Page 14 of Beautifully Shattered
He wraps his arms around me without another word, and I fight to keep myself from falling apart.
I should let it all out. Every scream. Every sob… but I don’t. Something in me is refusing to crack in front of my friends.
For some reason, I want to be alone in my grief.
When Simon pulls back, releasing me, my gaze shifts, drawn like a magnet to Ringo as he finally steps inside.
Now with so many people in here, the room feels like it’s closing in.
Ringo’s dark eyes lock with mine, and he mouths ‘sorry’, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, keeping his distance as my friends draw closer.
I want to tell them to back off. Their nearness is suffocating, making me too anxious, and dread still sits heavy in my gut at the guilt of knowing people died… because of me.
“Is there anything we can do, Abs?” Lexi asks, rounding the other side of the bed, taking the seat there.
I shake my head, parting my lips, but nothing comes out. I don’t have anything to say to her right now. Only to Ringo.
Darting my eyes back to him, I clear my throat in the hopes my voice actually works when I try to speak.
“Who are the funerals for?”
Ringo’s brows hitch. “You heard my phone call?”
I nod. “Some of it. Who died?”
His lips press into a thin line, his gaze flicking to my friends before landing back on me.
“We’ll talk about it later, Angel. Your friends are here to see you.”
He’s deflecting. Holding something back.
Something he doesn’t want to tell me.
My heart kicks up again, beating hard like it’s trying to escape, but it’s trapped, and it starts struggling.
My hands fist the sheets as my lungs seize, suddenly refusing to pull air in.
“Hey, are you okay, Abs?” Marcus asks from behind Simon, his voice tight with concern.
I can’t answer. I just shake my head, my eyes locked on the stark white sheets spread over my lap.
“Abbey. What can we do?” Lexi asks, and I catch movement from the corner of my eye as she stands, moving closer.
This is too much. Too many people. Too many deaths. Too much pain.
It’s unbearable.
Suddenly, Simon gets shoved off the bed, and Ringo is there, his big palms framing my face as he forces me to look at him.
“Angel. Listen to my voice, okay?”
I try to nod, but his grip makes it near impossible to move.
“Think of the last place you felt safe. Where was that?”
My lips part, the words sticking, yet somehow, I force them out.
“Your home.”
