Page 96 of Secret Obsession
I hate that he’s right.
I hate that the cold has snapped some clarity into me.
The more pressing issue is how long Miles is going to leave me here.
I unlock my arms, but my fingers are numb. And my legs won’t seem to work. I stand and fall right back to my knees.
Now you want to fight?a long-lost voice in the back of my head whispers. The voice that I used to listen to all the time. The voice that Knox slowly shut off. The voice that told me when I deserved better than what I had. The voice thatImuted because I didn’t want it to be right.
I need to fight. It’s not a question anymore.
And not just to survive.
I want to feel things again, dammit.
I cough and claw my way forward. My nail breaks, but I don’t feel it. I just hear and see it, register that thereshouldbe pain, and keep moving.
Although moving is a stretch. I’m inching across the icy, metal floor. The little bumps, meant to make it not slippery, dig into my palms.
I’m shivering like I’ve never shivered before. My teeth are chattering. The cold has seeped through me and into my bones, and I have no idea how long I’ve been in here.
A minute?
Five?
An hour?
The room spins around me, and I rest my cheek on the floor. It’s easier to just stop moving. In fact, it’s kind of warmer like this. I pull at my shirt, dragging it up my stomach. It doesn’t help the sudden prick of heat through my body.
I groan and close my eyes.
The shivering stops, and everything goes quiet.
29
MILES
THREE YEARS AGO
“Hey, goalie.”
I skate in a quick circle, finding the girl I’ve been dreaming about coming across the row behind the goal. Sure, there’s glass between us. And I can’t really hear the crowd usually—a blessing when they’re assholes—but I somehow hear her.
Her smile lights up her whole face.
She’s decked out in her dance gear. The tight cropped shirt and black shorts, the high socks and white sneakers. Her makeup is extra.
“Competition day?” I call, casting a quick glance behind me.
They’re at the other end of the rink. It’s a scrimmage, and my offense is hammering down on the other team. It gives me a little reprieve to chat with my favorite girl.
Willow nods. “Wish me luck?”
I leave the crease and press my hand to the glass. “Good luck,” I mouth.
She smiles and puts her hand against mine.
God, I’d do anything for that smile.
