Forever Luminescent

Chapter 33

THOUGH SHE MIGHT'VE WOKEN up with a smile on her face, the bruises from the night before deepened and spread all across her skin. Tears sprung to her eyes, her earlier joy escaping, as she attempted to move into a sitting position. Despite the dip of her mattress and the softness of her comforter and pillows, her body felt like it rested upon a ton of bricks, all scraping her with every shift she took.

Gwenn whimpered and groaned, frowning at the alarm blaring through her phone. She was meant to go work at the daycare in a few hours. She wanted to drag her hand down the sides of her face, but stopped when the stabbing pain flared so hard she had to freeze in place. She heaved at the state of her body, then sighed as she came to the conclusion that she would have to call out.

That was the last thing she wanted to do to Cathy, but she would not be of use to her when she could barely sit up without crying. In a way, she was doing her a favor, but that didn't mean it didn't come with its set of headaches for her boss.

After a tearful phonecall with Cathy, explaining that she had an accident the night before and was covered in bruises all around and couldn't walk, her boss gave her the rest of the week off to recover. She had even asked if she needed anything in the meantime, but Gwenn only struggled out that she could do on her own.

Sierra and Scarlet had slept over on her couch, and the boys curled up in different corners of her area rug in the living room. When Gwenn dragged herself to the doorway, Milo opened one eye and shot to his feet in a flash.

"What are you doing?" he seethed, jumping over Jake like he was a mere obstacle. "How are you feeling? You look like a hag hobbling in the woods. That doesn't look good."

His eyes trailed down to her bare arms, colored in a gradient of black, blue, and dark purple. He grimaced before looking up to her face.

"It's bad, isn't it?" she asked quietly. Milo didn't have to nod for her to know the answer. She looked like she had been severely beaten, but all Wolf had done was squeeze her arms and slam her against the statue stand. She mentally slapped herself. Wolf had harmed her. "Can you help me to the kitchen?"

Milo wasted no time in wrapping his arms around her waist. He was not like Jake-tall and muscular-but he had a decent lean build, and when he picked her up, it was like she weighed nothing for him.

He placed her on a stool before strolling into her kitchen like he owned it. She almost laughed as he threw the fridge open and signaled it as he peered at her. "What do you want?"

Her lips quirked. "Milo Rivera, you're one interesting man."

He dipped his head in a mock bow. "I'll accept that as flattery, though your tone says otherwise."

She snorted, and then asked for cereal and milk. He frowned at her decision, but soon they conversed at the counter eating their breakfasts while updating each other on their life. Still no girlfriend on his end (though he complained he could never find one) and he was making good progress on his business degree. She confessed about Ronan enough for him to know that the guy in tattoos existed, but steered clear of their deal. She also did not touch the subject on Wolf.

By the time the others woke up, they had finished their breakfast and were beyond restless.

Her friends left not long after, Scarlet and Sierra promising to come back later to check up on her. Gwenn waved them off from her place on the bed. They didn't need to worry so much about her, especially when they had their own life to take care of.

The day was slow and painful. The minutes ticked off as if they fought against the thickest honey, a sludge preventing them from going any faster. Her eyes opened and closed between intervals, staying put in her position staring out of her window at the sun. Even when her stomach growled for food, she remained frozen.