AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The darkness on the edges of her vision crept in until encompassing it completely.
A muffled crash sounded in the distance. The noise barely reached her ears. The muffled crashes and thumps grew louder.
It was only then that she realized she wasn’t being beaten anymore. The urge to roll onto her side was uncontrollable. Somehow, her body listened. She pressed her weight into her right shoulder, digging it into the hardwood floor, and tilted. She struggled to regain sight. Shadows filled her eyes, then morphed into colored shapes. The shapes were bouncing off of each other, colliding and crashing. Paige forced her hands to press against the wood floor, pushing her body upright. She rested her weight on her sore knees and tried to focus her eyes. Blinking rapidly, she squinted.
She saw a man in a suit, throwing punches at Robert. Her heart began to hammer in her chest. Someone had come to save her but Robert was overpowering him.
Paige had to do something. She had to stand up, call for help. Something. Anything. She tried to stand but her legs were jelly beneath her. So, she stayed on the ground, watching the figures battle in a series of jabs, blows, and punts.
Paige scooted on her ass until her back was pressed against the wall, her knees drawn up to her chin.
She waited anxiously, listening to the sounds of their fighting, as consciousness came back to her. It slowly started to dawn on her that she’d been close to letting go, to letting Robert have her last moments.
All men are shit, she thought bitterly.
Her eyes were almost clear now. She’d gotten it wrong before. Robert wasn’t the one winning, he was losing. Whoever had come to save her had Robert bent over the back of her couch, his legs kicking out uselessly, as the savior pummeled his face into oblivion.
Finally, her savior stumbled away from Robert. She listened to the sound of his dress shoes clipping against her floor. Then she saw Robert, struggling to stand as he held his face. Beneath his fingers, she could see several gashes. Blood was pouring, dripping down onto his T-shirt. He walked slowly toward the front door, his hands clinging to his broken face. “You’ll regret this,” he said. His voice sounded different, as if his teeth had been completely rearranged in his mouth, giving him a heavy lisp. “Both of you,” he hissed. “You’ll both regret this.”
“Get out of here,” a familiar voice replied. “Or I’ll pound on you some more.”
Robert hurried out the door.
Paige let out a long sigh of relief as she watched him leave.
Her savior knelt down in front of her, putting his face close to hers. “You’re fine,” the bruised face said. “You’re safe now.”
It took a moment for her eyes to focus. When they finally did, she recognized Dino’s bulk and thinning hair. Paige’s face split into a grin and she lifted her hands to touch his unshaven cheeks.
“Dino,” she breathed. “It’s you.” Paige’s hand dropped from his face. “So tired,” she said, whispering. “Tired.”
“It’s all right,” Dino said. His voice sounded like he was underwater, thick and wet, so distorted that he was hard to understand. “You’re safe. You’re safe.”
The darkness came back to the edges of her vision, quickly taking over. The last thing she saw was Dino’s face, bruised and swollen, smiling.
Chapter thirty-six
Are you alright, kiddo?
Hot,saltytearsrolleddown Claire’s cheeks. She plastered her hand over her mouth, trying to stifle her sobs. She could hear her mother on the other side of the apartment, clanging around in the kitchen with her pots and pans. The metallic sound was harsh, even through the walls. Staying quiet was of utmost importance. If her mother found out she was crying, it would be nothing but endless questions. Claire didn’t have the strength for that, not anymore.
She rubbed her shaking fingers across her cheeks, trying to stop the tears from falling.
Everything had gone to shit. Literally.
She pulled her knees to her chest as she leaned her back against the white tiles behind her, cold and sharp against her skin. The feeling was pleasant now that she was out west, where the sun’s heat constantly scorched her.
Claire gazed up at the ceiling, where a small spotlight was flickering above her. The white LED was about to die, giving out what little light it had left.
Her mom had moved her across the country, removing her from Vince’s reach. Claire had been heartbroken about it, but Vince couldn’t have cared less. As soon as he had Lorelei back in his arms, he cut everyone else out of his life. Claire had overheard her mother fighting with Vince, screaming and shouting and apologizing for hours on end. None of it mattered to him. The only thing he wanted was his wife. Everything else was done, according to him.
Claire could barely pick up the broken pieces of her life. She’d moved with her mother, reluctantly, but she had nowhere else to turn. They’d hunkered down in a shitty apartment for the time being. Claire’s mom was waiting for a good house to come onto the market. Usually, Claire would have kicked up a fuss about living in such a horrible place. The wiring was bad, they constantly had power cuts, and the water smelled like farts. She didn’t care now. She was beside herself with grief. Not only had she lost her Daddy, but she’d lost her only friend in the world as well.
Everything she’d ever known was now far behind her, vanishing with every passing second, getting smaller in the rearview mirror as she watched her old life shrinking to just a distant memory.
Everything… save this one little slice she’d somehow managed to hold onto.
Fresh tears poured down her cheeks, taking more makeup with them. Claire didn’t wipe them away this time. She let her eyes drift down to the toilet seat in front of her. The lid was closed and sitting on top was a blue and white stick, the little LED screen illuminated.
