Page 63 of Any Kind of Life

“Paige will be leaving in a couple of days. It’s for the best.” Juliet’s voice almost betrayed her, but she knew Henry would understand. He would probably suggest the same thing. “Wherever she decides to go, I want you to make sure she gets there safely. If you have to travel on a plane with her and help her out, then you’ll do that.”

Henry held up his hand. “Hang on. What are you talking about?”

“Paige. She’s leaving. We’re…parting, shall we say?”

“Nah. You’re talking shit. Why would Paige leave you?”

Juliet really didn’t have the strength for this. But Henry was well within his rights to ask. “Because I won’t risk this going further and have something happen to her. She knows why we’re breaking up, and while she’s not happy about it, she will come to realise that it’s for the best.”

“I’m sorry, but I won’t be a part of this, Jules. I can’t.”

“I just need you to convince her to leave, H. That’s all I’m asking.”

Henry stood up and started pacing the room. “How can you be okay with this? And if you’re so sure she’s going to understand, then why can’t you convince her yourself?”

Juliet tugged her bottom lip between her teeth, her eyes closing. She just needed to calm her thoughts, and then she would make it through this conversation. Just breathe… “Because she deserves more than this, H. She deserves to be with someone who doesn’t run the risk of having her killed. I can’t deal with that. I don’t care if they come back for me, but they lay a single finger on Paige, and I don’t know what I’ll do. If they hurt her, I’ll never forgive myself.”

“And when they don’t come back for more? When you recover and life goes on…what then?”

Juliet had briefly entertained that as Paige left her room before. “Then it’s something I’ll have to live with. But at least I’ll know she’s safer and happier with someone else.”

“Then you should tell her that yourself. I can’t be the one who demands that she leaves, and I can’t force her out of this city. Quite frankly, I don’t want to. She loves you, Juliet. If you do this, if you push her away, you’ll never be able to live with yourself.”

“I can’t do it, H.” Juliet’s voice broke. “I can’t tell her to be happy with someone else when she’s all I’ll ever want. But I also can’t be selfish and expect her to stay when she’s in danger.” The thought of Paige waking up in another woman’s arms physically hurt Juliet. The pain she felt when she imagined that life… It was far worse than any pain Cara had inflicted. “It’s for the best.”

Henry gripped the end of Juliet’s hospital bed and bent forward a little. He nodded slowly, rolling his lips inward. “Do you have any idea what that woman has gone through since she found you at the bar? Do you have any idea how hard it’s been for me to recall that moment I arrived to find you dying in Paige’s arms? The pain in her eyes, the sobbing as she held you against her. I haven’t slept since that day, Juliet. Every time I close my eyes, I see Paige covered in your blood, begging you to live. And now you just want her to pack her shit up and leave you?” Henry scoffed. “I was there when she was on her hands and knees scrubbing your blood from the floor of the bar. I watched her crying as she did it.”

Juliet lowered her eyes and shook her head. She couldn’t face Henry as he said these things to her. It only made everything she knew was coming worse.

“You and I go back a long time. You know I’d do anything to help you. But this? If you do this, if you break up with Paige because of something out of everyone’s control, then I’m not sure where we would go from there. That woman fucking adores you, Juliet. She doesn’t see anything other than you. You may think I’m just some burly bloke who sits in his car most of the time, but I see everything. I watch the two of you together, and you know…I don’t think I’ve ever seen you that happy before. Even when we were in our twenties, you were never that happy. But the last year or so? You’ve found the woman you’re supposed to spend the rest of your life with. Don’t do this to her. Don’t think you know what’s best when Paige has a mind of her own. She can make that decision for herself.”

Juliet sniffled. “It would have been easier for everyone if I’d died in the bar.”

Henry squared his shoulders. “You need to think long and hard about what you’re doing, Juliet. There’s only so much Paige can take, and I think losing you could be the final straw.”

“They’ll come for her, H.”

Henry laughed as he fixed his suit jacket. “You think I’m going to let that happen? I’ve had enough of Big Ron thinking he runs this city. You focus on getting yourself right and leave the bastard to me.”

“Henry, no.” She looked pointedly at him, aware of the connections he had. “I don’t want you involved in this. I can’t have that on my conscience, too.”

“The less you know, the better.” Henry nodded as he approached the door. “Now get that rest Paige mentioned. I don’t want her kicking my arse because I kept you talking.”

He left the room, winking at Juliet as he did so.

She lay her head back, focusing on the ceiling as she narrowed her eyes. Of course it was too soon to be considering anything in terms of her future, but in that moment, as Paige stared back at her lovingly, Juliet couldn’t face the possibility of losing her at the hands of a criminal organisation.

Sleep. They can’t hurt her when she won’t leave your side.

Chapter 23

I don’t understand…

Paige stood outside the entrance to the hospital, her hands clasped behind her neck. This morning should have been far more positive than this—Juliet was awake, for God’s sake. They should have been talking about what the future held and how best to navigate the coming weeks and months…but as Paige stood there, looking out at the ambulance bay, she wasn’t sure Juliet would even allow her back into her hospital room.

This hadn’t been the expected outcome.

As she considered her next move, Paige’s phone started to ring in her pocket. If it was the police, she couldn’t deal with them right now. The hospital had probably called them to tell them Juliet was awake, so now the feeding frenzy could begin.

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