It had taken me two days to pluck up the courage to unlock my bedroom door. I’d locked myself in there from the moment I’d gotten away from Dale. It had felt like a lifetime being on that table, him pounding into me. But the reality was, it was mere minutes.
Minutes to change my life.
Seconds to take away everything I had.
He hadn’t come after me when he’d let me free and I’d ran away, not like Haven was now. He’d left me alone. The only silver lining to this entire situation.
But I knew I couldn’t stay locked in my bedroom for long. I had to protect myself—protect myself in a way I hadn’t been able to when he held me down.
I shook my head, feeling the tears stream down my face as the main doors to the doctor’s office opened. I hadn’t known Haven worked there, because if I did, I wouldn’t have come here.
The corners of the small box bit into the palm of my hand, and I sighed in relief. At least I had this. At least there wouldn’t be any retribution from what Dale had done.
“Whoa.” Hands grasped my biceps, and I howled in pain. “Shit, sorry.” Somewhere in the back of my mind I registered the sound of the voice, but I couldn’t think properly when I was trying to get away.
“Rush!” I heard Haven shout. “Don’t let her go.”
“Get off,” I sobbed, so low only Rush could hear me.
“Thalia?” His face came level with mine. “What the hell happened to you?”
“Nothing.” I turned my face, gripping onto the box harder and hearing it crunch from the force of my hand. “Just let me go.”
“Hell, fuckin’ no.” He wrapped his arm around my shoulder, probably thinking he was comforting me, but I didn’t want to be touched. I didn’t want another man ever laying his hands on me again. “Who did this?” he asked, but when I glanced up at him, he wasn’t looking at me, his attention was focused on Haven.
“I don’t know,” she said, her voice small, and so unlike the Haven I’d gotten to know. “She came in like that, and…” She stepped closer to me, and although my heart rejoiced in her coming to me, my brain was trying to fight it. It was in recovery mode, and Haven couldn’t be part of that.
“No,” I sobbed out. “Please, no.”
“I’m not going to hurt you.” She held her hands up in front of her. “I promise, T. I just want to make sure you’re okay.” She paused, her gaze flicking up to Rush who pulled me a little closer to him.
Was he trying to protect me? Was this what a real brother was meant to do?
I couldn’t deny that my racing heart slowed at being near both of them. The blurriness in my eyes started to clear, although I couldn’t open one of my eyes fully thanks to the swelling.
“Come back inside and I can check you over.”
“No.” I shook my head and tried to back away. “I’m not going back in there. You’re asking questions, and they’ll ask questions.”
Haven bit down on her bottom lip, staring off to the side for a second, and then she said, “I’m getting my things. We’ll go to my place.”
I opened my mouth, about to refuse her, but she was gone before I could.
“There’s no point telling her no,” Rush said, chuckling. His chest vibrated from the sound, and for some reason, it had a smile wanting to pull at my lips. “Once she gets a bee in her bonnet, she doesn’t let it go.” He turned us around and walked toward a shiny red truck. “My sister is an overthinker.” He paused and opened up the passenger door. “Not sure if you’ve noticed that or not.”
“A little,” I confessed, thinking back to that morning. She’d been pacing the apartment as I’d left, and although I’d messaged several times since, she hadn’t replied. I thought that had been it, that maybe she hadn’t felt what I did. But now she was here, getting into the back of the truck as Rush got into the driver’s side.
Why?
Why was she doing this? I couldn’t make sense of it in my head, and although I wanted to ask her, I didn’t have the brain power. Not right then. So I leaned my head back on the seat, turned to face the passenger window, and stared blankly out of it as Rush drove us away