Page 32 of Rejected Plus-Size Mate

Gone was the calm and collected Brad. He was furious and out for blood.

"Please," I begged.

But before he could respond, the snap of a fire caught our attention. We both looked over towards the sound, finding a candle I had dropped from the small table in the kitchen, and rolled towards the curtains. The curtains were in flames, fluttering and sending sparks into the living room.

A smile pulled at Brad's lips. "Well, that's an even better idea."

"Brad, stop," I begged him as he dragged me down the hallway to the bathroom. He ripped his tie off, wrapping it around my hands and around the cabinet door. I tried to suck in the air, but smoke had already started to fill the space.

"Brad, please stop." I tried once more to convince him to let me go. He'd never done anything like this. "Please."

He grabbed my face, his fingers painful as he leaned forward, his face just an inch from mine. "You deserve what's coming to you." He let go and stepped backward.

Tears poured out as he left, and I coughed, trying to cover my mouth from the smoke. My head ached from the lack of oxygen, and the smoke mixing didn't help. I tried to pull at the tie, yanking hard and harder. But each yank only tightened the knot on my hand.

I coughed, feeling dizzy, and tried to take slow breaths, but it didn't help. Everything felt fuzzy, and then everything went black.

I jerked my eyes open, taking in a dark room. There was the sound of footsteps, but it sounded distant. There was a soft beeping next to me, and I looked over. I took a few machines in and glanced down at my hand. I was connected to an IV, and there were wires strapped to my chest. My head hurt, but not as badly as I expected it to.

I pulled my hand up, realizing I had a breathing mask on. I took a few deep breaths, trying to remember what had happened.

"No, she's still asleep." I could hear Cayden's voice and looked toward the door. I could see him standing in the hallway. His back was to me as he spoke on the phone. "April, she's okay. I made sure of it."

Cayden. He was here. I don't remember calling. I remember the fire and the smoke.

I closed my eyes, allowing my body to realize that I was safe. I wasn't still locked in the house with it burning all around me. I didn't die in a fire.

I heard the door open and pulled my eyes open, taking in Cayden. He looked exhausted like he hadn't slept. He froze as he saw me, and his shoulders relaxed slightly.

"You're awake."

I nodded, pulled a hand up, and pulled the mask down. "What happened?" I asked, a cough, taking the words over.

Cayden reached up, pulling the mask back into place. "Breath," he said softly. As calm as he spoke, I could see the anger in his eyes. He was trying to stay calm, but he was clearly pissed.

I stared at him, taking a few breaths in. "Are you….angry with me?"

Cayden grabbed me a cup from the side table and pulled it up. "I'm not angry at you, Riley."

"Explain…that to your…face," I whispered back.

He gave me a half smile, pulling the mask down and offering me a drink.

"I was scared," he said simply. "I'm angry but not at you. So, just rest." He looked me in my eyes. "Please."

I took a sip of the water and felt his hand brush over my forehead. I stared at him as he softly smiled. "I'm just happy you're okay."

Chapter 14 - Cayden

I watched her closely as the doctor was listening to her heart. Her eyes are still red, but they look better after a long night of sleep. If she was in pain, she wasn't giving any signs. She kept smiling when the doctor came in.

I swallowed, glancing back at the doctor. "How's her heart sound?"

"It sounds good," he said, pulling the stethoscope back. "Your heart wasn't a big concern of mine, but with all the smoke you inhaled, I wanted to keep an eye on it. How is your head feeling today?"

I looked at Riley, who gave him another half-smile. "Better than last night."

My eyes went to her throat and the red marks that had started to bruise. My fingers tightened on the chair arm, and I ground my teeth together, feeling pain in my jaw from clenching so hard. They had been red when I first got her, but now it was clear that there were fingerprints. Someone had wrapped their hands around her neck and squeezed. I didn't want to know how long they had been there or how much pressure had been applied.

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