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I now understand why Quinn wants me to stay horizontal. My entire body aches.
“Yeah.” He nods, his face pained as he fills in the blanks. “You were in and out of consciousness, and I tried to take you to the hospital. But you asked me not to, so I looked after you as best I could.”
My head aches, and without thinking, I raise my hand to my forehead, attempting to soothe my pounding temples. But as my fingers pass over a bandage, I realize my entire frame seems covered in gauze.
Quinn must have attended to me when I was unconscious, and I know he looked after me with the utmost care because I’m not dead or missing a limb.
“Thank you,” I say, wishing I could move because I really want to throw my arms around him.
He nods, his eyes softening when I shakily reach forward, pressing my cold palm against his cheek.
“So what now?”
Quinn smirks, leaning into my touch. “Well, first things first. You need to shower because you look like hell.”
I can’t help the croaky laugh that escapes my chapped lips, and it’s the best sound I’ve heard in days.
Twenty minutes of arguing with Quinn has paid off because he’s finally allowed me to shower by myself. Of course,he insisted he bathe me, which was so not happening.
But in all honesty, I crave some alone time. I need to process everything becausea lothas happened.
My life has finally caught up with me, and no matter how many miles I put between me and my past, it just keeps popping up, haunting me with memories I wish remained dead and buried.
I deserved everything Justin did to me because he, too, needed vengeance on the person who ruined his life. The look of rage and hatred reflected in his haunted eyes is a look I know all too well. But it also confirmed what I have always known—that I’m a bad person.
I have ruined countless lives, and I deserve no happiness. All I seem to do is leave pain, death, and destruction in my path, and I need it to stop.
As I look at the beaten girl, staring back at me with a puffy and unrecognizable face, I realize I need this to change. I can’t live my life like this for a second longer. And I don’t want to.
But I don’t know how to make it stop.
Lifting my legs over the tub and turning on the shower is an effort since it aches to move. But I don’t care because it warms my broken body.
I look down and cringe at the purple and blue splotches covering my ribs, but I can see the faint yellow tinge beginning to appear as I slowly heal.
Suddenly, I realize I got off lucky.Justin, however, didn’t.I’m pretty sure Quinn killed him when he jammed the knife straight into his side. Quinn committed the ultimate crime, and he did it…for me.
The thought has my teeth chattering, and I switch off the shower before drying off. I need to talk to Quinn.
I feel semi human as I make my way into the bedroom in a white robe, feeling clean and warm since the hot water thawed out my aches and pains.
My eyes fall to Quinn. He’s propped up against the headboard, watching TV, topless.
“Hey, how are you feeling?” he asks, pressing mute on the remote.
“Human,” I reply, tying back my wet hair.
He chuckles and pulls back the comforter, gesturing for me to sit. As soon as I slide under the covers, Quinn softly bundles me against his chest, my head resting against his shoulder.
“You scared me, Red,” he confesses into my hair after a minute of silence.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, closing my eyes and basking in his warmth.
“No,” he rebukes. “I’m the one who should be sorry. If I hadn’t lost my temper and left you alone, none of this would have happened.”
“None of this is your fault, Quinn. It’s all mine. Everything that’s happened, I have no one to blame but myself,” I declare. Snuggling closer and touching him gives me the strength not to break down.
“How did you find me?” I croak after a minute of silence.
