Page 38 of Point Proven
Smiling, he took my palm, splaying it open against his. “You’re safe.” Tracing the outline of my thumb, he continued. “You’reverymuch loved.” Pointer. “You’re kind.” Middle. “You’re resilient.” Ring. “You’re handsome.”Pinky.“And you’re the man I willalwayschoose, Thorne Graves. Even when you think you’re broken, even when you yell, even when that darkness consumes you, even when the weight pressing against your chest becomes unbearable, I will always remain.”
My bottom lip quivered as I stared into his cerulean eyes. “I-I don’t… I don’t… deserve you…”
“Yes, you do. Just as equally I do you.” Interlocking his fingers with mine, the creases of his mouth lifted, a solemnhappiness building in his gaze. “And I hate when you say that, because it’s the furthest thing from the truth.”
Leaning back against his chest, I curled inward on myself, breathing him in while clinging to his words. There was nothing more I wanted than to believe him, to trust that I deserved to have him regardless of all my flaws and every mistake I’d made in the past.
I knew, without a doubt in my mind, that I wanted him for the rest of our lives, but doubt festered in the back of my mind. My existence had been polluted, convoluted by decisions that were never fully my own foryears, and the last thing I wanted to do was stain someone as beautifully innocent as Oren.
But, as he cradled me, reassuring me of the worth he believed I held, I couldn’t help but realize that I already had.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
SIMON
Staring at the ceiling, sleep eluded me for another night as I brushed my fingertips over the sheets. Silk greeted me, the qualityexactlywhat I expected in Oren’s home.
While the mattress was more than comfortable, the unfamiliar room and the lack of heat pressed against me, reminded me ofwhowasn’t beside me. While I had the luxury of resting, there wasn’t anything I could do for him. And knowing he was being tortured? Touched… Touched against his will, and held somewhere without comfort?
Gliding my hand against my thigh, tears brewed at the simple gesture. It was something Liam and I did together, grounding us when our inner thoughts consumed our sanity. But now? The caress felt like a frightening ghost, an empty promise and reminder of all we’d lost… of all that was taken away.
Rubbing harder, my shuddered exhales turned into stifled sobs, echoing in the empty room. There wasn’t anyone… anyone who understood the magnitude of my agony, and no matter how hard I pressed against my skin, it wouldn’t diminish.
Cries turned into mouthfuls of starved inhales, each breath faster and shorter than the last. My panic attack swathed myvision in hues of black, my ears ringing from the bitterness I succumbed to.
Tugging at my hair, I yanked twice, trying to calm myself down, but it wasn’t enough. Bringing my hand to my mouth, I bit into the flesh between my thumb and pointer, keeping that steady pressure until the familiar tang of iron coated my tongue.
Physical agony flooded my senses, but a blissful emotional numbness coated me as I removed my teeth. That pain stifled my cries as I examined the mark on my skin, another wave of calm crashing into me.
Reaching to scratch over the already bruising skin, my phone’s ringtone boomed, pulling me further from my spiral. Blinking twice, I snatched it from the nightstand.
Unknown Caller ID.
About to set it back down, a tug at my chest stopped me. If it were even remotely possible…
Without another second passing, I pressed the button, and put it on speaker. I used my palm to push myself up, leaning against the headboard. My voice was slightly scratchy as I spoke, “Hello?”
“Simon…”
The device tumbled from my hand, landing on the comforter as I opted to leave it there. “Liam? Liam, are you okay?”
A shuddered breath followed, his voice groggy and equally broken. “I-I… I’m… I’m alright…”
My lip trembled, his tone devoid of his usual brightness. “I thought we promised not to do that anymore… the… the lies.”
“I’m not… lying…” he wheezed, a harsh cough roaring through the line. “I-I am alright because… because I’m talking to you…”
“You…” Sniffling, a choked cry bled through. “I-I’m going to find you.”
As if the words were a cue, my attention snapped to my bag resting beside the bed. Without delay, I reached over, unzipping the top pouch as I yanked my computer from its holder. Popping the screen back, I blew out a breath as I typed, familiar coding running across my screen.
“I-I know…” Liam replied, agony prevalent in his rasped timbre. Rustling followed, a soft whimper joining the rattle of what sounded like metal. “I know you will… Listen… I can’t… I can’t talk for long…”
Fingers brushing over the keys, I focused on the task. “Okay, but I need you to for as long as you can. Tell me something you look forward to when I see you.”
“Your touch…” A soft sob flowed through the receiver. “I… I miss you…”
Tears blurred my vision. “I miss… miss you too. What… What else?”
