Page 79 of All My Broken Pieces

Blinking her eyes, she shifts her gaze to meet mine and the sinking feeling swallows me whole.

Chapter 36

Fallon

“Baby?” Arriana murmurs, stroking her thumb across my cheek.

I blink at her.

My eyelids feel so heavy I can barely lift them as they close, but I force the lids apart.

“Mmhmm?”

I’m not sure if she hears me as she doesn’t respond.

I try to move and find I can’t keep my arms up any longer. They drop to my sides, dragging me down with them.

I can hear Arriana say something else, but it’s so far away.

Collapsing in her embrace, I hum, grateful to have her here.

I try to part my lips, to voice my joy at her return, but they’re sealed shut.

My next blink is even harder, and I find I want to rest in the oblivion. To let everything go and enjoy the quiet.

Quiet.

It’s so quiet.

Finally.

Chapter 37

Arriana

“Fallon?” I shake her gently, my heart racing. Cradling her limp body in my arms, I move to the couch and lay her down.

The image of her glassy eyes, pupils so small I could hardly make out the black dot amidst the sea of green, won’t leave my mind. She looked so…

“Baby?” I whisper, running my hands down her hair. Crouching beside her, I try to swallow past the lump in my throat. “I need you to wake up.Vamos, mi vida. Por favor despierta.Please.” I beg, my voice breaking.

My pleas go unanswered, the only response a small flutter of her eyelids and a soft moan.

Lifting my head, I glare at the three bystanders who let this happen. “What did she take?” I growl. The earlier need to carve the answers out of them increasing with each second of silence that passes.

“I—what do you mean?” Ava croaks, her eyes glued on Fallon. “She…she drank a bit, but she didn’t…” Shifting her gaze to Hudson, her expression falls. “She didn’t, did she?”

Hudson runs his fingers through his hair, shaking his head. “I don’t know. She’s been so unlike herself lately, but I’ve never known her to…I mean how would she even…” He trails off, his eyes widening.

Leaping to my feet, I stalk across the room, backing him up against the island. “What. Did. She. Take?” I seethe.

My heart is in my throat. Memories threaten to blind me to the reality of what’s happening, and I can’t. I can’t relive it. I can’t get distracted. I just can’t.

“Ox-oxy. It was oxy.” He stammers, his eyes wide with panic.

Nodding my head, I spin on my heel and dart across the room, pulling my phone from my pocket. My hands shake as I try to unlock the screen.

Please no.No otra vez. Please.

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