Page 49 of Truth

“Oh, Brianna,” said the voice.

Arms lifted me up and cradled me.

Instinctively, I laid my head on his shoulder, breathing in the scent of him. Slowly, the blackness began to fade as I let his warmth sink into my bones. He was here. I had no idea how he knew I needed him, but I held on tight, clinging to the light in the sea of darkness that threatened to consume me.

He brushed his lips against my forehead repeatedly, until I was no longer holding on to his shirt as if I would fall off a ledge if I let go. “Can you tell me what happened, love?”

I shook my head. I couldn’t talk about it. Not yet.

Instead of pressing, he wrapped his arms tighter around me. Closing my eyes, all the tension left, and peace took its place.

It was a long time before I was able to speak. I knew Stephan would want answers.

“Feeling better?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Who called you?”

I looked up at him. How did he know someone had called me?

“The phone was off the hook when I arrived.” The question must have been clear on my face.

“John.”

His chest vibrated beneath me, and an angry scowl formed on his face.

“I should have told you not to answer the phone today. I should’ve known he’d try to get around the restraining order in any way he could.”

“He said...”

“Yes?”

“He said... he can’t come within five hundred feet of me.”

Stephan nodded.

“That’s right. And if he does, Brianna, you need to let me know and I’ll have him arrested. Even if you see him across the street or in a store, you need to say something. At five hundred feet, you shouldn’t ever be able to see him. If you can, he’s in violation of the restraining order.”

“Okay.”

“I have to ask you, sweetheart. What did he say that made you so upset? Ross called me saying he’d tried your cell several times and you wouldn’t answer. After trying myself, and you still didn’t pick up, I knew something was wrong. When I got home, you were curled up in a ball on your side, crying and rocking back and forth. I called your name, but you didn’t answer.”

“I thought you were a dream.”

He smiled and kissed the tip of my nose. “Not a dream.”

I smiled back, so glad he was here, and hugged him. “Thank you.”

“Always,” he whispered.

We were silent for a while, just holding each other.

“He said... he said it was a mistake. An... accident.”

I felt Stephan’s hands curl into fists at my back, and I cuddled closer.

“He’s an idiot, Brianna. What happened was that he made a very bad decision, and you paid for it.”

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