Page 78 of Fractured Constellations
Hope has been such a dangerous thing before now, but this…this feels like all my best days rolled into one and I don’t want to run away from it.
“You’re most welcome. Right, I’ll go and get the paperwork sorted, so I suggest you start packing.” She gives me another wide smile before turning around and leaving.
“We’re going home, baby,” Thorn whispers, gently turning me in his arms. His green eyes sparkle, unshed tears making them shine bright. “Told you it would be okay.”
A happy sob falls from my lips, and I bury my face into his chest, my arms encircling him, clutching him tightly to me as the feeling overwhelms me. Warmth at my back followed by the scent of smokey vanilla is followed by Blade’s arms coming around me too.
“I’m so fucking proud of you, Goldilocks,” he rumbles in my ear, making my tears fall faster. “You’ve done so fucking well.”
I turn my head to find emerald eyes with flecks of gold gazing at me, Chase’s hand reaching out and cupping my damp cheek. “You are astounding, Star. Braver than anyone else I’ve ever met. I love you.”
“I love you too, all of you,” I whisper, his thumb brushing the fresh tears that glide down my cheeks. “Can we go home now?”
“Of course, baby,” Blade replies, placing a kiss on my head before stepping back. “Chase and I will start packing, you rest with Thorn.”
“No complaints here,” Thorn states as Chase’s hand falls away and he joins Blade in packing up all the shit we’ve got. Thorn leads me to a chair that we placed in front of the window, sitting down in it and then pulling me onto his lap. “What will be the first thing you do when we get back?”
I look out the window, seeing the first buds of spring flowers in the ground pushing up, the leaves on the trees starting to unfurl.
“Can we go in the sea?”
He blows out a breath. “It will freeze my balls off, but sure, Moonbeam. We can go paddle.” We both chuckle as we stare outside, the sunshine feeling like a fresh start, a new beginning.
The hospital discharges me at six forty-two PM. By seven fifteen, I’ve shed my patient identity along with my hospital bracelet and I’m in the truck we arrived in all those weeks ago, heading back home.
Home.
The Cottage by the sea feels just that, especially with the triplets with me. The three pieces of my soul who I can’t see a future without.
Just as my body accepts their blood, my heart betrays me too—adapting to their presence, creating space where there used toonly be walls, which is the most dangerous side effect of all this that no one warned me about.
And one that I would gladly accept for the rest of my life.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
“WALK THROUGH THE FIRE” BY KLERGY, BELLSAINT
BLADE
Fuck, having Luna back home is bliss. Pure. Fucking. Bliss.
We go into the sea for a paddle, just like she told Thorn she wanted to, though we only spend about a minute before she gets too cold, which I’m grateful for because I was freezing my balls off. Come summer, it will be warmer and we can spend more time in the water, maybe even get a boat and go out on it properly.
While Luna recovers, my brothers and I continue our investigation into our father, and Chase discovers the documents that prove Dad knew the medication risks before he gave it to Luna. Both my brothers have to hold me back when Chase tells me because I’m ready to go and fucking kill him, related or not. How dare he put her at risk!
We compile the evidence that, in Luna’s specific case, there was no consent, and when Thorn confronts our dad’s assistant, he confirms it. We knew what happened, Dad admitted it toChase even if he still refused to acknowledge how wrong it was, but to have the proof, the confirmation, is a blow I didn’t know would hurt so much.
Even if Dad was work-obsessed for most of our lives, and cold towards us especially after Mom died, I still looked up to him. I never imagined he’d put someone’s life at risk for financial gain. I thought he wanted to heal people, not harm them.
The three of us are sitting around the kitchen table when Luna comes downstairs from having a nap.
“What’s up?” she asks, immediately coming over to me. I reach out and tug her onto my lap, and she comes with no resistance, which eases some of my rage and worry about what could have happened if we’d not stopped Dad when we did.
“We have all the proof we need to get Father arrested for medical malpractice,” Chase tells her, and she freezes in my arms. I pull her closer, and her body softens, sinking into me more. “Banks Industries will go under investigation, and stocks will most likely fall in value.”
“Plus I doubt Dad will ever forgive us, not that I want anything from that asshole,” Thorn adds, his tone dark and his brows deeply furrowed.
“He’s dead to me,” I state, and Luna gasps.
