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Hallie asked shakily, “How did she manage to live all those years?”
“Thankfully, he still had her enrolled in school, and records show that she’s been quite dedicated. She’s also a damn good photographer.”
Yuri paused. It was hard to say the next thing he had to reveal to the others. “The reason she was able to buy an expensive professional camera was by taking pictures of her wounds and selling it online...”
Yuri walked towards the table and emptied the contents of the brown envelope he had brought with him. Photos scattered on the table. Kellion, usually the most laidback, cursed when he realized what the photos were. Andreus pulled Hallie towards him as she cried out in horror.
All of the photos were of MJ.
And all of it were of her, bleeding.
He knew that part of her shoulder. And it was dislocated.
He knew that part of her arm. It had a mole. And on the photo, the skin was ripped red and raw.
Too much fucking blood.
Helios wanted to throw up. His agonized gaze went to MJ.
How could he ever make it up to her?
How?
****
It was dark when shefirst opened her eyes. Shadows on the wall seemed to be her only company inside the room. When she lifted her hand, MJ stared with numb curiosity at the IV strapped to her veins.
She was in a hospital.
She turned her head around, and her breath caught.
Helios.
He had his head down, sleeping on his arm, his golden hair left loose against his shoulders. She wanted to cry at the sight of it. So stupid, but she really did. She had a feeling she would never again feel how soft it was.
She must have made a sound, because the next thing she knew, Helios was awake, and too many expressions registered on his face all at once. Shock, relief, fear, and...something...something that seemed tender.
MJ didn’t want that last emotion. It was a lie. It had to be lie.
She might have suffered from a nasty injury, but it did not come with amnesia. She remembered everything. No matter how much she wanted to forget and pretend it wasn’t true, she remembered that Helios hated her.
“MJ?”
It was so rare for her to hear him speak her name. Why now when there was no need for it? She whispered, “My father used to ask me to do this...thing.” She didn’t care if he didn’t understand her. This was the only time she would speak to him about it, the last time she would ever talk to Helios again.
“And I would do it. I used to think I was doing it out of fear.”
Helios had whitened at her words. He knew that MJ likely thought he didn’t understand her, butDio,he did. He fucking understood her now, and he would pay for what he had done to her for the rest of his life.
“MJ, don’t—”
She shook her head.
Relax. Lie down. And keep your eyes open.
That was how she had survived.
She would survive this, too.
