Never let her go

Chapter 12

Lucy POV

I sank deeper into my brothers’ embrace.

Friday.

I have to survive until Friday. That is just two more nights. Just one more day. I can do that. I can definitely do that.

I will be okay. I have to be okay.

When Jack smashed my head to the floor, I expected to wake up with new injuries and bruises. But I didn’t. He left me laying there until I woke up around 3 am and managed to get myself into my room. Thankfully, my head wasn’t bleeding. That would be pretty hard to hide, and I would have to go to the clinic. I did have a nasty bump, though. I couldn’t see it because it was in the back of my head and my hair was covering it, but I could feel it. It was there, and it hurt like hell.

When I woke up this morning, I could feel my heartbeat in my eyes. Everything hurt, and I was sure I wouldn’t be able to go to work. Thankfully, I managed to get myself out of my bed. Not showing up for work is not an option, especially now that my brothers are here. They would look for me, and I don’t want them to find out.

There will be no more bruises and cuts after Friday. The ones I have right now will heal, and soon there will be nothing to tell. I just have to be extra careful until then. I have to take extra good care of my injuries and they will heal soon. I know they will.

Everything will be okay. I will be okay.

I was staring at Liam’s phone in a complete daze.

Somehow, this whole thing still feels unreal.

What if it is? What if Jack hit my head really hard and I’m lying in a coma in a hospital?

Well, no, not a hospital. Jack would never take me to a hospital. I would be lying on the floor in our house.

Maybe I am. Maybe I’m lying on the floor of our house and I’m in a coma. Then I will soon die. Head injuries that are severe need immediate medical attention.

What if I die soon? Did I really make all of this up? If I could do it when I was a kid, why not now? My imagination only grew through the years.

Oh, God, I could be making all of this up!

My breathing picked up and my hands started shaking. The file on Liam’s phone became blurry.

“Lucy?” Noah’s worried voice broke the silence.

Noah turned me to him and pressed me against his chest. I wrapped my hands around his waist and sobbed.

“What’s wrong, Sunshine?” Noah asked, concerned.

I could feel Theo rubbing my back soothingly.

I looked up at Noah and gave him a little smile. “I just can’t believe that this is real.”

“Oh, honey, it’s very real.” Ezra said, wrapping his arms around Noah and me.

Ezra kissed my temple, and I gave him a little smile. I stepped back from Noah and gave Liam his phone back.

Theo pulled me to him immediately, pressing my back against his chest. I rubbed his arm and smiled at him.

“Does your stepfather know?” Mike asked me.

I tensed up and looked at Mike. “He does.”

“What did he say?” Ezra asked nervously.

“He wasn’t very happy.” I mumbled quietly.

“Did he do something, Lucy?” Theo asked, making me snap my head up to look at him.

Does he know something? God, please, no.