Page 66 of Love Me

“I swear.”

“What if––?”

“Celine can’t be pregnant. She just can’t.”

“You hurt her…”

“I would hurt her time and time again to keep her alive.”

“Sometimes being dead hurts less, Kaden. There’s a fine line.”

She squeezes my shoulder and goes into my bedroom.

We never know who is watching.

I say goodbye to Thomas, forcing my composure not to falter and my heart to hold on a bit more in my chest.

Gasping for air, I drive away, my insides crumbling. Agony weaves through my fabric, the tendrils coiling around my heart choking it to death. There’s nothing I can do to resurrect my spirit.

After fumbling with my key, the door to my old home opens.

Home sweet home, while Kaden and Abigail are together in the house next door. Engaged, and worse, by next year, they’ll be married and then starting a family. Betrayal spears my chest, remaining lodged inside of me. The wench looked at me with that glint in her eyes, searching for the weakness rotting my insides. I touch my belly, the memory still so fresh.

“You have stage four endometriosis.”

My periods have always been painful and accompanied by heavy bleeding, but it became so debilitating that my father had to bring me to the hospital. After every possible test, I got the diagnosis. There’s not much that can be done, other than surgery to remove the tissue forming in my pelvic area. Slim chances of getting pregnant naturally. Plus, I’m on the pill.

I dissect every moment that transpired between us, every poisonous kiss, and every time we made love, only to realize how utterly stupid I have been. The pain burns me to the bones, but I take the excruciating torment to anchor myself. Anything to lessen the blows while I teeter on the edge of a meltdown.

This was my home. Until the accident.

Why can’t I remember?

You would think such a traumatic experience would be at the forefront of my mind. Instead, there is blank space and two sides to the story, creating a jigsaw puzzle I do not fully understand.

I flop onto the bed and hold my face in my hands. Rocking myself gently, I try to grasp my sanity while I am tearing apart like an old piece of cloth. Get yourself together, damn it! You can break apart later. Inhaling deeply, I put the lid on my emotions and twist it shut.

Hunter calls. “We’re doing a search of the tunnels tonight. You ready?”

He’s like a dog with a bone. I can’t fault him. I am the same way.

“Give me a few. How is Mia?”

“Locked in her room, reading.”

What is going on with her? I mean, even though she doesn’t like what we do, she was always there, making sure we do our jobs and return safely. She’s our eyes and ears from a distance.

“Did she find anything?”

He exhales a breath ringing of frustration. “Not yet.”

“Something is holding her back.”

“Well, she’s good at stealing physical stuff, but not using someone for information. She’s a romantic like that.”

“I still believe a little psycho lives inside of her.”

He chuckles. “She stabbed me once because I hid her book.”

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