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“After we do a scan, just to rule out anything nefarious,” Dr. Holloway explained, using a pen to tap away at a handheld screen the size of a small book. “If it’s all good, and there’s no other symptoms or complications, I’ll be able to send you home in a few hours. Do you have someone who can stay with you?”
“Why?” Valen questioned.
“We like to have someone with concussion patients for forty-eight hours after the incident, just as a precaution in case things go downhill.”
“I don—”
“She’s going to stay with me,” I cut in before Valen could brush it off like it was no big deal.
She opened her mouth to object, but I wasn’t about to let her win this one, so I simply turned my attention toward the doctor. “Just let me know what I need to look out for, and I’ll keep a close eye on her.”
Dr. Holloway continued to tap away at the small screen in her hands and a smile on her face. “Good. I’ll get you an information sheet printed and get Valen booked in for her scan.” She finished up her notes. “Okay, I’ll be back when it’s done. And if it’s all fine, you’ll be ready to head home.”
“Thanks,” I said simply.
Dr. Holloway grinned as she stepped out of the small cubicle and pulled the curtain shut again behind her.
I could feel Valen’s glare burning the side of my face. “You can quit trying to slice my head off with the lasers you’re shooting from your eyes.”
“What—”
“Where exactly did you plan on going?” I challenged, leaning back into the flimsy chair with my arms folded across my chest. Valen was a fighter—I knew that much. But I’d also proven time and time again, so was I. “I’ve got plenty of space at my place. That way, you have someone around in case you have a damn brain aneurysm or something, and it will give you time to look for a new place.”
The anger melted from her face, a wave of ease moving through her body, her muscles relaxing back into the bed. She laughed and shook her head. “You know how angry this will make Jade and your stepmom.”
“Those are just bonus points.”
She inhaled long and deep through her nose, obviously fighting a smile. “Okay. Thank you. But you better not be some weirdo.”
“Says the girl wearing eight stitches and a bloody wedding gown.”
“Touché.”
Chapter Six
VALEN
The sun peeked through a gap in the curtains. The slither of light hit me directly in the eyes. I blinked a few times, fighting nature’s wake-up call and attempting to roll over and go back to sleep. But the stitches in my forehead were already beginning to ache, and I’d need to get up soon and take some painkillers before that ache turned into a full-blown migraine.
I sat up, but the wave of dizziness that hit me was a warning. I was going to have to make this process slow. So before I got to my feet, I took some time to sit and admire the architecture I had been far too tired to appreciate when I was released from the hospital late last night.
There was an exposed brick wall as a headboard for the bed, the red and orange tones complemented by the bedding and the rug on the floor. It was a beautiful feature, immaculate from a distance, but up close, you could see the individual bricks were slightly worn and imperfect, which helped to give the room a homely and lived-in feel.
This house had history, and that alone had a warm and welcoming tone—surprising for what was essentially a billionaire’s bachelor pad.
I slowly inched toward the edge of the bed as I continued to marvel at the details of the room. Large windows, hand-carved embellishments, and crown moldings framed the ceilings. They had this leafy, vine-like pattern I knew must have been original to the Victorian townhouse—something out of the early 1900s. You didn’t see details like that in houses that much anymore because it was a feature that took time and effort.
Nowadays, everyone wanted fast and easy.
Their food, their work, their relationships.
No one took the time anymore.
Me included.
I’d thrown myself into a relationship with Chad, ignoring all the red flags that were fluttering and flying in my face. The main one being how he’d always ask to include Jade in things we were doing and places we were going. I thought at the time it was a way to show me he understood the importance of my relationship with my friends, which was a complete contrast to how I’d been made to feel when I was younger. But that relief was short-lived, and what seemed like a blessing yesterday became a curse when another person I loved was torn away from me.
First Maddie.
