Page 110 of The Time It Takes
Before I can contemplate what’s happening, she raises her hand in the air with clear intent. Oliver’s there to catch her wrist just before she’s able to connect.
His eyes ignite in rage as he glares down at her. “Leave. Now.”
She laughs, not taking her eyes off me. “You should be telling her that.” An evil smile forms across her face. She yanks her hand from Oliver’s grip and digs out a folder from her bag. She slams it against his chest. “I wanted to say something last night, but you shut me down,” she says, looking up at Oliver innocently. “That's fine because I wanted to see the look on her face when the truth finally came out.”
Oliver grabs the folder on his chest, and I feel myself go pale at the realization of what he’s holding. Julian’s back at my side, staring at me with concern.
Beth turns her eyes back to me. “How long did you plan on keeping your little secret?” She makes atsksound and bile rises in my throat. I stumble backward a step, but Julian’s hand lands on my lower back.
My brain repeats the wordhow—it ricochets like a bullet in a steeled room. Then, I close my eyes in realization.
I could throw up. She’s a nurse, which gives her access to medical records.
“Oliver,” I choke out his name. “Please give that to me.” His gaze meets mine and there’s a pained expression on his face. So much confusion I have caused this man.
“What is this?” he asks, looking back down at the closed folder.
I shake my head, looking up at Julian with pleading eyes. The way he’s glaring at the folder, tells me he knows exactly what it is too. They dart over to Beth, and he looks as mortified as me.
“You have no idea how much of a bitch you are right now,” he bites out bitterly.
Beth’s jaw drops at his words, but she recovers quickly. She cocks her head to the side, observing him. “Is it yours then?” she asks.
Without thinking, my fist flies, landing somewhere between her nose and cheek. She stumbles back, her hands immediately covering her face as she shrieks. I shake out my wrist even though I stopped feeling anything as soon as she pulled out the folder.
“For fuck’s sake,” I hear Oliver say before stepping in front of me, glaring down at me with disbelief.
I notice he still hasn’t opened the folder and I know he’s waiting to hear the words from me. I stare at it in his grasp because I can’t stare at anything else. I feel stuck. Like I’m somehow right back where I started when I first got here.
“Tell me what she’s talking about,” he begs, his eyes darting to Julian briefly.
“If you don’t believe me, just open the folder, babe.”
I glance over his shoulder at Beth who urges him on even as she continues to hold her face. It’s already starting to bruise. I don’t even have the energy to feel sorry.
“I thought I told you to leave,” he says not taking his attention away from me as he speaks to her.
Julian walks toward Beth. “Let’s get you some ice, hm?”
She glares at him for a moment before looking back at me with a smug smirk.
“Willow.” The plea in my name draws my attention back to Oliver as Julian and Beth walk away awkwardly. I wonder if she can feel the death glare, he’s giving her.
“I need to go see my mother before she leaves again,” is all I can think to say right now. That’s what I had planned for the day, not this. “And Julian is hungry,” I add pathetically.
A desperate sound leaves his throat. He reaches down to grab my hand and I pull it away. His nostrils flare. “No,” he says. “You’re not doing that again.”
“Can we talk later?”
“I want us to talk now.”
“I—I can’t right now,” I say, the words squeezing in my throat. “Don’t make me.”
“Will, please.” He runs the backside of his knuckles down my cheek. “Damsel,” he whispers, but it sounds more like a question. I back away from him causing his hand to fall back to his side.
“I’ll stop by later after I pull myself together.”
I go to walk away, but he stops me. He extends the folder toward me. “Here,” he says. “I don’t want to know anything if it’s not coming directly from you.”
