My love, my heart—she was trapped and I couldn’t walk more than four steps.
"Okay, maybe let's stop for today." The physio smiled and nodded like I was a literal child.
"No. Two-minute break,” I panted. “And we start again.”
Every day, she’d arrive at eight in the morning and then again at four in the afternoon, and on day seven, I was already sitting up in bed, waiting for her. I sat up all by myself.
But instead of the physio, someone else showed up. There was a quiet knock on the door and in stepped none other than life-destroyer Gianna.
I hadn’t seen her in three weeks, not since that time when she spilled her soul. That was lucky, because the break from her gave me a chance to remembera lot.
With a small smile on her face, she stepped closer, looking me over with apprehension. “You’re doing so much better,” she breathed, such a hopeful smile on her face.
I held the pause, picking my words.
“Why’re you here again? I paid off your credit card. Paid you back for my stay here.”
Her face fell instantly, but I was no longer oblivious—all her little antics, all the fake tears, the manipulation—it was all fresh in my mind.
“I…I just thought…”
“What did you think?”
Stepping from one foot to the other, she was meek and timid. I didn’t have any memories of her ever looking like that, so she didn’t lie last time—she did change. No more designer purses or short dresses. Her nails weren’t done and she was wearing barely any makeup.
“I’m glad you’re sitting up.”
I scoffed, wanting to get her out of my sight. “Do you think we’re friends or something, Gianna? Do you think we’reamicableexes?”
Gianna gulped, gearing up for another round of tears. “Alex, you-you were beatensobadly, I just—”
“Because of you.”
The image of Jade begging on her knees was frying my brain cells. The morning it happened was still hard to fully piece together, but I was remembering snippets. The way he pulled her hair. The tears Jade cried.
“How the fuck did you know where I was?” I asked loudly, still in the dark about that little detail. “I found your tracker, so how did you know the second time?”
Gianna pursed her lips and looked down.
“I…had two. Two trackers. One in your wallet and the other between your phone and phone case, but I didn’t check your location anymore—not after you…after you sent me to the shelter.”
Wow. I sat on the bed, tumbling into another black hole of hopelessness. “Jesus.”
“I was in love with you, okay? I wasblindlyin love—I’m sorry!” Gianna shouted, looking broken. “And then—and then Ifeltthat you had someone else and—”
“I had no one else when I broke up with you, Gianna. I just didn’t love you,” I interrupted urgently, remembering her accusations in the past. “I was never in love with you. And evidently, that was the worst thing I could do.”
God,I fucking hated her. I stared right past a crying Gianna and berated myself for all the missed chances in my life. I missed my chance to kill Knox when I had it. I missed my chance to avoid all this when I agreed to see her after our first breakup.
“But you’ve paid me back, Gianna. You got your revenge—for everything. For me not loving you. For the work I forced you to do. For every single moment that I wasted with you—you got me back.”
My lungs burned. I gripped the edge of the bed until my knuckles turned white, remembering what I had said to Jade.I want to protect you, baby. From everything you’re scared of.
I promised her.I promised.
For the thousandth time this week, I tried to breathe through the intrusive images of what must have been happening to her.
“Leave. Justgo.Just disappear from my life,” I implored Gianna, unable to do anything else in my physical state.
