Page 278 of Hide and Keep

The ones she wrote “PROPERTY OF EVER MUNREAUX” on.

“Yeah.”

Those water-logged eyes lift to mine. “You still belong to me?”

Like that’s even a question.

“Always.”

A new wave of tears floods her face. “But I hurt you. I treated you worse than Yasmin did.”

“See! You don’t fucking listen, little bat. I’m ridiculously, sickeningly,patheticallyin love with you. You can carve my heart out and you’re still gonna find your name engraved on it.” Not Yasmin’s. God. What I felt for Yaz was a drop of rain compared to the ocean of love I feel for Ever.

She whimpers. “I’m not going back in that house.”

She’s negotiating. Negotiating is good. Negotiating means we’re not plummeting to our deaths.

At least not yet.

“You don’t have to. We’ll go to mine.”

“Your parents—”

“Are much more welcoming than yours. They’re gonna love you.”

Come on, Ever. You’re worth love. Let me prove it.

“I want to but…” She returns her attention to the water, her black hair whipping around her face from the wind as she cries, “I can’t.”

I soften my tone to plead, “Come home with me, butterfly. Let me take care of you.”

“I can’t. I can’t. I can’t.” A hand to her collarbone, she folds in half, chanting, “I can’t,” but it’s not as coherent now. It’s almost as if she’s choking or something.

Shooting over to her, I wrap both arms around her from behind.

“What? You can’t what? Ever, talk to me.”

“Breathe. I can’t—” She coughs, clawing at her throat.

What the fuck? Is she having an allergic reaction?

I quickly drag her several feet backward and sit on the ground with her on my lap, the dark abyss out in front of us. Taking her hand in mine, I pull it off her throat. She immediately tears it away, scraping her chest instead.

She can’t breathe… She’s having chest pain… Anxiety? Panic attack?

I turn her around in my lap so she’s facing me. The left side of her face is dark, darker than shadows cast by the impending night, like something happened to it. Likesomeonehappened to it. Goddamn it. Goddamn it!

Ignoring what my intuition is screaming at me to take immediate action on, I focus on the emergency at hand.

“Look at me, Ever.” As soon as her eyes lift to mine, I say, “Breathe. In through your nose, out through your mouth.”

I follow my own instructions, showing her exactly what to do. She tries her best, but I can tell it’s difficult.

“Keep going. In through your nose, out through your mouth.”

The panic in her eyes refuses to ebb.

I replace her hand with mine and rub circles over her chest, keeping the pressure hard but still gentler than hers.

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