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“Do you know how much I love you?” I ask.
“Almost as much as I love you.”
I need to keep myself from breaking right then and there. This is it. “Good. Please remember that.”
She catches on to the change in my mood and starts looking around rapidly. Finally, her eyes land on her parents.
“What are they doing here? Where are we?” I don’t even need to answer because her gasp tells me she found the sign. “No.”
“Kayleigh.” I breathe as I put the car into park.
“No. I want to go home. Take me home.”
I can’t hold back the tears no matter how hard I try. “You’re not going home.” The look on her face breaks my heart. “I know… about everything. The drugs. The excessive partying. You’re not eating. You’re running off calories you don’t have to burn. You’re basically disappearing right in front of my eyes.” I’m a blubbering mess by the time I stop talking.
“I can stop!” She begs. “I’ll stop, I swear! Don’t leave me here!”
I take a deep breath to try to calm myself, but it’s no use. “This place is going to get you the help you need.” She turns away from me. “I love you so much. I just want you to get better.”
“No, you don’t. If you loved me, you wouldn’t make me stay here.”
“It’s because I love you that I’m making you stay here.” My chest hurts from how she won’t even look me in the eye. “I’m going to be staying with your mom and John so I’ll be close and can visit you.”
“Don’t bother.” She cries softly. “I hate you and I never want to see you again.”
What I was hoping she wouldn’t say comes flowing out of her mouth like it’s the most honest thing in the world.
“You don’t mean that.”
“I do.” She answers, shattering my heart into a million pieces. “You’re dead to me.”
My breath hitches and my hand moves to my chest in an attempt to ease some of the pain. There’s a small look of regret on her face but she quickly masks it and gets out of the car, storming past her parents and sitting on the nearest bench. I pop the trunk and step out. John meets me at the back to retrieve her bag. I don’t even bother to try and conceal the tears.
“It’ll be alright. You did the right thing, son.” He says lowly. I nod but don’t respond. He understands. “We’ll see you back at the house.”
I walk past the worried parents and over to the girl I love. Dropping down so I’m kneeling in front of her. Still, she won’t look at me.
“You may want to give me your locket.” I whisper. “You’ll get in a lot of trouble if you try sneaking drugs in there.”
Without saying a word, she reaches behind her and unclips the necklace, dropping it onto the ground in front of us. I pick it up and slip it into my jacket pocket before placing one last kiss on her forehead.
“I love you, Kayleigh.”
With that, I stand up and walk back to my car. I had planned on going in with her but it’s clear she doesn’t want me here. Her parents lead her inside as I watch her from the driver’s seat. Once they’re out of view, I put the car in drive and head towards her house.
I only get a mile down the road before I need to pull over. The thick tears are blurring my vision too much to see anything at all. As soon as the car is safely stopped, I throw it into park and slam my hands on the steering wheel – letting my emotions take over entirely. She hates me. I’m dead to her. She fucking hates me.
Chapter Twenty Nine
I pace around the kitchen, feeling like this house is entirely way too big right now. It’s been an hour and a half, and her parents still aren’t home. I need to know she’s okay – that she’s safe and that she’s going to get better. I’m just sending an update to Dawson when the door opens and the two exhausted adults come inside. John takes his wife’s coat and hangs it up in the closet.
“I’m going to bed.” She voices to the two of us, giving me a sad smile as she makes her way up the stairs. “The maid has the guest room all set for you.” I nod as a sign of my gratitude.
As soon as she’s out of earshot, John turns to me. “Don’t mind her. This has just been hard on all of us.”
“I understand.” I murmur. “How’s Kayleigh?”
He sighs. “Angry to say the least, maybe a little sad even. This has been going on a long time. She admitted to the doctor she’s been starving herself for three years, and that the only time she recovered was in October. I believe that’s thanks to you.”
