Page 32 of Haunted

“…was the reason she was in a coma?” I finish for her. There’s no sense in sugarcoating it. Her face is pained when she looks back at me. After a moment, she nods once. “I have no fucking clue.” I blow out a breath. “My only guess is my head was trying to tell me something that I couldn’t remember.”

“So why visit her? It still doesn’t explain why you would think she wasn’t okay.”

It takes me a moment to formulate my reply. My feelings toward Jules are dangerous and idiotic given what I did seven years ago, but they’re there, and I don’t know how to turn them off. I don’t know what happened to make me flip the way I did, but I hope like fuck that shit’s not in me anymore.

“I don’t really know why, but after seeing her in my dreams, the pain and terror she went through, I just felt the need to see for myself that she was okay.”

Ella watches me inquisitively for several moments. “I just can’t….” She trails off and shakes her head. “I still have a hard time believing you’re capable of what Theo says. I know you, Luca. You have a temper when warranted, but to hurt a woman? That shit is too much to believe.”

It’s too much for me to believe too, but the evidence is there, and people do crazy shit and act out of character all the time. As much as I don’t want to believe what Theo said, I’ve got no reasonnotto believe him.

I sigh and scrub a hand down my face, exhaustion sliding to my bones. “I don’t want to believe it either, but fuck, Ella, youknow Theo just as well as you know me. He wouldn’t lie about something like that.”

She nods, knowing it’s true. “Yeah.” She pins me with a stern look. “Just be careful.”

I acknowledge her words with a head jerk. She doesn’t need to go into detail for me to know what she’s saying. She doesn’t want a repeat of the past.

“You ready? Luca looks like he needs sleep.”

Ella comes forward, and I envelop her into my arms. She squeezes tighter than normal before pulling back.

“Love you, big brother,” she says, offering a smile.

“Love you too, little sister.”

Minutes later, they’re both gone, and I’m in the shower, washing away the day. Ella’s words come back to me as I stand under the warm spray.

I don’t know what my feelings are, I just know I need to keep them in check. I feel responsible for Jules because I’m the reason she’s missed seven years of her life.

After drying off, I climb into bed. My stomach rumbles, but I ignore it. I only ate a half a sub earlier, but I’m too damn tired to get up and make something.

I lie in bed with my hands behind my head, dreading going to sleep, but knowing I need to get at least a couple of hours.

I close my eyes, but a few hours later, I’m awake again with the sound of Jules’s pleas reverberating in my head.

IT’S BEEN FIVE DAYS since I started coming back to the hospital. Each night, I promise myself it’ll be the last, but the next night I end up back here. I know I’m asking for trouble, but it doesn’t stop me. Either one of the nurses will spot me and kickme out, or Theo will find out and go fucking crazy. Neither of those things keep me away.

Every night, I’ve kept my place just inside the door.

Until tonight.

When I walked into the room, Jules’s wildflower scent hit me hard, and my feet were taking me closer to her before I realized it. I’m now standing at the bed getting my first close-up view of her in weeks, and it feels like I can finally breathe again.

Quietly, I sit down in the chair that I’m sure Theo’s sat in multiple times recently. He has every right to sit in this chair, but fuck if I don’t like it. Even the thought of him being close to her makes me livid and my fists itch to pummel the hell out of him.

I push those thoughts aside before they get me in trouble.

She looks better than the last time I saw her. Healthier. Her cheeks aren’t as shallow, and her hair looks more vibrant. My eyes land on her left hand that’s lying on her stomach and notice the absence of her rings. She didn’t have them on when she was in a coma, I’m sure because the doctors didn’t want to take the chance of them cutting into her skin if her hands swelled, but I figured that would change once she found out she and Theo were married.

I slide open the drawer beside me just enough to see the bag still inside, then frown when I only see the locket and not the ring. She could have easily placed it somewhere else.

I push the drawer closed and look back at Jules. I silently curse when I see her eyes open, looking at me. Sitting stiffly, I wait for her to scream. The look in her eyes says she’s contemplating doing just that.

Hoping I’m not making a mistake, I hold my hand up in front of me, and say quietly, “I’m sorry. I’ll leave.”

I keep my eyes on her and slowly, so as not to startle her, get to my feet. Her frightened eyes stay glued to mine as I take astep back. I fucking hate that I put that look in her eyes. And I’m a grade A asshole for being here, knowing there was a chance this may happen.

Just before I turn on my heel, her soft but urgent voice stops me.

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