Page 58 of Catch Me When I Fall

My head fell, and I gave the rest of it to her. “It was in the middle of the night, and the pain was crushing me. I felt like I was in hell. I needed it to stop. I just needed everything to stop,” I whispered, looking at my wrists, dragging my fingers over the scars. I didn’t need to say the words; I knew she understood. “I woke up the next day strapped to the bed with bandages on my wrists.”

Suddenly, I was turned away from the railing, and Sarah’s arms were around me, holding on to me for dear life as a heavy sob left her. “My god, Carrie,” she rasped.

Slowly I lifted my arms and hugged her back, but the tears didn’t come. When it came to Robert, I was numb, and I couldn’t understand why. Why didn't I miss my husband? Why didn't I cry for him anymore?

My friend pulled back, her face red from crying. “I’m so glad you’re here. Oh god, I’m so fucking glad,” she breathed, pulling me again.

My eyes closed, and I squeezed her tight. “Me, too.”

We stood there like that for some time, crying together over the darkest time in my life. When we were both finally ready to head inside, I took one more look out into the night. A chill swept over me as Sarah walked towards the house and my eyes dropped to the street below, landing on something leaning against Leo’s car.

My breath caught.

My heart stopped.

My body ignited.

Our eyes met, the scarred half of his face barely visible due to the flickering streetlight, and my heart resumed beating, drumming inside my chest. His arms were crossed, his head tilted back as he watched me.

The bounty hunter was back.

Chapter 15

Carrie

One day later. Astoria, OR.

I shut off the shower and leaned my forehead against the wall, closing my eyes.

The bounty hunter wasn’t back.

I’d been imagining it.

Last night, after confessing everything to Sarah, I thought I’d seen the bounty hunter leaning against Leo’s car.

Then I blinked, and he was gone.

Now, I was standing in my shower nearly twenty-four hours later, wishing it had been real.

“You’re crazy,” I whispered to myself before I lifted my head, yanking the towel from the hook on the wall and wrapping it around my body. A feeling of satisfaction washed over me as I looked down at the over-sized towel covering my curvy body completely. I’d just ordered them online last week, and I loved them.

And I was beginning to love my body—for the first time in my life.

Stepping out of the shower, I grabbed the cotton t-shirt I use for my hair and began gently drying my curls as I walked into my half dark bedroom. I never liked having the big light on at night. It made everything seem like a hospital, and I’d seen enough of those in my lifetime. My hands worked mindlessly over my curls as my feet padded across the wooden floors, carrying me to my dresser. As I passed the bed, I glanced to see if my photos I took today had finally been downloaded onto my laptop. I planned on editing them tonight, and then maybe I'd submit them to an online art show.

Margo said that my photos were “hauntingly beautiful”, and the world needed to see them. She found an online photography art show and sent me the information. Today was my day off, and I’d ventured outside of Astoria and took some photos. I drove up the coast and hit a few beaches, grateful for the overcast day. I’d gotten over three hundred photos and started uploading them the second I’d gotten home.

I stood in front of my dresser, getting the last bit of my hair with the cotton shirt before dropping it and the towel onto the floor. Goosebumps skated over my skin as I pulled on my panties and then my strawberry PJ set. I bent over, scooped up the towel and shirt, and turned to take them downstairs to the laundry room.

That plan went to shit the second I lifted my eyes and spotted a shadowed figure sitting on my window seat. A scream escaped me as I jumped back into the dresser, my hands going to my chest.

“You,” I breathed, chest heaving.

The bounty hunter said nothing.

I blinked once. Twice.

Yup, he was still there.

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