Page 137 of Victoria Falls
Not the only vehicle involved.
The phrase carves itself into me, merciless.
I lift my eyes to Leo. Terror floods me, spilling over as tears streak hot down my cheeks. His gaze holds mine, steady, unwavering, even as I fall apart.
Without hesitation, he slides his hand up my arm, over my trembling fingers still clutching the phone. His palm is warm, firm. Gently, he eases the device from my grip and ends the message before it can go further.
Then he pulls me into his chest, wrapping me tight in his arms. I break against him, the sob tearing out louder this time, muffled by the fabric of his suit. He doesn’t flinch. He just holds me, solid and sure, while the world tilts on its axis.
His voice rumbles low against my hair, calm and deliberate. “Here’s what’s going to happen. You can step into the bathroom if you need a minute, or sit right here. I’ll grab your clutch and let Dexter and Alis know we have to leave. If I see Skye, I’ll ask her to collect the rest of your things from upstairs. If not, I’ll text her in a bit. I’m going to come right back here for you, and then we’ll go straight to the hospital, together. I am driving. You don’t need to think about anything except breathing. We’ll be there as soon as possible. We’ll make sure he’s alright.”
He eases back just enough to cup my face in his hands, tilting it so I can’t look anywhere but at him. His thumbs brush away tears even as more spill over.
“Did you get all that?” he asks softly.
I nod, though the motion feels fragile, breakable.
“Good.” He presses his lips to my forehead, lingering there for one quiet beat. Then he lets go.
“I’ll be right back.”
The loss of his embrace leaves me unsteady. I sink into thenearest chair, my hands gripping the edge of the seat as if it might keep me from unraveling.
The reception hums faintly beyond the walls, muffled and distant. Out there, life goes on: laughter, music, joy. In here, everything feels fractured, like the air itself is too heavy to breathe.
I bury my face in my hands, but there’s no shutting it out. The words replay mercilessly:serious accident… unconscious but stable… over twice the legal limit… not the only vehicle involved.
Images slam into me—Chase behind the wheel, his jaw set in reckless defiance; headlights screaming across the dark road; the sickening crunch of impact.
My stomach twists so violently I think I might be sick.
I’m devastated. That he was drinking. That he drove. That he’s lying in a hospital bed, unconscious and broken.
Despite everything—despite all the nights I cried alone beside him, despite the verbal abuse and the neglect—I will always love him, and my heart aches at the thought of him like this. I never wanted any of this for him.
And I’m terrified. Terrified of what he’s done, of who else he might have hurt. Whoever was out there on that road tonight didn’t ask to be tethered to his spiral, to become collateral damage in his wreckage.
Tears burn tracks down my cheeks, my chest clenching tight with grief and guilt and fury and fear all tangled together.
Skye’s voice echoes in my mind.He’ll have to hit rock bottom before any lasting changes take effect.She was always so sure he’d have to completely fall apart if there was any hope of him being pieced back together.
Maybe she’s right. Maybe this is what it will take for him to heal.
I just never thought rock bottom would look like this.
