AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Princess...” He begins and it breaks me. No one has called me that since that night and I sob, loud heart wrenching sobs that wrack my whole body. Instantly Ace slides his arms around me and pulls me into his lap. I cry like my heart is breaking - because in so many ways it is - and he just holds me and strokes my hair to comfort me. He doesn’t tell me to shush or try to stop me, just lets me pour out the tears of pain and regret that I’ve kept bottled up inside me. It should be cathartic, but by the time my tears dry up, I’m spent. I can’t face going back out there to go another round against Jax.
Thankfully I don’t have to. With difficulty, but surprising dexterity, Ace gets to his feet in the tiny space all the while still holding me in his arms. I’m too tired to protest. He carries me back out to the dining table and sits with me in his lap. I worry about the ability of the rickety old third-hand chairs to hold our combined weight, but it feels so good to be held again, to be taken care of, that I don’t say anything.
Thankfully the recording has stopped. Unfortunately the silence left behind in its wake is deafening.
“What...”
“No.” Ace cuts off whatever question Jax was going to throw at me and I’m so grateful to him that tears prick my vision again. “Enough. Leave.”
“Ace...” Thorn tries to reason but he’s having none of it.
“Out. Now.”
“It’s okay, it’s fine Aljaž.” I placate him with a hand on his chest. The tingles of electricity start up again but this time he doesn’t pull away from me. I sigh and look at the guys. “I’ll answer whatever questions you have but then you have to leave.” My voice sounds so broken and dejected that Thorn offers to come back tomorrow. I shake my head and tell them I need to do this now, all in one go, like ripping off a plaster.
“Baby, are you okay? Did he hurt you?” Rebel’s low growl, full of worry and concern, melts my heart. The roughest and gruffest of the boys, he was always secretly the softest and most protective of me. He was the first of the boys that I truly fell for. He is the one I am reminded of almost every single day when I deal with Phoenix’s sass.
“I’m okay, he didn’t hurt me. Not like he wanted to.” My right hand automatically reaches over to rub the scar on my wrist and, although I don’t even notice I’m doing it, Rebel’s keen eye tracks the movement. In an instant he’s on his feet and grabbing my left hand, turning my wrist over so that he can examine the long smooth scar that runs from my wrist to my elbow that was made by Michael’s knife in our scuffle.
“Son of a bitch...I’ll kill him.” He growls.
“You can’t, Reb,” I tell him softly.
“I want to.”
“I know. But he can’t hurt anyone else...Lizzie wasn’t the only one.”
“Was that true...about Tilly....?” He can’t even say it. I don’t blame him. I couldn’t either for a long time.
“As far as I know, yeah.”
“Then I’ll fucking kill her instead.” His voice is murderous and I believe him.
I also know there’s no talking him down while he’s like this, so I say nothing. Instead, I begin to relax a tiny bit as he strokes his thumb absentmindedly over my scar. It’s funny because I’d always considered the tissue there to be dull, devoid of feeling, but with Rebel’s thumb lightly skirting over it, it feels more alive and sensitive than any other part of me.
Suddenly the silence is broken by the alarm on my phone going off.
“Shit is that the time?” I jerk out of Rebel’s hold and leap up from Ace’s lap. “Guys, I have to go, you have to leave. We’ll have to continue this another day.” I fly round the room grabbing my keys and bag, pulling on shoes and a jacket. “But don’t come here unannounced,” I hastily add, stopping only to scribble my number on a scrap of paper. Turns out it’s ripped from the bottom of a final demand bill. Shit. I need to deal with that when I get back too. “Here’s my number.” I thrust the paper at Ace. Right now, he’s the only one I trust. “Call me. Let yourselves out.”
With that I rush out of the door, leaving it wide open behind me and race off towards the childminder’s house to collect Phoenix. I was supposed to be in class today but obviously the princes’ arrival got me sidetracked. God I needed to stop thinking of them as princes; it was silly and juvenile, even if that’s what they were to me in my mind. I remind myself that years have passed and none of us are the same people anymore.
I can’t believe that with all my confessing, I didn’t even think to ask them how they found me. I thought seeing them, revealing some of the secrets of the past, would feel like a weight being lifted off my shoulders, but it doesn’t. If anything, I feel worse, because now I’m burdened with the task of remembering which truths I’ve revealed and which - like Phoenix - I need to remain hidden.
Charlotte’s Diary
29/08/19
I can’t believe I’ve been on the island for nearly ten weeks already. The days have flown by in a whirlwind of fun adventures with Baxter.
We’re definitely becoming closer. And he’s different. I’m not naive enough to think he’s a reformed character - Rebel told me some horror stories about him - but I’ve certainly only witnessed him on his best behaviour around me. Maybe he saves his debauchery for the evenings when he’s dropped me home?
I shouldn’t care.
I don’t care.
Anyway, I’ve been avoiding Cordelia like the plague, not wanting to discuss the situation. Any of my situations. Like, what am I going to do when we leave? Or what am I going to do about the life growing inside of me?
I think I’m about 13 or so weeks gone, but I’m really not sure. I’ve always been hopeless at keeping track of my periods and stuff. I have a distinct little bump appearing, which I won’t be able to hide for much longer.
