Twisted (Torn Series) Page 0,57
I was going to make him believe me if I didn’t tell him the absolute truth. I stared down at the picture for several seconds, trying to figure out just where to start with that horror story.
“Your silence says it all Chloe.” He turned and started to walk away.
“My mother beat me.” I blurted out.
He stopped dead in his tracks and turned to glare at me. “That was a long time ago, so that won’t work as an excuse now.”
I shook my head. “No, I mean that’s why we were in my bed. My mother beat me a couple of days before that picture was taken and I was stuck in bed with a cracked rib and a bruised body. Jordan refused to leave me, he was afraid she would come back to finish it.”
I pushed my hair back so that he could see my face clearly. I knew the bruises covering my face would speak much louder than words. I felt vulnerable showing him my wounds, but I couldn’t lose him.
He walked back over to me and raised his hand to trace one of the darker bruises on my cheek bone. I winced at the touch and he pulled back, looking pained.
“Jesus Chloe, I didn’t even fucking notice,” he whispered.
“It’s alright, I was trying to keep them covered. I didn’t want to have to tell you this way.”
“Your lip is busted and your face is practically green it’s so bruised. How the hell did I not notice that? I really am an asshole. I was too worried about myself to even look at you. Why didn’t you call me when it happened?”
“I didn’t want you to worry and I knew you’d come right back to me. I wouldn’t do that to the band, they depend on you far too much for me to constantly pull you away from them.”
He ran his hands through his hair as he sat down beside me. “I really fucked up didn’t I? I should have known better than to believe anything that came from Kadi.”
I shook my head. “No, I would have believed it too. But you’ve got to believe me Drake, nothing happened with Jordan, I swear.”
“I believe you. I’m the stupidest idiot who ever lived for doubting you. I just saw those pictures and thought that I’d lost you,” he cupped my face gently, trying not to touch any of the bruises, “I thought I lost the one person that I truly loved and I couldn’t deal with it.”
He leaned forward and kissed me. I felt my body sag in relief as I realized he truly believed me; I wasn’t going to lose him.
“I love you too Drake. When Jade called and said you’d just disappeared, I lost it. I’m in so deep with you, I don’t think I’ll ever surface. But I’m ok with that. If I’m going to drown, I want it to be with you.”
He smiled. “Do you know how corny we sound? I think I just threw up a little.”
I elbowed him in the ribs. “I don’t care. I don’t want you to ever doubt how I feel about you again.”
“I won’t, I promise. If there is ever anything that bothers me, I’ll ask you before I assume anything.”
“Good, I’m glad we cleared that up. But there’s still one thing that’s bothering me.” I said nervously.
He raised an eyebrow. “What?”
“When you wouldn’t answer your phone, where were you? Did you… Were you with someone?”
He instantly looked guilty and my heart almost stopped. He thought I’d cheated and went to some other woman to forget about me. I turned away as tears stung my eyes.
He grabbed my arm and turned me back to him. “I didn’t cheat, if that’s what you’re thinking. I met some guy outside the bar and partied with him and his friends for a couple of days.”
I raised my eyes to meet his. He seemed sincere, but the guilt was still there too. “If you did, just tell me.”
“I didn’t, I swear. I was too… drunk to do anything. I spent most of my time lying on his couch.”
His eyes pleaded with me to believe him, but I felt like he was keeping something from me. If it wasn’t another woman, there was something else he was hiding; I just couldn’t put my finger on it. I just hoped he would come clean with me, I didn’t want anything to keep us apart.
“Alright, if you say you didn’t then I believe you.”
He seemed relieved as