Page 136 of Branded Hearts

“It was sheer will and instinct that led me to make those reckless actions,”Bradley says on the TV.“The only thing driving me was someone special to me, driving me to make those decisions. If it weren’t for her, I probably wouldn’t have made it. She was the light that kept me alive.”

He’s talking about me, on live television, toeveryone. Oh, God.

I gasp, my hand flying to my mouth as I stare at the screen, stunned. Hearing his words on live television feels like a punch to the gut, especially when I think about how I brushed off his text messages earlier. The contrast between his words and my careless responses hits me hard, and I’m suddenly drowning in regret.

Tears well up in my eyes, and I can’t bear to hear any more. I rush to the spare room, closing the door behind me, before curling into a ball on my bed as sobs wrack my body, the flood of emotions overwhelming me completely. Through my cries, I hear Kat and Millie’s voices at the door.

Millie asks, “Meli, what’s wrong with Meli?”

“She’s just upset, baby. She’ll be okay. Come.”

“Bwadey will help her,” Millie says innocently, and this only intensifies my sobs.

47

Say When - The Fray

Iris - The Goo Goo Dolls

The next morning, I wake up groggy, the events of last night slowly filtering back into my memory. I called in sick for work, not wanting to face the day with a hangover. As I stir awake, voices fill the space around me.

“How long has he been like this?”

“I dunno. He got pretty drunk last night.”

“Bradley, drunk?”

“Yeah. I know, right?”

Fuck’s sake.

“Wake him up.”

“No,youwake him up.”

I bury my face farther into my pillow and groan aloud. “I’m already awake,” I grumble, my voice muffled.

“Rise and shine, sweetheart,” I hear a familiar deep voice say, and I blink my eyes to find my brother and sister standing above me.

“What the fuck?” I say, my voice groggy.

“Bradley, get up,” Liv says.

“No, piss off.”

“Don’t make me jump on you, Brad. I will,” Xavier warns. Oh, I’msoscared.

“Don’t, he’s still injured,” my sister says. I feel my lips turn upward at her words.So, she does still care.

“So fucking what? More of an incentive to do it,” Xavier retorts.He’s such a fuckwit..

“I’m getting up. Fuck off,” I grumble.

“What’s this I hear about you getting drunk?” he asks, genuine concern in his voice. As I sit up, still feeling the effects of the hangover, Xavier’s words sink in.

I shrug, not wanting to admit to the mess I’ve made. “Nothing.”

“And smashing bottles? Mum had to clean upyourmess this morning,” Olivia adds, her disappointment evident.

---