Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Elaine's Pov

“Why did you come back, Zade?” I questioned sharply. Maybe I was trying to put all of my anger on Zade, maybe I was just scared of becoming who I used to be, or maybe I didn't even know how I was feeling right now. But one thing was clear, deep down, I was glad that he was here. Deep down.

Zade's expression remained unreadable, his gaze was unwavering as he stood at the foot of the bed, his hands slipping into the pocket of his tailored suit. His presence alone was enough to suck the air out of the room. He stared at me for a long time before finally answering.

“I didn't come back for you, Elaine.” His voice was flat, devoid of any warmth. His words hit harder than I expected, I clenched my fists beneath the blankets. What was I expecting? Why was I feeling so hurt? He didn't come back for me, we broke up a long time ago, of course he would never come back for me.

“Then why? Humour me, Zade. Why are you back after what you said?” My voice trembled slightly.

He tilted his head slightly, his dark grey eyes narrowing as if considering whether or not I even deserve an explanation, “I came back because there were things I needed to handle. Loose ends.” His voice was as cold as his eyes.

“You saved me,” I pressed on, “Why did you do that? You should have left me to die, Zade.”

For a fleeting moment, I thought I saw something flicker in his expression, something softer, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared. He stepped closer, the sound of his shoes against the cold floor unnerving.

“I saved you because I could.” He said simply, his tone as indifferent as ever. “It doesn’t mean anything. If you want, I could take you back to that bridge and let you fall into the water since you so badly want to die.” He said like he was just stating a point, his voice wasn't harsh at all, but it felt that way.

I sighed. His wall was impenetrable, it felt like there was a huge thick one in between us and it would never be broken. However, before I could say anything, the closed eye friend he had come with came back into the ward, he held a phone and some clothes which he handed to me.

I took them and looked at Zade in question. He didn't move to explain, he just kept on staring at me until he said, “This is the last thing I'll do for you and it means nothing.”

I wanted to scream at him, to tell him that it did mean something. But how could I, when the look in his eyes was as cold and distant as it had been when he first walked through that door?

“I don’t need your help anymore,” I said, trying to sound strong, but the words came out weak, almost like a plea.

Zade’s lips curled into a faint, mocking smile, but there was no humour in it, “You’ve always needed help, Elaine. That’s the one thing you never understood.”

His words stung more than I cared to admit, and I turned my head away, blinking back the tears that threatened to spill. Why did he have to be like this? Why couldn’t he just say something, anything, that would make this easier for me? He wasn't obligated to, but…

“Then leave.” My voice was barely above a whisper, but I knew he heard it. For a moment, I thought he might actually go. His hand twitched slightly at his side, but instead of walking away, he leaned in closer, his breath brushing against my skin.

“You might think you don’t need me.” Hewhispered coldly, “But you’re wrong. You have always needed me, Elaine.” With that, Zade straightened, his cold, indifferent mask firmly back in place. He glanced down at me one last time, and then, without another word, he turned and walked out of the room.

The doors clicked shut behind him, the sound echoing in the ward. My breath was still cut in my throat as the silence wrapped around my body like a suffocating breeze. I clenched the clothes that he had given me, my fingers trembling. His words replayed in my mind over and over again, ‘You have always needed help, Elaine. That's one thing you never understood.’

The coldness of his voice lingered, but the truth in those words burned deeper than I wanted to admit. He was right. I had always needed help, whether it was from him, or someone else, I had never stood on my own.

The tears I had held back now streamed freely down my cheeks. I wasn’t just angry at Zade. I was angry at myself for still wanting him to be the one to save me. I hated that part of me that still sought out the warmth in him, even when I knew it wasn’t there anymore.

But what was I supposed to do now? If I got discharged by the hospital, I had nowhere left to go. I couldn't go back to my mother, they probably all thought I was dead. And if Emily or Caleb saw me, they'd try to kill me again. I collapsed back onto the bed, pressing my hands to my face as a small groan escaped my lips.

“What do I do now?”

Seven days later, I was discharged from the hospital as people had suddenly started getting admitted. There was a sudden wave of influenza in this season. So, I found myself sitting in front of a closed shop, hungry, thirsty, tired and sleepy. I had only eaten watered down soup before I left the hospital, and I had walked a long mile from the hospital building. At this point, I didn't even know where I was any longer and the sun was scorching hot.

I swallowed saliva to help wet my throat but it only made things worse. I stood up to leave and find more shade to sit down under and maybe ask for some water to drink, but before I could move any further, four men stopped in front of me. They were smelling, dirty and their teeths and skins were yellow.

I shifted back, a sense of déjà vu suddenly filling me up. I hadn't even taken two steps backwards when one of them spoke.

“Well, well, well, what do we have here? Baby, why are you here alone? Why don't you come with us so we can have some fun? We'll treat you right.”