Page 57 of Bound By Threads
This is the Lottie I’ve always seen hiding beneath the trauma, the silence, the years of shrinking herself down so no one could hurt her. And now she’s rising, raw and furious, daring me to push her, and all I can do is stare at her like a man starved.
I’m not scared of her anger. Iwantit like nothing I’ve ever wanted before because it means she’s still in there… still fighting.
And I’ve never loved her more than I do in this moment.
I take a deep breath.“I can’t sit back and watch you throw yourself into something dangerous just to feel in control,” I practically plead with her.
“That’s rich coming from the guy who buried every emotion he has.”
I flinch. She knows exactly where to hit.
“I came back for you,” I say, finally admitting the truth to her. “I left the damn Corps because the thought of losing you was worse than anything I saw over there.”
For a second, her expression falters, but just as quickly, she shuts down again, eyes narrowing. “Well, maybe you should’ve stayed.”
Pain lances my chest. That one hurts.
I know she doesn’t mean it, but I can’t help the lump that forms in my throat as I stare at her.
She looks broken. Drowning in my hoodie that hits her knees, her brown chestnut hair ruffled from being thrown over my shoulder, and brown haunted lifeless eyes that never quite found their spark again stare into mine with unshed tears.
We’re both standing there, barely breathing, when the door to the club swings open. Oscar steps out, expression thunderous.“Enough.”He gestures, eyes bouncing between us.
Lottie dips her head—shame or maybe exhaustion clouding her features.
Oscar sighs and rubs the back of his neck.“Look, I gave you both time to try to sort this out, but this is turning into a scene.”
“She shouldn’t be here!” I snap, signing the words.
“She’s a grown woman, Archer,”Oscar signs.“And right now, she doesn’t need a soldier barking orders at her.”
Lottie looks at him, surprised.
Oscar focuses on her then.“If you want to stay at mine tonight, you can. Maybe some space will do you both some good.”
She doesn’t even hesitate.“Yes, please,”she signs back.
My chest tightens like she’s been ripped away, even when I know she’ll be safe with Oscar.
“Lottie—”
She cuts me off with a look. Not cold. Just tired—bone-deep tired.
“I can’t…” she chokes on her words, slipping back into her safety—her silence.“I just can’t tonight.”
“You’re running away. We need to talk about this.”
“No. I’m choosing space.”
Oscar gives me a warning glance, like he’s daring me to make this worse. I force myself to step back.
“I’ve kept her safe for over a year. I’ll look after her, but you need to breathe. She’s not yours, Archer.”
“She’s not yours either.”
“No, she’s not. She’s her own person. I just keep her safe while she figures out who that is.”
Lottie walks to Oscar’s side, not even looking at me.
