Page 84 of Mortala
A window fills the screen and invisible fists send my stomach surging back towards my spine.
My apartment.
MY....APARTMENT.
Every room, every fucking inch is covered in surveillance.When the hell did he do this?Clicking on each feed, there's a slight delay between the time listed on the taskbar and the one mentioned in the recording.Exiting it, I move to the next until I see myself sitting at his laptop from the right.
I watch closely as I lag by a few seconds.Looking over my shoulder, I try to find the camera but it’s tucked away or I’m blind.Back at the screen I see the delay again.
Anger, betrayal, and disgust swarm me in one sharp breath.
He’s watched me this whole time.I've never been on my fucking own.It was all an illusion.A lie.The appearance of free will and independence is an exaggeration I fell for.
To the left of the feeds sits a folder with saved recordings I'm too afraid to look at.What if my demons are on there in real time, or ...oh God, what if we're on there fucking, and he's had them saved!
Slamming the screen down, I grab his files.On every tab is a random name my eyes are too tear-filled to read clearly: Braithwright, Denton, Nottingham, Carver, Wilson.I stare at the last one.
Please don't tell me...
Slapping it on the counter, I jump from the seat and back away from the mine about to obliterate me.
Thoughtless, I’m around the island yanking the fridge open and on the hunt for something to cool me down.
My insides are boiling—spoon feeding rage directly into Kate's gnashing mouth as she prances around inside of my head.This...this is what she's for.To protect me.She's done unforgivable shit, but she's never worn a mask and lied about what she is.
It took a demon to show me what truth looks like.And fuck if it’s not killing me.
The only thing I find, because he's out shopping, is his damn whiskey—it’ll do.Whatever it takes to wipe my fucking head clear of what I just discovered.
He was supposed to be different, but...but he's just like the rest, and I let him have pieces of me I'll never get back.
Unscrewing the cap, I put the glass rim to my lips and pull large gulps that force my throat to work through hearty swallows.Then another, and another, and another.
My lungs cry for air, but what good is air when you have to share it with liars?
Kate's at my back, reaching around to lift the bottle for me, holding me as we poison what we can’t kill.
Chapter twenty-eight
Elias
“Elias!Please…please!Don’t…don’tletthem put me under.S…save me from th…e d…dark.”
"Shhhhhh, Sunshine.I’m here.I’ll always be here."
Thirty-two hours ago, I rushed Sadie to the emergency room.Thirty-two hours ago, I watched strangers shove IV lines into her thin arms, place a thin tube down her throat, push fluids, then strap her on her side as she threw up everything she had sloshing inside of her belly.Thirty-two hours ago, I came back with arms full of groceries to find her on the floor, shaking violently with foam pouring out of her mouth, and her eyes rolled back so far only the blushing whites were visible.
She drank enough whiskey to send herself into a seizure.I knew her medication and alcohol didn't mix, but it never occurred to me that she'd grab my bottle when I've never seen her drink before.In the moment, there wasn't time for guilt, but it's raging in the pit of my stomach now.I should have known better.Had I taken two fucking seconds to use my brain and put it away, she wouldn't be under sedation right now.
To top it all off, on her way down she dropped the damn bottle, where it shattered along with the rest of her psyche.Though it's not much to hold on to, at least she didn't get cut again—I can't clean up any more of her blood.
Long after the trauma team stabilized Sadie, the staff moved us to a different floor for observation.
Nurses tried to convince me to step away to eat and shower but it didn’t work.Not when there was the possibility that Sadie could wake up alone.Since then, they’ve brought turkey and cheese sandwiches, refilled water I haven't touched, and even offered to bring extra blankets, but I just ignored their hospitality.
One finally broke through to tell me that her sedation wouldn't wear off anytime soon, and would keep Sadie safe while I ran for my go-bag and to square away any loose ends.
Needless to say, there was little for me to do other than get back to her as fast as possible.Sleeping or not, my place is at her side.I can work anywhere in the world; what I can't do is hold her hand and feel how cold she is from home.
