Page 3 of Camden

I had to leave.

The more time I could put between us, the better. He’d be furious when he came home to an empty house. The hair on the back of my neck stood.There’d be hell to pay if he caught me.Shaking off the thought, I rushed back to the bedroom to change my clothes. Gently, I lifted my shirt over my head, trying not to jostle my shoulder too much. I’d eventually have to stop and have someone pop it back into place.

Movement caught my eye from the corner of the room, and my stomach lurched. A sob escaped. I covered my mouth as I tried to keep from throwing up at the reflection. I hadn’t bothered to look at the damage, but standing in front of the floor-length mirror, it was hard to ignore.

Dried blood painted my arm. My entire right side was already a nasty shade of purple. Another bruise formed across my lower abdomen and left hip bone.

Right where he kicked me.

My hand fluttered across my stomach, and I couldn’t hold it in anymore. The bile clawed up my throat, and I emptied my stomach on the floor. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I turned away from the mirror to pull a long sleeve t-shirt over my head.

Tying a makeshift sling around my neck to help keep the arm in place, I drug my suitcase to the stairwell, cringing at the small pool of blood at the bottom. Using my foot, I pushed the luggage down the stairs; the blood smeared across the floor as I maneuvered the suitcase to the front door. Feeling around the underside of the small table by the door, I located the spare car key I taped there for an emergency exit. Jax usually took my set of keys with him to work so I couldn’t leave at night when he wasn’t there. I paid the price when he thought I’d lost the spare. I didn’t leave the house for a week after.

The one and only time before tonight that he left a mark on my face.

I walked out of the house without bothering to lock or even shut the front door. My chest tightened like a vise with each step.

Two hours later, it still hadn’t let up. I still feared he’d catch me or somehow that he’d figure out where I was heading. Which was impossible unless he had a tracker on my car. I left my phone on the bed so he couldn’t use it to follow me. I’d get a new one after I got settled.

I drove seventeen hours. Only stopping to get gas and use the restroom. Grabbing a bag of baby wipes at one of the gas stations, I gently cleaned up my face, followed by my arms and hands. Dried blood stained the wipes brown, almost causing a new wave of tears. I straightened my back, refusing to cry again, and pulled the makeshift sling over my head.

Deciding to leave the luggage in my car, I slowly walked up to Rylie’s apartment. Shifting from foot to foot, I knocked lightly on the door, praying she was home. After a few minutes, the door swung open. Rylie’s tired eyes widened before she threw her arms around me. I grunted in pain and surprise but kept my body from going too stiff at the contact, even though every nerve burned from the pain.

“What are you doing here?” She pulled away, assessing me. Her long dark hair sat in a messy bun on top of her head. A pair of flannel shorts and an oversized shirt swallowed her body. “What happened to your eye?” Her brows dipped closer together.

I shrugged my good shoulder, trying not to wince. “I ran into a door.” Head tilted to the side, Ry’s green eyes narrowed. She didn’t believe me, but she wouldn’t push the issue either. Ry knew me better than anyone and knew I would tell her when I was ready.

If I was ever ready.

“Jax and I broke up. Do you mind if I stay for a while?” My stomach lurched as his name rolled off of my tongue. Like he was just any other ex-boyfriend.

Like he hadn’t pushed me down the stairs less than twenty-four hours ago.

Her expression softened as she stepped to the side and opened the door fully. “You are welcome here as long as you want. You don’t have to ask.”

“Thanks, Ry.”

CHAPTER ONE

STEPHANIE

Normally,I wasn’t a jealous person. I didn’t want much. Just my job, friends, and a place to live. All of which I had. When I moved to Sweet Springs, I had nothing and no one but Rylie.

My only friend.

The only person I trusted on this side of the world.

Rylie had been going through a breakup at the time too, and we needed each other. She was the best friend I could ever ask for. She gave me a home when I didn’t think I would ever have one and helped me find an apartment when I was ready to be on my own.

She helped me get a job as a pediatric nurse at the local hospital where she worked. While I loved working with kids, I missed my job in the ER. So, when the hospital opened a position, I knew I had to take it.

I wasfinallybuildingthe life I wanted. A life that made me happy. I deserved to move on from my past. A fact I reminded myself of daily. But as I watched Mason twirl Rylie around the dance floor, her white lace dress fluttering off the ground, jealousy twinged in my chest. As much as I didn’t need a man and didn’t really trust most men, I wanted someone to look at me the way Mason looked at Rylie.

His eyes never left her.

They trailed her wherever she went in the room. Not because he felt the need to control her, but because he couldn’t help but stare. Mason truly loved her. Their smiles lit up the room as he pulled her closer. Love radiated off them in waves. Anyone would be blind not to see how he felt. At that moment, she was the only person in the world who mattered.

Thatwas what I wanted someday. I wanted to meanthatmuch to someone.

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