Page 56 of Midnight Revelations

“I’ll contact our London doctor and ask if they can slot you into their schedule.” Papa studied me from the side of my bed.

“I just need some sleep,” I replied. “That scared me last night.”

He cursed again when the doorbell rang. Xavier came striding into my room a few moments later.

“You look terrible, Lucy. Need me to get you something?” Xavier asked.

Would it be wrong to ask him to bring me Ash?

“No.” I shook my head, rasping. “I think Michael hurt my throat.”

“Fucker!” Xavier snarled. “Ash should have hit him harder. Although, looking at the pictures on social media after his mugging last night, if he hit him harder he would be in a body bag right now.”

“He deserves to be in a body bag,” Papa growled and I flinched at his tone.

“Come on, Uncle Lucas. Cassandra has a dress fitting today and we need to go and see this chapel of yours to see if it’s suitable.”

Papa waved off his concerns. “You will love it.” He cast me one more long, assessing look before he strode from the room.

“You know,” Xavier said in a soft voice. “Ash looks as bad as you do. Maybe you would both feel better if you sat and watched TV while eating ice cream. That’s what I used to do when I didn’t feel well.” He left me lying in bed, the apartment door closing a few moments later.

When the coast was clear, I crept out of bed and into the bathroom. My hair was a freaking mess that my brush refused to tame and Catarina would go mental if she saw my swollen face.

I needed to distract myself, so I decided to get ready and take myself for a walk since I had no clue where my studio was in London.

The shower helped revive me a little, but I piled my hair on top of my head and shoved my big sunglasses on so that no one would recognise me. Francis was probably still in bed since he thought I was staying in the apartment.

I slipped outside and walked down the back stairwell so no one would see me in the elevator camera. It was times like these that I missed the wood at the back of Papa’s estate where I would roam and think. My hands slipped into my pockets and I hunched over as I moved toward the closest nature space I could find. A small park with a pond and some bench seats was the best I could find. A few trees were around the circumference to block out most of the background city noise.

I couldn’t leave before Xavier’s wedding, but I craved Madison’s advice to help me sort out this mess. The sky overhead was clear and blue, but there was a cool breeze that pierced through my lightweight jacket. I tried without success to sort the mess my life was in out in my head. Maybe Papa was right and I should marry someone boring who wouldn’t expect too much of me. We could live separate lives and have boring sex twice a year on our birthdays.

Love and romance seemed to be overrated. First I failed, and then Sofia. If my beautiful sister with curves to die for couldn’t get a man to want her, what chance did the rest of us have? A pigeon walked across the park, pecking around in search for food, and I shut out all my thoughts and just watched it. Life seemed to be less complicated if you were a pigeon.

I was freezing and hungry but needed a timeout away from my life. That pigeon felt like a better option today.

“Do you ever turn your fucking phone off silent mode?” I glanced up at the angry voice beside me to find an irate Ash glaring down at me.

The pigeon flew away and I was left alone.

“No, because I wanted to be alone.” I childishly turned my back on him and folded my arms across my chest.

“Great, I’ll tell Francis that you’re here since he banged my door down thinking you were there.”

I sighed and closed my eyes, too tired to argue anymore. “Don’t bother.” I stood up and walked out of the park, turning away from the apartment block. This was my life and I was fucking sick of it and everyone telling me what to do.

“Where the fuck do you think you’re going?” Ash called after me.

“Away from you.” I kept walking with sightless eyes because all the tears at the back of them were building up to erupt into a cascade when I found somewhere to be alone again.

His hand gripped my arm and swung me around. “Get your ass back into that apartment. We have enough to worry about without the added pressure of a diva wandering around London.”

My palm stung with the force I slapped his face. “Fuck you!”

He glared down at me, his jaw tight. “Thanks, I needed a reminder of what a bitch you are.”

“I don’t want to do this anymore.” I shook his hand off and nearly ran so that he didn’t see the tears that were starting to escape my control. I rounded the corner and almost lost my footing only a pair of strong hands grasped my arms.

“Don’t want to do what anymore?” His voice was deep and husky and his scent washed over me. I needed his strength because I had none left inside me.

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