Deserve [H.S.]

Chapter 40

DIZZY

It seemed to Harry that, despite his strenuous attempts of prevention, imperilment was always surrounding Noah, as proven by the fact that her back was held up against Anthony's chest with his arm wrapped around her shoulders and his other hand holding a knife up to the side of her neck.

That look of terror in Noah's eyes would haunt Harry forever.

There are poignant moments in life where everything around you fades away and your perspective shifts. You can live your life day-to-day, immune to the small treasures of life, and simply let life pass you by, or you can live life with consistent enthusiasm, appreciating the little things and treating anything that gets thrown your way as a chance for growth.

Either way you live your life, when you are stuck in a situation that makes the entire world freeze around you, you begin to reflect on your existence and how you have spent it. If you live vivaciously, then those reflections will be vividly filled with joy and relief. If you live monotonously, then those reflections will be drearily filled with misused moments and regret.

No matter how you live your life, that moment when your perspective on life is threatened has great potential to lodge your heart in your throat, restricting your airways and straining your breathing.

That was exactly how Harry felt in that moment, seeing the woman he loved at the mercy of the man who made his life a living hell.

The dichotomy of Harry's reflective thoughts was overbearingly dizzying. On one hand, he was picturing the amazing times he had with Noah, as well as remembering how good she made him feel in every sense of the word. Those were happy thoughts and he was endlessly grateful that he got to have those memories with her. On the other hand, however, he was feeling ultimate shame and guilt at the fact that she got dragged into his mess way more than he had ever intended for her to be. He was regretting the fact that he had let this happen to her.

It was obvious that the apartment hadn't been touched in months, because the layer of dust on nearly every surface was already invading Harry's nose, making the place seem less inviting than ever. Harry felt like a stranger in his own home.

Though the view into the apartment was hindered by Harry's body in the hardly-opened doorway, Ray could tell by Harry's reaction that what was in the apartment was not good at all, so he looked to the side at Mateo and simply mouthed, "911."

Mateo nodded and walked farther down the hallway, pulling out his phone and beginning to dial emergency services.

The fear in Noah's eyes haunted Harry straight down to his core as she stared at him with desperation written all over her face. Her eyes were slightly widened and seemed to be somewhat glossy due to the moisture that had formed in them from her fear. Harry couldn't tell if she was pleading for him to help her, or for him to get the hell out of there to not risk his own safety.

All that Harry knew was that he would be doing the former.

Noah was already kicking herself for the fact that her plan had blown up in her face. She knew it was risky, but it was never supposed to get to this point.

The cool metal of the knife was piercing against the side of Noah's neck, causing her heartbeat to thud wildly in her chest. She was surprised that Anthony's arm wasn't bruised while it rested over the top of her chest, as she was certain her heart was practically beating out of her ribcage right against his arm. She felt utterly helpless, and she hated that.

"Not a word, Harry? Huh?" Anthony chided, desperate to get some kind of reaction out of Harry.

Harry had to swallow down the lump in his throat and gather his thoughts before being able to formulate a response. He took a single step further into the room but was halted by Anthony tightening his grip on Noah, digging the knife further onto her throat and causing her to wince.