in his mysterious brown eyes, but he averts his gaze to my feet.

Was he turned on by me somehow?My heart skips a beat.

Not the appropriate time, Livianna.

“Let me help.” He reaches for my foot and unlatches the thin buckled strap that’s around my ankle. “While I’m doing this, tell me what set you off downstairs.”

I scoot back against the plush pillows, not knowing if I can say what I need to say. The lights change to lavender, and the same scent that filtered into the elevator fills the air. My defenses vanish.

Jax moves to my other shoe and begins to remove it. “This is a safe space. You can share anything that’s on your mind. It won’t leave this room.”

“Why do I feel like I could tell you anything right now andI wouldn’t need to…” I wrap my hands around my bloody wrists.

He finishes getting me comfortable and takes our shoes to a rug near the elevator. When he turns to come back to the area, a kind understanding softens his face.

He tugs off his black designer suit jacket, loosens his tie, and unbuttons the top two buttons of his crisp white shirt.

“This is a biometric blackout suite designed to recalibrate the nervous system after high-risk decisions I make. It was developed to calm, relax, and reset my emotions.”

“Wow, so it’s super high-tech.” It’s now I realize just how brilliant Jaxon Crowne is, and I’m more than impressed. “How does it work?”

“That’s not what we’re here to discuss.” He strides to a cabinet and takes out a rolled towel. “This is soft enough that it shouldn’t aggravate your wounds. It’s infused with chamomile and coconut oil, which should help with healing.”

He rejoins me in the cocoon-like space and hands me the towel. I take it from him. It’s warm and as soft as a baby’s skin.

“Thank you.” I run the material over my cuts.

Just like he said, the oils soothe and calm the damage I’ve done to myself. I keep my gaze on the cabinet. Why would he have this hidden room in his office? His work can’t be that?—

He cuts through my spiraling thoughts. “Are you doing better?”