Page 36 of My Best Years

I forget how to move. How to breathe.

“I almost died that day, Birdie,” he says weakly, his tone hoarse and thick. “The day I left you, I almost fucking died. I was fighting for my life.”

I almost died that day, Birdie.

The hand clenching my phone falls to my side as I forget everything except the confession that just came from Callum’s lips.

I feel sick. Like I could either throw up or pass out right here in this parking lot.

He almost died? What the hell is talking about?

“What?” I exhale as my stomach churns.

He has to be speaking in metaphors, right? There’s no way he almost died without me knowing about it.

“What do you mean you almost died?” I rush out before he can respond. “Do you mean that you were so sad from leaving that–”

“No, Birdie,” he interjects. “I literally almost lost my life. The night I left—the night my parents took me away, I was in a hospital bed fighting for my life.”

I was in a hospital bed fighting for my life.

Time stands still as my blood runs cold.

Oh my God.

Oh.

My.

God.

The thoughts running through my mind are making my head pound with confusion.

I have so many questions. Did he get in an accident? And if he did, how did no one in our small town know about it? How did he almost die and disappear without a trace?

What the fuck is going on?

But the worst feeling of all is realizing that I could have lost Callum Pierce for good. No matter how angry I am with him, the thought of living on this planet without him seems unbearable. For so many years, he was my other half. Whether I want to admit it or not, he’s the only man I’ve ever been in love with. And if he were to leave this Earth before me, I don’t think I would survive it.

“What happened?” I whisper. My eyes flick between his, searching for an answer.

He swallows thickly as pain fills his beautiful eyes.

“My dad…” he trails off.

The blood coursing through my veins begins to boil at those two words.

That motherfucker.

I always had a gut feeling that something was off with Callum’s dad. He would walk around the community like a celebrity, but deep down, I could see right through his act. Unfortunately, I could never pinpoint exactly what it was, and Callum wouldn't talk to me about it.

“What about your dad?” I say slowly, my tone lethal. “What did he do to you, Cal?”

An inkling of life fills Callum’s eyes as he smiles without his lips.

“Cal…” he croaks. “I never thought I’d hear you call me Cal again.”

I didn’t even register that his old nickname came out of mymouth because I’m too pissed to think straight. The thought of Callum’s father hurting him has me shaking.

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