Page 112 of From Us, Forever

“It’s okay,” I blurted, averting my gaze. “I’m fine. I’m not going anywhere.”

“E,” she started, her voice barely above a whisper. “You have blood all over your dress. You don’t want to stay in it for long.”

My heart stopped.

Swallowing, I gazed at the crimson pool in the center of my dress. Through the gap in Mikey’s jacket, I could see it—the red stark against the pale pink material. It was so dark, almost black in the middle, and faded away following two bloody handprints down the side where I remembered wiping my hands.

Dried blood caked my fingernails—his blood was all over me. I was so lost in my head that I didn’t even notice it till now.

The sight of it made nausea churn in my gut. I just couldn’t take it anymore.

“I’ll take that,” I replied, grasping the bag from her hands.

“Okay, come with me.” Just as she was about to stand, the doors to the waiting room burst open.

Lan walked in, his hair wild, sporting a leather biker’s jacket and an anxious face. His eyes immediately went to Katy, whose carefully crafted expression crumpled upon his presence. Within seconds, she rushed to his side.

“Lan,” she sobbed, holding him tight.

He ran a smooth hand over her back as he spoke to her in hushed tones. His eyes briefly met mine over her shoulders, and he gave me a forlorn smile as he mouthed, “He’ll be fine.”

I didn’t know how long I sat there watching them, but something in me twisted. Was I ever going to hold Jay like that again?

I was startled when a strong hand gripped my shoulder.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you.” Matty’s lips curved into a faint smile as he lifted his hand. “Come on, I’ll take you.”

I frowned before understanding flooded when he gestured to the bag in my hand.

I willed my frozen knees to move, and the farther I walked away, the more the pit in my stomach grew.

“Mikey will call if there’s any news,” Matty added when he noticed I kept glancing over my shoulder. “Don’t worry, I’ll tell you the moment we know something,” he reassured, handing me back the bag he insisted on carrying. “I’ll wait out here.”

I nodded, slipping inside a door that said Private Bathroom. I locked the door behind me and sank to the floor, clutching the bag to my chest.

All of them being nice to me only amplified the guilt choking me. I just sat there on the cold, hard floor, praying he would be fine. He had to be. There was no other outcome I could possibly accept.

My feet were numb by the time I slowly rose to a stand and set the shopping bag on the counter. The girl staring back at me in the mirror was a shell version of the woman I had witnessed a few hours ago. My skin flushed with a tinge of gray, almost as if all the life had been sucked out of me. My eyes were dull and vacant. Dried blood caked along my busted lip, swollen and red like the marks circling my neck.

A shiver ran through me as I carefully peeled Mikey’s jacket off me and set it aside.

I could see it all under the bright bathroom lights—every ounce of his lost blood marred on my dress. My heart lurched, thinking of how much pain he must have been in. Yet he still came rushing to me, asking if I was hurt.

My trembling fingers slowly unzipped the dress and dumped it in the trash. The blood had seeped through the dress, staining my skin in shades of red.

I jumped in the shower and washed away all the grime and dirt off me. The pink-tainted water swirling through the drain intensified the numbness.

Minutes later, I was dressed in soft track pants and a loose T-shirt. When I trudged the door open, my eyes went straight to Matty’s leaning against the wall, and his gaze softened when they met mine.

“Any word?” I asked in a stiff monotone voice that felt so foreign.

He shook his head, gesturing ahead. “Come on.”

Matty kept a protective hand on the small of my back as we made our way back to the waiting room. Even though I washed it all away, I could still feel his blood inked on my skin.

Everyone was still in the same spot, Lily sleeping with Mikey’s watchful eyes on her and Katy holding Lan, only this time they occupied the small sofa in the back.

I returned to my previous seat in the corner, wanting to be far away from all of them.

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