Page 91 of Law Of Love

Roaring blue waves crashing onto a sandy beach, the gloomy moonlight reflecting on the surface.

A woman and her small child—both of them dressed in knitted blue scarves and coats as they trudged through a snowstorm.

Every scene was sad, but I couldn’t find it in myself to draw anything else.

My therapist was pleased, though. Despite the glum artwork I was producing, she was insistent that the fact that I was drawing again meant I was coming back to myself.

I was happier—not by much—but I noticed myself smiling and laughing throughout the day, and even if those moments of happiness only lasted a few seconds, it was a step in the right direction.

Hannah gently pried my sketchpad from my hands, gesturing to the scenic park in front of us. “Take a breath for me,” she insisted, smiling. “This is the first sunny day we’ve had in a while. Allow yourself to be at one with nature.”

Hannah had been taking yoga classes recently, and apparently, her instructor was a huge wellness freak. It had clearly rubbed off on her, and she encouraged me to shut my eyes and inhale deeply, allowing the crisp morning air to fill my lungs.

Being outside was more refreshing than I’d thought it would be. Getting me out of bed at the crack of dawn had been a struggle for my friend, but now that I was here, I was glad she’d convinced me to leave the house.

I knew as soon as I was alone, though, my inner demons would take the reins. I was never going to be the same person, and not only because I’d been kidnapped by Will. My heart was still beating, but I wasn’t sure how. It had crumbled into a thousand tiny pieces, and there was no fixing it—not after everything that had gone on with Kaleb.

I was now able to think of his name without my stomach lurching painfully. Saying it was another story, though, and the thought of moving my mouth to form it caused my heart to twinge. I missed him. Everything about him. About us.

Was I a coward? I wasn’t too sure. All I knew was that I wasn’t ready to delve into the details of why things had happened the way they had. Not yet, anyway. Especially since I wasn’t even sure which base he’d been stationed at.

I needed to heal first, but that was a hell of a struggle when there was a giant wedge between me and the one person I needed to survive.

Forty-three: Freya

“Ican’t believe we got VIP tickets to see Madison Ainsley!” Hannah squealed from beside me, wrapping her arm around my shoulder.

I laughed as we stopped and stared up at the massive stadium in front of us, crowds of people chattering as they swarmed in.

“I know. I’ve missed you,” I replied.

I hadn’t seen Hannah for around three weeks. We’d both been busy since scoring our new jobs after graduating from college early.

My friend was settling in nicely in her role as an artist talent scout, and I’d secured the position I wanted at the indie book cover design company. I hadn’t worked on my own project yet. I was still learning the ropes and helping my colleagues with their clients.

So far, I was enjoying it—to the degree that I could.

I couldn’t help but feel deflated, though. It was as if I couldn’t fully put my heart into my work—because somebody else had taken it.

Tonight wasn’t about that, though. It was about Hannah and I—a celebration of our new careers in the art world.

We’d purchased the concert tickets eight months ago, but when I’d received an email from the ticket company last week, claiming that we'd been randomly selected to have our tickets upgraded to meet Madison Ainsley after her concert, I was more than sceptical. I was convinced it was a scam, but after some research and a few emails, Hannah and I were both bewildered to discover it was legit. She saw the gift as a sign that we were on track.

Things didn’t feel that way, though. My train was slowly veering off course.

My father had been sentenced to thirty-five years in prison, and the man that I loved had almost shot him to save my life—as well as keeping the fact that he was working to put him behind bars a secret. And to add more to the mix, I'd killed Will Sheffield.

Murderer.

Killer.

I mentally cringed, remembering my therapist’s advice, closing my eyes and taking a deep breath, imagining the thoughts dissipating into thin air until my mind went blank.

Noticing the struggle in my eyes once I opened them, Hannah cupped my cheeks. “Hey, we’re going to have the best time. I’m proud of us. You’ve got this.”

I smiled, nodding at my best friend before heading into the stadium. Our tickets were scanned, and we entered the pits, squeezing past a few people for a better view. Madison was due to come out any minute, and as excited as I was, I wasn’t looking forward to a few of her slower and more emotional songs. If there was one thing that Madison loved to do, it was to sing about heartbreak. That was not what I needed.

People surrounded me, and even though it was slightly overwhelming to be stuck in the middle of a large group of people, I reminded myself that we were all here for the same reason. We all wanted to have a good time at a concert. Nobody would be focusing on me.

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