Defiant Heir (The Heirs #3) - Michelle Heard Page 0,36
else can see them.
“Is that what you think?” Kao asks behind me.
“That’s what I know!” I walk to my dressing table. Picking up my brush, I begin to fix my hair.
God, Kao’s hand brushed over the scars.
The thought alone is enough to make my stomach roll with nausea.
“Fallon,” Kao begins to talk, his voice softer.
Mortified and crushed, I swing back to him and scream, “Get out of my room! I’m done talking about it.” My breaths explode over my lips, and I’m a second away from losing my composure. When Kao doesn’t move, I dart forward and shove at his chest. “Get out! Get out! Get out!”
Jase and Hana come into the room, and luckily Hana pulls Kao away.
Jase quickly shuts the door then rushes over to me. “What happened?” He begins to lift his hands, but when I shake my head, still trying to breathe through the gut-wrenching heartbreak, Jase stills, and his eyes lock on my face.
God. I can’t.
Shock ripples over Jase’s features, and the blow slams my feet from under me. I crumble to the floor as a cry tears out of me.
Hunter bursts into the room just as Jase kneels down in front of me. I try to gasp for air, but another cry completely robs me of my breath.
I can’t.
I wish I could just disappear. I wish I never existed.
Jase frames my face with both his hands, and he leans in close. “Shh… it’s okay. Breathe, Fallon.”
I try to shake my head as I gasp for air but my neck cramps up, and it feels like my lungs have collapsed along with the last of my will to live.
Hunter’s arm comes around my shoulders. “Come on, Fallon. Just breathe.”
I shake my head again, unable to think straight.
Hana comes running into the room and pushes her way through Jase and Hunter. The moment my feverish eyes land on her, my body shoots forward and into the safety of her arms. My arms wrap tightly around her, and I bury my face against her neck as I cry for everything I’ve lost.
Oh, God, why did I survive? I would’ve been better off dead.
“Guys, you can leave,” Hana snaps. “I’ve got this.”
“But…” Jase begins to argue.
“Leave so I can calm her down!” Hana yells.
Oh, God, make it stop.
I manage to draw in a strangled breath before another cry tears out of my burning chest.
Hana holds me, and she begins to murmur, “Everyone’s gone. It’s just us. I’ve got you.” She presses a kiss to my scarred cheek, and sobs wrack my body. “Shh… I’ve got you.” I hear her voice tremble and know she’s close to tears as well.
I swallow a couple of times and focus on getting air into my lungs, and then another wave of unrelenting devastation hits. “Kao… touched the… scars,” I stutter through my tears.
Hana pushes me a little back and says, “Don’t worry about it right now. Just breathe with me.” I begin to shake my head, but Hana quickly frames my face, and her gaze locks with mine. “Look at me, Fallon.” The expression on her face is filled with all the love she feels for me, and it lends my broken heart and defeated spirit strength. “I love you. You’re my best friend, my sister. I love you so much.”
Her words help calm me down until I’m able to breathe normally again.
A caring smile softens her features. “I love you more than anything in this world. You’re the most important person in my life.”
Moving forward, I wrap my arms around her again and hold onto her for dear life. “I love you too.”
After a couple of seconds, Hana pulls back again. “The scars don’t change who you are. You’re strong, and you have an unbreakable spirit. Okay? You just lost control for a little while, but you’ll get back up again. And you’ll be so much stronger.”
I nod because what Hana says is the truth. I can’t stay down forever. My social standing doesn’t allow for people like me to give up.
“You’re allowed to hurt,” Hana keeps going. “You’re allowed to break, and I promise I’ll be there to pick up every piece and to help put you back together. But after you’ve reached rock bottom, there’s only one way, and that’s up.” Hana climbs to her feet, and then she pulls me up. Her expression is fierce and loyal as she stares at me. “And by God, we’ll keep getting up no matter what comes our way. Okay?”