Page 90 of All My Broken Pieces

Arriana shoots him a vicious glare before looking back at me, her expression a warring minefield of hurt, anger, love, and confusion. “I told you I’d come back, baby.” Taking a step to close the remaining distance, she trails the back of her hand down my face.

I close my eyes, losing myself in the sensation of her skin on mine. Some of the constant buzzing inside of me settles at her touch. Instead, the current sparking at our connection lights my nerve endings on fire for an entirely different reason.

“Mi vida.” I blink open my eyes, getting lost in the liquid chocolate of hers. “Why would you?” I chew on the inside of my cheek, knowing what she’s asking and not wanting to acknowledge her question.

“Why would you drug yourself?”

That’s the question she wants to ask, but not able to voice it out loud.

She studies me for several moments before shifting her hand to cup the back of my neck, drawing my face to hers to press her lips against my ear. “Neverdo that again, do you understand?” I gulp, fisting the fabric of my shirt in my fingers.

Leaning back just far enough to peer into my eyes, she cups my cheeks in her hands, her eyes searching mine with a desperation I’ve only seen on her one other time.

“Are you sure you’re okay?”

I sniffle, wiping away the tears and snot from my face with the back of my sleeve, my bruised eye throbbing at the touch. “I-I don’t know.”

It’s the truth, I’m not sure if I’m okay, not sure if I’ll ever be okay again.

Arriana studies me intensely, her eyes desperate as she tries to find something in mine that I don’t know if she’ll find.Her expression hardens, her eyes shifting to the large parking garage beside us and back to me. “I’m going to kill him.” She vows, turning toward the entrance.

My throat closes at the thought of her leaving me. Before I’ve made the conscious decision to do so, my hand snaps out, wrapping around her wrist. “Please don’t leave me.” I beg, my voice barely above a whisper.

At my broken plea, Arriana turns back to me, pulling me into her embrace. “Never, baby. I’m never leaving you,”

“You left.” The words slip out as the memory fades, causing Arriana’s worried expression to grow more distraught.

She opens her mouth to say something, but is cut off. “I don’t want to interrupt, but we really need to get you out of here.” I turn toward the voice, releasing a heavy breath as I realize he’s right, we can’t stay here.

“Yeah, you’re right, Drewbie.” Arriana sighs, running a hand through her short hair. She looks back at me, the question burning in her eyes.

“Will you come with me?”

Chapter 43

Arriana

I'm drowning.

Lost in the sea of her emerald eyes as Fallon stares at me.

The question burns my tongue, needing to be released. But I’m terrified to ask.

“You left me.”

It was a broken acknowledgment to the agony we’ve both faced over our separation.

All the things I could say, all the answers I could give, but none of them would be enough.

You left me first.

I didn’t have a choice.

I came back.

I’ll never leave you again.

The thoughts crash through my mind, a tumultuous storm of things I want to say but can’t bring myself to voice.

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