Page 208 of The Dixon Rule

I dart to the coffee table, hands trembling as I fumble for my phone.

“Diana!” He storms inside, seething. “Stop it.”

I snatch up the phone. The restraining order was my last defense, a fragile shield against the raging storm that is Percy, but tonight it’s insufficient. He broke it. He’s in my apartment, and I need him out.

“Put the phone away. You’re going to sit down and listen to what I have to say. Because I’m not leaving here until we come up with a solution.”

I ignore his desperate voice. My fingers frantically hit the number 9. Then 1.

“I’m calling the police, Percy, so you better get out of here before—”

The phone is batted out of my hand before I can hit the final 1. I cry out when it goes skidding across the living room.

Fear pummels into me. I look at his red face, then my discarded phone, and make a decision.

I burst forward, needing to get to the door.

Percy grabs me before I can make it past him. Pain jolts through my arm as it’s nearly yanked out of the socket.

“Stop it. I didn’t come here to hurt you. You’re being ridiculous.”

I don’t care what he says. I don’t feel safe. I can’t be here. And although the restraining order failed, I know something that won’t fail me.

Niall’s ears.

“NIALL!” I scream, stomping hard on the floor. “Call the police! Percy Forsythe is in my apartment and he’s—”

The first blow sends my head snapping to the side.

Pain jolts through my face. His knuckles got me right on the mouth, splitting my lip.

“You fucking bitch! This is all your fault! I only came here to talk, to sit down and discuss this like two reasonable adults, and you’re treating me like some kind of criminal! Fuck you, Diana!”

As blood pours out of my lip, I throw up my forearms, instinctively protecting my face again. But he uses the defensive posture against me and punches me in the stomach. The heavy blow stuns me, a whoosh of air leaving my body. I nearly fall over but regain my balance at the last second.

“I got expelled from Briar,” he fumes. “Did you know that? That’s what your stunt with the cops did! The dean found out about the assault charges against me and kicked me out of my program this morning. Called me into his office on a fucking Sunday to tell me I was out. You cost me my fellowship. My career!”

He tries to grab me again, but this time I successfully sidestep him. I unleash a left jab that grazes his cheek, eliciting a grunt of pain. I’m not trying to fight him, only to distract him so I can sprint out of the apartment.

I want to scream for Shane but he’s not here. He’s in Vermont. So I cry out for Niall again, for Priya, even for the damned cat, as I race toward the door.

I make it five feet before my ex-boyfriend grabs me by the ponytail, pulling me backward. He throws me on the floor. I land hard, the impact sending a streak of pain through my shoulder.

“You need to leave,” I beg, feeling the blood from my lip dripping down my neck. “You don’t want to do this, Percy. Please.”

But he’s lost to me. He’s in a frenzy. He kicks me when I’m down, and I instinctively curl into a ball. He’s undeterred. Tears flood my eyes when his boot stomps on my side. Agony blooms inside me.

“You ruined my life,” he hisses. “I never meant to hurt you that night. You know it was an accident. But you still took that one mistake and used it to ruin my life.”

When he kicks my shoulder, the heel of his boot grazes the side of my face, jolting my nose.

I whimper in pain. Blood now pours from my split lip and my nose. I don’t know if it’s broken, but it hurts like hell. A metallic taste burns my tongue as I try to crawl toward the door.

Percy stands over me, watching.

“You ruined my life,” he says again.

I know I should keep my mouth shut, but my body is on fire. Agony ripples in every muscle. In my face. In my side.

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