Page 1 of Broken By Silence
Chapter 1
Lottie
He’s dying in my arms.
There’s so much blood I can’t tell where it ends and where I begin. It’s soaking into my sweater. It’s under my nails. It’s in my mouth.
I taste it every time I open my lips to breathe or cry or whisper his name to get him to hang on.
He’s heavier than I thought he would be. His hand finds my face, slick and shaking, and I lean into it like it matters. Like my touch alone can anchor him to this world.
“Because this is where I wanted to die,” he smiles at me weakly, and I want to scream.
I shake my head. “No. You don’t get to be an asshole to me, then do this.”
He reaches for my hand and squeezes it, but his grip feels weak, like he’s barely hanging on. My hand tightens around his so hard that it feels as if I hold on tight enough, he’ll live.
“I’m so sorry. So sorry for hurting you, and making you think you were weak…” he coughs, blood coating his mouth.
“It’s fine,” I cry, pressing my forehead to his. “I’ll forgive you if you don’t die.”
I say the words like a plea and a promise, as if my forgiveness will make him magically okay again. I press my hands harder against the wound, but they just sink in, too soft and too slow to stop what’s happening.
All the pain and loss rise to the surface as I feel him grow heavier in my arms.
The hiding.
It was all undone the moment Roman bled a breadcrumb trail back to me. And now the monster who ruined me… who destroyed all of our lives knows I’m still alive.
I want to scream at Roman. Shake him. Break him apart for breaking meagain—but all I can do is hold his face and beg him to stay.
Archer moves around me, and Oscar stands by, towels in hand, passing a new one to Archer as each one soaks through with his blood… Roman’s blood.
I feel like I’m splintering apart as Roman’s eyes flutter shut.
“You’re not a monster,” I whisper, hot tears spilling onto his skin.
His mouth parts, but nothing comes out. Instead, he smiles, like he’s finally seeing the light after years in the darkness.
His eyes close, and my chest cracks open.
“No. No, no, no!” My voice breaks. I palm his face, staining his cheek crimson with his blood. “Roman, look at me!”
Then Archer’s there, dragging me away.
I watch in horror as Roman’s head cracks against the floor.
“Lottie, I need you to move… Now!” Archer’s voice cuts like a blade. It snaps something inside me, and I scramble back.
Not too far. I hover, frozen, knees slipping in his blood. I watch as Archer drops beside him, ripping open Roman’s shirt with hands that don’t shake from years of training.
I’d almost forgotten how controlled Archer is… how quickly the chaos stops obeying its own rules when he speaks.
Will comes barreling through the door with the med kit, and suddenly everything is a blur of panicked voices and footsteps… panic that feels too distant, like I’m watching someone else’s nightmare.
I don’t even realize I’m sobbing until Archer snaps his fingers in front of me, pressing gauze to Roman’s chest. “Lottie! Baby, I know this is terrifying, but I need your help. Need you to keep pressure here.”
I nod. Numb and terrified, but I obey.
