Defiant Heir (The Heirs #3) - Michelle Heard Page 0,31

home? It’s just ten days until Christmas break. Mila or Jade can email you the work you’ll miss out on.”

I get up to go blow my nose. God, I’ve never cried this much before. My face feels swollen and tender.

Maybe Forest is right, and I should go home. I was wrong to think I’d be able to just go on with my life and ignore the brutal fact that it shattered to pieces. Just like my face.

When I sit down next to Forest again, I say, “The Christmas Ball is next week. At least everything’s arranged, but I’ll have to withdraw from the committee.”

Forest places his arm around my shoulder. “I’ll go to the office and take care of it. Start packing so I can take you home.”

My chin begins to tremble again. I’m disappointed in myself. I thought I was stronger than this. But I know if I stay here I won’t make it. I need to go home and be with my family. Right now, all our friends are worried about Kao, and they’re focused on helping him. Rightly so. He’s blind. My injuries are nothing compared to his… but still, I can’t get through this on my own.

“Come on.” Forest pulls me to my feet. “Just grab the stuff you’ll need for the next two days. I’ll take care of the rest.”

I look up at my brother, and feeling broken and small, I wrap my arms around his waist and rest my left cheek against his chest. “Thank you.”

He gives me a tight hug, then pulls back and smiles down at me. “Anything for my favorite sister.”

I let out a chuckle. “I’m your only sister.”

I move toward my walk-in closet. “I want to be gone before Kao gets back from the hospital.”

“Okay. I’ll run to the office. I’ll be back in ten minutes.”

Forest rushes out of the room, and I have to admit, I feel better knowing I’m going home.

KAO

I follow Noah into the suite but stop when he comes to a halt.

“I’m taking her home,” I hear Forest’s voice.

There’s a moment’s stunned silence, then Jase asks, “There’s still a week and a half until Christmas break. What about her work?”

“And the Christmas Ball?” Mila adds.

“The lecturers will forward all her assignments, and the ball is the least of our worries,” Forest states.

I hear movement, and then Jase asks, “Are you really going home?”

“Yeah,” Fallon answers, her voice sounding fragile and soft.

I turn my head in her direction, wondering what the hell happened while I was gone. Besides the awkwardness between Fallon and me, things didn’t seem so bad that she would leave. I was hoping for time, so I could at least salvage our friendship.

“I’ll see you all after the Christmas break.”

Noah pulls me to the side, then I hear him murmur, “Call if you need anything.”

“Thanks, Noah,” Fallon whispers near me.

A couple of seconds later, Noah says, “Let’s get you to bed.” He takes hold of my arm and begins to pull me toward the hallway.

I rear back and ask, “What happened?”

“Fallon just went home,” Jase mutters.

“Because of me?” I hate asking the question, but if she’s hurting so badly, then I have to do something. After all, we need to get back to being friends.

“Don’t flatter yourself,” Hana snaps as she passes by me. I hear the door slam shut behind her.

“Hana’s just upset because of everything that’s happened,” Mila tries to cover for her friend. “We don’t know why Fallon left. I’ll check in with her once she’s settled in at home.”

I nod, hating that I’m no longer in a position to go after Fallon.

The campus and suite feel like a ghost town without Fallon.

I can’t message her, and calling her while things are so volatile between us feels wrong. Over the past week, I’ve been seeing more blunt objects. I can make out a person and even the length of their hair.

“The swelling looks better,” Noah murmurs as he puts in my eye drops. “The redness, as well.”

“That’s good.” I grin at him. “I’m surprised how quickly the pain faded from post-surgery to today.”

“How’s the itchiness?” he asks.

“It comes and goes.” Hopefully, that will be gone soon. When Noah is done, I put on my prescribed sunglasses. My eyes are still super sensitive to light, so for now, I stay indoors with the lights off.

“Let’s get two hours work in before I have to go to class,” Noah says. I can make out his frame as he moves around the room. Then