Page 91 of Boots & Scars

“My husband loved me too,” she muttered bitterly. “Do you really think someone like her could ever love someone like you?”

Her words hit me like a punch to the gut. My jaw clenched tightly as I fought to keep my composure. “Ask her,” I managed to say through gritted teeth. “I saved her?—”

Before I could finish, a nurse hurried into the room, drawn by the commotion.

“Please,” Mrs. Hawthorne pleaded with the nurse. “Call security. He did this to my daughter. It's Cooper Sinclaire. His ex-fiancée just opened up about how he did the same thing to her too."

“No! I would never?—”

But before I could explain myself, two burly security guards entered and grabbed me by the arms.

“Sir, you need to come with us,” one of them said firmly.

“I didn’t do this!” I protested as they began to drag me away from Everly’s bedside.

The nurse watched with a conflicted expression but didn’t intervene. The guards' grip was unyielding as they escorted me out of the room and down the hallway.

“I love her!” I shouted over my shoulder one last time before they pulled me around a corner and out of sight.

In that moment, everything felt surreal and wrong. All I could think about was Everly lying there alone without knowing how much she meant to me. How she’d wake up and think I didn’t come for her.

27

Everly

Iwoke up to a dull, throbbing pain radiating from everywhere. My eyes fluttered open, adjusting to the harsh fluorescent lights above. As my vision cleared, I saw Mom sitting next to me; her face etched with worry lines. Her hand gripped mine tightly, her knuckles white.

"Mom?" My voice cracked, dry and raspy.

"Oh, Everly," she said, her voice breaking. "You're awake."

I blinked slowly, the events of the night crashing back into my mind. Trying to get to my mother’s house. Being taken to the frat house. The attack. And then... the crash. I remembered the feeling of the ice giving way beneath me, and then... darkness.

I blinked, but my right eye wouldn't open fully. "Where's Cooper?" I croaked.

Mom's expression darkened. "Somewhere he'll never hurt you again."

I frowned, confusion washing over me. "What are you talking about? Cooper?—"

"Here's some water," she interrupted, pressing a cup to my lips.

The cool liquid soothed my dry throat as I swallowed. I tried again. "Cooper saved me."

Mom's lips pressed into a thin line. She looked away, her grip on the cup tightening. The room felt suffocating, the air thick with unspoken words and heavy emotions. My thoughts raced, trying to piece together the fragments of memory and the tension hanging in the air.

I tried to sit up but winced as a sharp pain shot through my side. Mom placed a firm hand on my shoulder, urging me to stay still.

"Don't move too much," she advised softly. "You need to rest."

I sank back into the pillows, frustration gnawing at me. I wanted to see Cooper, to thank him properly for what he did.

"How bad is it?" I asked, dreading the answer.

"You have a few cracked ribs," Mom said quietly. "And a mild concussion. Not to mention the bruises."

My mind wandered back to that moment on the ice when everything went wrong and Cooper appeared out of nowhere, his strong arms pulling me from danger.

"And Holly?" I asked again.

---