Gripping fear paralyzed me in place as I remembered the car tumbling down and our bodies following the rolling motion down the cliff. The screeching sound of metal twisting and breaking against the rocky wall still resonated inside my ears, making the hairs on my neck and arms stand up. After that, I couldn’t recall. It was blank. What happened to my friend?The room was dim, and I couldn’t see much. For some reason, I couldn’t move my neck, so I moved my left arm, touching my way along the hospital bed to find the red button to alert a nurse I needed help. The controller was usually on the wall near the headboard.My fingers fumbled along the seam of the bed liner, and as much as I tried to get to the damn button to punch it, I couldn’t find it.Someone needed to tell me if Kat was all right. I had to know!She couldn’t be dead. I did what I could when we crashed.Maybe I should have done more.Damn it.I was cursed.Everyone I loved ended up dead. I should have never allowed Kat to
I came to the conclusion that crushing Dominic’s heart was the only way to save him from the inevitable heartbreak that was bound to happen if he stayed with me. I was afraid that he would suffer the same fate as Kat.However, life had a cruel way of bringing me back to reality and reminding me that nothing was entirely safe. My past was always lurking in the shadows, ready to pounce and tear apart everything I held dear. My bad luck had followed me for as long as I could remember, and I was convinced that it would keep haunting me forever.I was a guarded person, and my walls were high and impenetrable for a reason. I knew that it was unfair, but I couldn’t help it. My experiences had made me cautious, and I wasn’t willing to risk exposing myself to any more hurt.As though I hadn’t been punished enough, Kat was released from the intensive care unit and was placed in my room after she pulled on a few strings. I hadn’t considered how awful she would look, and I hated myself even more w
Days passed, and eventually, the doctors removed my neck brace and changed my casts to more manageable ones. It offered me the freedom to move.Finally.They had also removed most of my bandages to let the wounds heal and dry out, but the scabs itched like crazy, and I almost would have preferred to keep them wrapped as I picked at them constantly.I still sported bruises in the inner corners of my eyes from when my nose broke, but they were now turning pale yellow. I was happy because Lena and Chuck were coming to see us at the hospital, and I didn’t want to look like I was hurt too much in the accident.I turned to face Kat in bed and showed her the back of my head.“Does it look bad? I have a temporary cowlick from lying down so much, and no matter how much I comb out my hair, it… keeps coming back!” I groaned, shoving the brush in my hair to make the swirl disappear.It was just the two of us today. Nate had grudgingly returned to work after Kat had furiously chased him away from h
Dominic POVI roamed around Katherine and Olivia’s house, grabbing things I thought they would need now that they were almost cleared for release. The doctors had suggested loose-fitting clothes so their casts would fit under them.Finding Katherine some clothes that fit the doctor’s description was daunting since she mostly only wore designer outfits that were too fitted to hide anything underneath. However, when I pulled on Olivia’s closet doors, most of her wardrobe consisted of baggy workout sets or loungewear. I figured Olivia wouldn’t mind if I grabbed some extras for Katherine and stuffed everything in a duffle bag I had brought from my place.Olivia’s friends were back from their honeymoon, and I had asked them to wait another week before coming for a visit to let Olivia’s and Katherine’s wounds and bruises heal more. I thought the girls felt better, so Lena and Charles were finally coming into town so they could see them.Since I would escort them to the girls’ room, I thought
The room was dark when I woke up from thrashing on the bed. I had unconsciously tried to jerk my right leg, and it shot bolts of pain up my thigh and down to my toes. My nightmares were now a mix of the car crash with my family and the one with Kat.I hated it.Kat’s bed stirred. I heard her exhale deeply before the bedside light opened, and a low glow filled the room.“It’s getting worse, Liv. Do you want me to call my brother? You don’t have nightmares when he’s with you.”I groaned, angry at my inability to make the dreams stop without Dominic present. I didn’t want to need him, but I was growing tired from my lack of sleep, and God knows I needed some if I wanted my body to be in ship-shape as it healed. I was also angry at myself for keeping Kat from a good night’s sleep since she had moved into the same room as me. Luckily, I was being let go from the hospital later today, so Kat wouldn’t have to deal with my thrashing anymore.“No. I don’t need him,” I replied exasperatingly and
As I sat on the hospital bed, I gazed at the sparse belongings I had with me, all neatly packed and ready to go by the door. I had been waiting for Kat to return from her X-rays and medical tests so that I could see her one last time before I left.Dominic, who had been sitting beside me, remained silent after his mother surprised us with her visit. Her revelation left me anxious about the situation. I wondered how Mrs. Moore had managed to locate Richard or vice-versa. The thought made little sense to me, and I couldn’t wrap my head around it. I had to find a way to change my mind when I became short of breath from my racing heart.Despite the awkwardness that filled the air, when Kat returned to our room, she tried to make small talk with us. However, Dominic and I remained quiet for the most part and only answered with idle single words.Dr. Fraser was concerned about my health after taking my blood pressure, which was alarmingly high. I, however, was determined to leave the hospita
Dominic POVI stepped outside, and the frigid wind caught me off guard, sending shivers down my spine. The gusts were so strong that my coat flapped wildly, and I had to tug at the end to keep it close to my body. However, the chilly air felt invigorating, and I took a deep breath to fill my lungs with the crisp scent of winter. I looked up at the overcast sky, watching the low clouds move swiftly and the trees lining the entrance of my building swaying back and forth. Despite the cold, I welcomed the refreshing sensation that the weather brought, hoping it would clear my troubled mind and offer me some clarity.As I settled into the back seat of a cab, I found myself lost in thought, replaying my last conversation with Olivia. I knew she was going through a tough time, and I wanted to be there for her. Olivia had been hurt before, and I didn’t want to add to her pain. Yet, I couldn’t resist the way she looked at me with her big, vulnerable eyes. It was as if she was silently pleading
I sulked in the front seat of Nate’s rented car. We were on the road to Portlet—wherever that was.Nate had appeared in Dominic’s apartment unannounced and in a hurry. He urged me to follow him and led me to a parked car waiting outside. Once inside the car, he refused to disclose our destination, despite my repeated pleas to know where we were headed. We drove northward on the highway, passing several small villages along the way.Had I not known Nate before or who he was best friends with, I would have been afraid of being kidnapped.After maybe two hours and a half of driving, Nate turned onto a straight and narrow road. A small sign told us we were being welcomed to Portlet, and I looked around, hoping to catch a glimpse of the place we were headed to, but all I could see were snow-covered farming fields stretching as far as the eye could see. We were close to the coast, and I could smell the salt in the air.I had heard that people who lived near the coast rarely suffered from run