Page 166 of Ugly Beautiful Scars

Sienna pulls me into a hug just as I break. My knees buckle, so she guides me back to the couch and holds me as I sob.

"He… can't… be…"

She strokes my hair. "I know. I know."

My collapse has a domino effect and soon Sienna is crying in my arms as much as I am in hers. Declan sniffs behind us and turns away so we can't see his emotions.

Sean is really gone. How am I ever going to heal from this?

I won't. There will never be another man I love so much.

Sean, how did—

The shrill ring of Declan's phone cuts through the sobbing.

He sniffs again and pulls it from his pocket, glancing at the screen. His eyes flash wider, his jaw slackens, and the color rushes back into his face. He answers quickly. "Where are you?" He pulls the phone from his ear, tapping the screen. "You're on speaker."

A voice floats into the room. It's faint, strained, but unmistakable.

My Sean.

"The main gate. Thought I'd come by for a visit since you two are always bugging me to come over."

He's barely finished speaking and I'm on my feet, racing to the door. I'm wearing what Sienna said was standard California footwear, flip-flops, but I don't care. I run out the front door and down the driveway. I reach the gate as it opens. Sean is just standing there like he's a lost puppy.

I stop several feet away from the shock of seeing him look so… beaten. His silhouette is wrong somehow, hunched and uneven, and I can tell he's trying to hide the pain twisting his face. He starts limping forward, one arm wrapped protectively aroundhis ribs. Even from this distance, I can see the dark stain on his shirt near his left pec. The moonlight catches something wet and shining on his face.

Blood.

He moves closer, each step seeming to require immense effort. When he's near enough for me to see his face clearly, a strangled sound escapes my throat. His left eye is swollen shut, the skin around it a sickening palette of purple and black. Dried blood crusts at the corner of his mouth and along a gash across his cheekbone. It looks like he tried to clean himself up but everything broke open again.

"Hey, beautiful," he says. The words are a rasp of sandpaper.

More tears spring up and I reach for him instinctively. I pull back at the last second, terrified of causing more pain.

Instead, I slip under his arm, offering my shoulder for support. "Lean on me," I whisper, guiding him down the driveway. When we reach the entrance, Declan takes over and helps Sean inside and to the couch.

He sinks into the cushions with a groan and lets out a relieved exhale. "Hey." He takes my hand when I move closer. "Sorry, I'm late for book club."

I want to smile, but it's too hard. He looks so broken, so utterly depleted. The strong, capable man who left us days ago has beenreplaced by this battered shell, held together by what looks like sheer willpower.

But maybe he needs lightness right now, so I say, "That's okay. I'm sure you readWar and Peacethree times already and can get me caught up."

He starts to laugh and then abruptly stops, holding his side and wincing. "Yeah. I'll get you caught up," he bites out.

Declan and Sienna hang back, just witnessing this reunion that's nothing like what I imagined. I have a thousand questions burning on my tongue, but they all wither away, leaving me struggling for words.

Sean tugs on my arm gently until I sit next to him. "Got some broken ribs," he says. "They should heal on their own, but it wouldn't hurt to see a doctor. One step closer to meeting my deductible, you know?"

The simple statement, so devoid of the dramatics this moment deserves, finally breaks my paralysis. "What happened? How did you get beaten up like this?"

Sean shakes his head. There's an emptiness in his gaze that frightens me more than his physical injuries, like something foundational has been carved out of him. He reaches for me and pulls me into an embrace that surprises me with its strength.

I try to pull away when he groans in pain, but his arm tightens, refusing to let me go. He buries his face in my hair, inhaling deeply as if gaining strength from my scent.

"I knew you'd come back," I sob into his shoulder, the relief so overwhelming it feels like drowning. "I knew it."

Declan approaches, his large frame casting shadows in the low light. He places a gentle hand on Sean's shoulder. "Great to see you. Though I miss the blue hair."

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