by L. B. Reyes
Just as I was about to sit on the sofa, however, there was a knock at the door. I rolled my eyes, thinking Nate had returned because he forgot something.
But when I opened the door, my heart dropped.
This was the feeling.
This was it.
Chapter 45
Nathan
I stared down at my phone, still waiting for Evie’s reply. Why hadn’t she answered yet?
The elevator door opened, and I sighed, both anxious and ready to get this shit over with. My only concern was Evelyn, getting back to her and making sure she was okay. Yes, I was curious to know what happened with Hannah, but what worried me the most was her upset state. The woman I loved, she was strong and brave, yet the woman I’d seen yesterday appeared destroyed.
Though that morning she seemed to be feeling better, I was still unsure about how she was really dealing with everything.
I didn’t think she was dealing at all.
It worried me to no fucking end because Evelyn was the type of person that wore her feelings on her sleeve; she never hid anything. What you saw was what you got. And yesterday…I’d gotten a heartbroken woman.
The yelling coming from the area where Derek’s room was brought me out of my thoughts. I furrowed my brows, finding Damian within a matter of seconds.
“What’s going on?” I asked, not bothering to greet him.
“He wants the hospital to release him.” He made no attempt to hide his concern. “But you’re here, and he’s been waiting to talk to you and Evelyn. Where is she?”
I glanced at my phone, hoping to see a message from her.
Nothing. “Has he talked to the police?” I asked, following behind Damian when I saw him already heading in the direction of the room.
The times I’d seen him, he always seemed composed, but in those moments, he looked stressed. It was as if the past few hours that he’d been there had been the worst of his life as well.
“He hasn’t talked to anyone, but he did tell the police it wasn’t you who hurt him,” Damian stated. “Do you know a Kelly Nicholson?”
I raised my eyebrow at the mention of her name. I hadn’t seen or even heard of the Nicholsons since the incident with Josh and Hannah. Just hearing the name angered me. “Yes. Why?”
Damian cursed. “She’s the person that hired him.”
Shocked, I stopped Damian. “What the hell are you talking about?”
The loud yelling from the room caught my attention as I realized the severity of the situation. I had no clue what was going on, but whatever it was, it was bad.
“I said I’ll sign the goddamn release papers.” Derek’s voice echoed throughout the hallway as we opened the door. Everyone’s attention, the police men, the doctors and his, fell on us.
“Where the fuck is Evelyn?” Derek spat, his voiced full of frustration, eyes piercing with fright. “Why isn’t she with you? Why didn’t she come?”
He ran his hands through his fucked-up hair, pulling at the ends, before he stood up off of the bed, catching the doctors off guard. Derek Hensley seemed crazed, almost maniacal in the way he behaved.
“Give me a sheet of paper,” he said, snatching a Post-It from a nurse. “You guys don’t want to let me leave,” he muttered as he scribbled something on it. “I will write my own release paper, stating that I won’t hold the hospital liable for anything.”
He was pale and looked like he’d lost weight, but otherwise he seemed fine while he walked towards us.
“Are you going to explain what’s going on?” I hissed, taking hold of his arm before he left the room. Everyone seemed to be going in circles.
“I’ll explain on the way. My sister can’t be alone today,” he stated.
I frowned. “Your sister?”
He sighed, extending his hand towards me. “It’s time to reintroduce ourselves. I’m Derek Hensley, your brother-in-law.”
***
I fucking hoped everything was a joke. But the more I heard Derek’s story, more and more shit started to make sense.
I grasped at straws, trying to make sense of a senseless situation while wondering whether Evelyn was okay. I kept calling, but she wouldn’t answer the damn phone. I could do nothing else but hear each word Derek said, wondering when our lives got so screwed up.
“Her brother?” Damian asked as he wove in and out of New York traffic.
“Surprise to me, too,” Derek muttered, running his hand over his face. “I didn’t know it before.”
“Why is she trying to hurt her?”
Derek sighed. “I met a woman a few months ago in Pennsylvania, said the Carsons had fucked up her life. I believed her. Hannah did the same to me, and I just assumed Evelyn was the same—”
“You assumed fucking wrong,” I interrupted.
“I know that now,” Derek hissed. “I didn’t then, but I do now. I was meant to hurt her, mess up her life and shit. But I met Evie, and I just couldn’t. I always felt something for her. In the end, I told her I couldn’t follow through and ended up beat up.”
My chest tightened. Evelyn always said she had feelings for him and never knew how to explain them; she hadn’t lied.
“Kelly was pissed off because her son was in jail,” Derek continued while I sent a text message to Carter, hoping and praying the cops would get there on time, because I knew we wouldn’t. “I thought they’d fucked with their family, you know, they’d been taken advantage of, but I didn’t know the full story, not until I started digging up information when I realized Evie was nothing like she described.”
“Has she been the one planning this whole thing?”
I saw him shake his head. Rage filled me. “I think it’s been Josh behind everything, using his mommy.”
Suddenly, realization kicked in. One minor detail that managed to escape with everything going on came to mind. “If Evelyn is your sister, and Hannah and Evie are sisters, did you have sex with your—”
Damian snorted to suppress a laugh. “Holy shit. This is a mess.”
“No. Hannah and Evelyn aren’t sisters.”
A driver next to us slammed on their brakes as Damian swerved into their lane.
Dread coated every fiber of my being as I started to understand Evelyn’s desperation last night. My jaw hardened, my grip tightening around the phone in my hands. In silence, Damian tried to hurry and get to Evie while Derek continued narrating the unknown story about Evie’s life.
***
Evelyn
I blinked a couple of times. Those few seconds were the ones that seemed to matter. Mrs. Nicholson pushed past me and into my small home, the air chilling as she stepped inside.
How did she know where I lived?
Why the hell was she here?
“It’s a nice place that you have here,” she said, smiling at me, her now-black hair up in a ponytail. Her eyes seemed…off. Her expression in general—it was as if she wasn’t all there.
“I don’t understand what you’re doing here,” I replied, analyzing the all-black clothes she wore—not suspicious at all.
“Do you not know what day it is, dear?” she asked, raising an eyebrow in amusement.
I glanced over to the coffee table in the middle of the living room. If only I could get to it.
“You’re not answering my questions. Clearly, you didn’t learn how to be a good host from your mother.”
I expected to feel pain or even wounded, but the adrenaline in my veins didn’t allow it.
“Honestly, she wasn’t really my mother, and I didn’t learn a lot from her, which is a good thing,” I stated, for the first time saying the words out loud. It felt good.
I felt relieved.
Yes, it hurt, but it was a weight lifted off my shoulders, like I could breathe a little bit just by admitting it.
“What a bitchy thing to say,” she sneered, her lips curling with fury.
Scoffing, I crossed my arms over my chest, thankful that I wore one of Nathan’s shirts and that my belly was
n’t too noticeable. “Some would say inviting yourself into someone else’s home is quite a bitchy move as well,” I countered.
I could pretend I wasn’t scared, act like I wasn’t the least bit terrified, but my heart was racing, and my palms were sweaty. She was losing it.
“I always knew your family was shitty,” she hissed, eyeing me with disgust. “But Josh just had to get involved with you, and you caused all this mess.”
I took a calculated step forward, thinking carefully of my next move. “Your son was a pervert. He tried to rape me, and then he recorded me—”
“With your brother-in-law,” she spat. “You’re a disgrace to your family.”
The words hurt, but I refused to back down. “What the hell are you doing here?”
“It’s Josh’s birthday today,” Mrs. Nicholson stated, her eyes turning furious. I inhaled, surprised. Her gaze was threatening, but my fists balled up to my sides. If I could catch her off guard…
“Why don’t you just go to the prison to celebrate? I’m sure the inmates are loving celebrating the type of way Josh likes.” I smirked at her troubled expression, but her anger was stronger. Briefly, her gaze shifted, settling on my belly.
It’s now or never.
As she raised her face, I swung at her, my fist connecting with her cheekbone immediately. A shocked gasp left her lips, and in an instant, I punched her again, watching her stumble backwards.
I stepped back, needing to get out of there. Everything clicked. The random calls, Derek’s confusion.
The lies.
The sadness.
My heartache.
The fury.
A ragged breath left my lips, and I looked down at her, her eyes wide with surprise but also…amusement?
And then she laughed.
“You’re fucking crazy,” I said, swallowing. My gaze fell from my knuckles to her face. Her lip was busted, her nose was bleeding, and she seemed dazed. But her laugh, her laugh was the scariest of it all.
“You poor idiot,” she mumbled, trying but failing to sit up. “You didn’t really think I’d come alone, did you?”
I gasped, feeling someone pull my arms behind my back, warm breath on my neck.
“It’s good to see you again, Evelyn.”
Chapter 46
Evelyn
Fight or flight.
Resist or react.
His breath tickled my skin, the coldness of his touch eliciting shivers throughout my body. I didn’t have time to be scared nor time to think things through. All I could do was follow my instinct, keep fighting, and keep reacting.
His mother seemed to be in and out of consciousness, and it appeared like the only one I would have to struggle against was going to be Josh.
But Josh…I didn’t think I was strong enough to go against him.
“I always knew you were a feisty little thing,” he murmured in my ear. I could feel something pressing against my back, quickly realizing this turned him on. He disgusted me. “And then I saw you in those videos,” he growled, one of his hands trailing down between my legs, “and I knew I had to have this.”
It took my every bit of self-control to not throw up. I squeezed my eyes shut, preparing myself for what I had to do.
“You’re very quiet,” he continued, “not what I saw in those—”
Gathering every bit of my strength, I threw my head back full force, hearing the crack of a nose and feeling the pain radiate through my head and down through my body. Josh groaned in pain, but his grip around me loosened, an opportunity I took full advantage of by propelling my legs to move forward.
He cursed at me, but I didn’t listen. I didn’t dare look back. Looking back would mean wasting time, and time wasn’t something I could spare. I ran as fast as my feet would take me, my hands grazing the door before I was suddenly falling, falling…
“Hmph.” I hit the ground with a thud, my hands attempting to brace the fall, avoid the impact on my belly. I couldn’t. I whimpered as the pain traveled from my belly to my back, the sharpness of it making me gasp in shock and fear.
My baby.
“You fucking whore!” The words echoed throughout the condo, and I hoped and prayed that the neighbors heard him, that they heard the scandal.
He turned me around forcefully, his hands pinning my own above my head with much more strength than necessary, and his gaze falling to my heaving chest…and then further down.
“You just had to get knocked up, didn’t you?” The malice in his voice, the hate in his eyes left me even more breathless than the impact on the floor.
I couldn’t allow that.
I had a baby on the way.
I had a future ahead of me.
I needed one more night with Nathan, needed to see my baby’s eyes for the first time.
Tell Carter it’s okay, that I understood why he never said anything.
I had so much to accomplish. I couldn’t go down, I wouldn’t go down, without a fight.
“You could have been out without having to go back to jail, you idiot,” I snarled, my eyes meeting his. I wouldn’t coward away.
I was stronger than that.
“I won’t be going back to jail, but you will be coming with me. Do you have any clue how shitty of a place it is there?” He cocked an eyebrow.
I huffed, preparing myself for another blow, ignoring the pain that wasn’t going away. “You crazy fucking psycho.” This time, I smashed my forehead against his and then kicked my knee up to his groin as hard as I could.
My head throbbed; the continuous impact it had received started to add up. I was exhausted and lightheaded, but it was all pointless; Josh hardly budged. His weight crushed me, and I couldn’t breathe.
“Filthy whore,” he spat in my face. My eyes squeezed shut as his hands went up to my throat, his thumb caressing my jugular vein—the area that could do away with my life quickly.
“Please,” I whispered hoarsely, refusing to let the tears show. Maybe if I could beg my way out, make him think that I wouldn’t fight, he’d lower his guard and I could get away.
“Please fuck you?” He smirked, the other hand going down to the waistband of the sweatpants I wore, pulling at them.
My eyes widened in realization.
I wouldn’t wait for my chance anymore. From that moment on, every second was my chance. My legs kicked with force while I cradled my belly with a hand and I used the other to swing at him. He grunted, annoyed I didn’t let him have his way with me as easily as he may have wanted.
“Fuck you!” I screamed at the top of my lungs. I would make fucking sure someone heard me; if I was going to die, all of New York would know what happened to me.
Another dose of adrenaline flooded my veins, and I kicked him, hard in the stomach. On shaking limbs, I stood up but took too long; his hand gripped my hair furiously and pulled me back, throwing me to the side, my head hitting the edge of the side table.
“Shit,” I muttered, seeing him kneel in front of me. His hand wrapped around my throat again, this time tighter, and I fought, using my hands to claw at him, to give a hard time, but my vision became foggy as his grip tightened, my chest heaving with the need for oxygen.
“You’re going to have to be quiet now.” He grinned, his eyes bright.
He’d won.
I’d tried, but he’d won.
My eyelids became heavy, and I knew I was about to pass out, end up in a ditch or lake somewhere never to be seen again, when suddenly, I could breathe again.
I inhaled sharply, coughing and my body grateful for the bit of air that filled my lungs. My eyes opened only to see Carter, my old man Carter, throwing Josh back with a thud and then kicking him to no end.
“Phone, now!” he roared at me, his eyes wild with anger yet somber with fear.
I crawled, trying to find the phone, my hands trembling when it was finally within my reach. I dialed 911, hardly was able to give my address to the operator before I noticed Josh starting to fight back.
&
nbsp; Quietly, I approached Mrs. Nicholson, who just smelled like alcohol, the intensity of it making me nauseous.
This was it.
I had to do it.
He deserved it, but that didn’t mean the idea of it didn’t scare me.
Josh was too busy gaining advantage against Carter, unknowingly giving me the perfect angle. He shoved Carter against the wall, and I stood, not waiting another second before I picked up a lamp, slamming it against his head. A sharp cry left his lips, and he shoved me back with his elbow, my body landing back against the hard floor.
“Get out of here,” I grit out, struggling to even speak. “The cops are on their way. Get out.”
I knew he wouldn’t make it out. I knew they would get him. Even then, I couldn’t help the sigh of relief that escaped when I saw him walking injured out of the door.
Carter rushed to my side despite his bruised face, cupping my own in his hands. The anger dissipated into nothing but worry as his hand went to the back of my head, leaving it there as he spoke calmly to me.
“You’re bleeding,” he whispered. “Did he hurt you somewhere else?”
My eyes finally filled with tears. “I-I fell…on my stomach,” I choked out, taking hold of his arms. “The baby…I haven’t felt the baby move.”
“Okay.” He nodded, his trembling fingers caressing my cheek. “You’re going to be okay.”
He held me to his chest, and my arms surrounded him, the shock of it all not allowing me to fully cry yet. “I love you, Carter.”
“Oh, me too, my dear girl. I love you too.”
My eyelids grew heavy, whether from exhaustion or the injuries I didn’t know. I vaguely heard Carter speaking, his voice growing desperate with the attempt to keep me awake, but I couldn’t, not for much longer.
“I’m so tired,” I whispered, pulling away from Carter with a small smile. He blinked away the tears in his blue eyes. “Stop it,” I scolded softly. “I’m just tired.”
“Nathan is almost here,” he replied, hoping his words would wake me up, energize me. It didn’t. The adrenaline had faded, and my body was drained. My back hurt, and my belly felt unusually hard. I was in pain.
