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I wasn’t sure when I made the decision, and I couldn’t even explain to him what I meant, because exhaustion took over and I let it drag me under, but I knew tomorrow was coming and what I needed to do.
Chapter 29
Lea
Ifoundmyselfalonein the world’s biggest bed for the second day in a row, and I hated it. In spite of how tired I was, I woke as the sun rose and packed my bags, carrying them downstairs. I thought I’d be the only one awake, but I was met by three miserable looking faces in the kitchen.
“What are you doing, Sugar?”
“You hurt me.”
“Le…”
I held up my hand. “You… you more than anyone. You wanted to get rid of us. Of me.”
“I was drunk.”
I threw my phone and charger into my purse. “And that makes it okay? That makes it hurt less, does it?”
“I’m sorry,” he whispered.
“I know, but I have to do this. I need space to think, and I can’t do that around you all.”
Our conversation was a blur and as I climbed into the car, my heart hurt. I’d made my decision when they turned up at the venue and embarrassed me with their outburst. I just knew I couldn’t stay. They hurt me and I didn’t know how to forgive them. I’d bent over backward for them over the last few months and, even though I had three men, I couldn’t get one of them to be there when I needed them. I wasn’t sure I wanted this to be over, but I knew I needed some space. I couldn’t get that while I stayed in the house with them. Curse or not, I needed to leave, and that was why I was here, in the back of a car, driving away from them.
Four makes us whole. If one leaves, we all fall.
I tried not to think about the words tattooed on my arm as the enormity of what I was doing settled. I was leaving; would we all fall?
Did I really believe we’d been cursed? No.
Did I care about these men more than I was ready to admit to some of them? Yes.
Did their behavior show me that while we were great in bed, we were no more a family than a bunch of strangers, forced together? Absolutely.
Leaving seemed like the only option, but now, sitting in the back of the car, physically driving away from them, something felt off. The further away from them I got, the more my heart hurt until I had to press my hands to my chest to try to ease the physical pain that sliced like a knife with each beat.
Had I made the biggest mistake ever? Had I given up on them without even giving them a chance to make things right? I mean, it was one night. One mistake. One day of hurt that I’d survived. Was it really worth leaving them for…
I unclipped my seatbelt, leaning forward between the front seats. “Sorry, could we go back?”
“You forgotten something, Lea?”
“I think—” I didn’t get to finish my sentence because the sound of screeching tires and metal scraping against metal filled the air while the smell of burning came from nowhere.
The driver shouted something, but his words were lost to the chaos around us. The car spun, forcing me to grab onto the sides of both seats. Something hit us hard from the back and then again from the side, making the passenger side doors buckle from the force. Glass broke, showering me in shards as we were hit again, sending me flying through the air.
I landed somewhere hard, a pulse of pain shooting through my body, but it was quickly replaced with warmth. My eyes fluttered closed as I wished I’d danced in the rain more.
Chapter 30
Marshall
Itwaslikeaninstinct. I’d not done it for years, but my training kicked in. I tried not to think about Lea being involved, but as I ran toward the scene of the crash, I knew she was. I could feel her pain in my gut.
Assessing the area, my eyes landed on Lea’s car. I knew what Ishouldbe doing, but this wasn’t my job anymore and right now, all I cared about was her. Seeing her half in the car, half over the hood, made me want to vomit. If she’d gone through the windscreen, she’d have major head injuries…
I sprinted through the carnage, making a mental note of what I was seeing. When I finally got to her, I pressed my fingers to her pulse, pushing down my pain when I wasn’t able to find one. I looked up, my eyes landing on Fox’s as I shook my head, terrified of seeing the fear I was feeling reflected in his gaze.
