Page 189 of Fatality

I need my life back, I need to go back to work, to tell Charlie and Jules the truth, to get the fuck out of this mess Elyas—and my own idiotic brain—dragged me into in the first place.

I don't even know how Elyas is, with everything that's happened, I haven't even checked on him.

Am I a bad friend? Am I just fucking overwhelmed?

I wish I had a normal life, parents who actually loved me, a brother I hadn't killed.

No stupid rebellious teenage years, no obscene amount of money, no Liam nor him.

Definitely not him.

The pad beeps, a second later, the front door slides open then shuts behind whoever just walked in.

“Oh my God Riv!” Charlie’s voice resonates in her loft and I hear her footsteps running toward me.

I might be in shock because when she turns my chair to face her and cups my cheeks, it all feels so distant, so... I'm not really here.

Jules is a second behind her, running her hands over me, searching for the source of the blood, trying to see if it’s mine.

It’s not.

I open my mouth to say something, to tell them that much, but no sound comes out.

I hear their voices asking me questions, then shouting my name, but it’s as if they’re trapped behind a thick pane of glass, every word reaching me is dulled and muffled.

My head snaps to the side.

My hand flies up to the sting, to the warmth blooming across my cheek—Jules just slapped me.

I turn back to her slowly.

She’s breathing hard, her hand still suspended in the air. Charlie has both hands clamped over her mouth, probably trying to hide how shocked she is.

I don’t blame Jules, she dragged me out of that muffled world, but now that I’m back, it means I have to fucking speak.

I have to explain everything, to tell them the truth.

“Jules…” I start, my voice barely above a whisper. “Charlie…”

“What the fuck happened, Riven? Where did all that blood come from?” Jules asks, her voice breaking. “You left with Liam earlier. What the hell happened?”

“And what are those bruises around your throat?” Charlie asks, her voice quieter, but no less horrified.

“I…” I take a deep breath “The blood isn’t mine, it’s Liam…”

I see their eyes widen in worry, and horrified understanding.

But before they can ask another question, I start talking.

“Liam is at a private clinic, getting his hand treated.”

“His hand? What are you talking about?” Charlie frowns. “And those bruises—what happened, Riven?”

I let out a shaky breath, my voice trembling with the effort of holding myself together.

“When we got home, Liam just... stopped listening. I don’t know what happened. I tried to talk to him, but he got angry. So angry. His eyes were so dark...” I pause. “He wanted to have sex. I said no, and he started strangling me, telling me he’d never let me go. That I’m his, that he’d go crazy, lose his mind, if he ever lost me...”

They both take a step back, trembling, frozen in shock.