Page 75 of The Two Halves of My Heart

Chapter 23

Grace 21 Years Old

The box of letters stared at me from across my bedroom. I’d not opened them since leaving Mum’s because I was terrified of what they would say. I’d pushed Oliver from my mind and sealed off the part of my heart that he’d stolen when we were kids, in order to have my happily ever after.

Except there was nothing happy about where I currently was.

Both Vivien and Mum had given me so much to consider. I had to wrestle myself from Mum’s grasp. Having found out that Maddison was walking down the same path as my father, she was less than happy about letting me go home. But this was my relationship and my feelings to unravel and work through. However, I needed Maddison to be a part of this, and right now, I had no idea where he was or if he was even okay.

I must have fallen asleep curled up on the bed, but the crashing and banging woke me with a start. I peeked out of the door and saw a shadow in the bathroom.

“Maddison?” I called, before stepping out and approaching. “Are you okay?” But as soon as I looked into the bathroom, I saw he wasn’t.

“Oh, god, Mads. What happened?” His back displayed a rainbow of bruising across one shoulder and ribs. And as he turned towards me, it didn’t get better. His swollen eye complemented the dried blood that had stained his lips red. He looked a mess.

“Nothing. Don’t worry.”

“Hey, stop shutting me out. It’s been days, and you show up like this?”

“I’m surprised you’re concerned.”

“Please, Mads. Don’t be like this. Let me help you.”

He dropped his arms from the small cabinet where we keep the essential medical supplies. I forced him to sit on the edge of the bath while I ran some hot water and pulled out the antibacterial cream and plasters. “I’ll go and grab some ice.”

When I was out of sight, my lungs exhaled the breath I was holding onto. I didn’t even want to think about what he’d been doing these last few days. So, I focused on the problem instead. I smashed the ice cubes from the tray in the freezer and wrapped them in a cloth. Fortifying myself, I took two steadying breaths and closed my eyes. When I opened them, I plastered on a brave face and walked back into the bathroom. Maddison hadn’t moved.

“Why don’t you take a seat in your room. The bathroom is barely big enough for you on your own.”

He sulked past me, and I gathered the few things I had on hand that could help. I followed him in, and he took a seat at the end of the bed.

“Stay still while I clean you up.” I pushed his hair back from his face. With a damp cloth, I dabbed at the cut across his lip and nose where all the blood remained —rinsing and repeating until he was just sporting the bruising beneath.

His eyes watched me intently as I worked, and it built a tension between us that made me nervous—like he was scrutinising me. But I kept going, focusing on what I was doing. The cream was next before I stepped around him and held the ice to his shoulder.

“Are you ready to tell me where you’ve been?” My voice was soft, hoping he’d give me a straight answer.

“I thought you’d guess from the look of me.”

“Why are you so angry at me? I’ve been waiting for you to show up for nearly a week. I’ve heard nothing from you? It should be me that’s pissed off.”

Being so close, I saw the stiffening of his body at my words.

“Your mum’s worried about you, too.”

“Great. You run to my mother when we have a problem.” He stood and paced to the other side of the room.

“What’s going on, Maddison? You’ve never been like this before. Sure, you fought with Oliver when we were younger, but you’ve never been so hostile to me.”

“Bring Oliver up, why don’t you. Actually —” He turned around to face me. “I’m surprised you haven’t mentioned him before now,” he fumed.

“We used to be best friends. All of us, and he’s your brother. He might have left, but that doesn’t mean we can’t mention him ever again.”

“He did leave. He left us both like we meant nothing to him.” He slashed the air with his arm, emphasising his point. “Do you know he’s not even tried to get in contact with me? Not once. As far as I’m concerned, he’s not my brother.”

“You don’t mean that. You’re just upset.”

“Don’t tell me what to think!” he roared.

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