Page 119 of Cruel Revenge

Sweat pours down the back of my neck and my forehead.

We’re going to make it through this. We have to.

Aiden’s footsteps come thundering down the stairs. “Skyla!”

“Over here!”

Heavy footsteps come my way, and through the haze, Aiden is there.

He doesn’t say another word as he scoops Joshua up over his shoulders.

After he shifts Joshua into the most comfortable position that he can, we take off for the door, coughing and struggling to see through the smoke.

Fire licks around my heels, the heat in the room nearly unbearable as I crouch low and lead the way out of the building.

We burst into the fresh air as the fire continues to crawl through the building.

The knife is still in my leg.

It burns as I glance down at it.

By the looks of things, Zoe missed the artery, but I’m still not going to rip it out.

Just in case she nicked it.

I have to be alive to see Joshua. To make sure that he is going to be okay.

To make sure that he’s going to forgive me for getting him into this situation in the first place.

Even if he is still walking away after.

Tears stream down my cheeks as we load Joshua into the back of Aiden’s car, and I slip in beside him, running my fingers through his hair.

Blood is caked into it, the soft strands slick and sticky.

“It’s going to be okay,” I whisper, keeping one hand in his hair and using the other to keep the knife stable in my leg. “We’re going to get you to the hospital, and everything is going to be okay.”

It has to be.

Because I can’t live in a world where Joshua isn’t there. Even if he is not mine.

Chapter Thirty

JOSHUA

I’ve never been runover by a truck before, but I would assume this is what it feels like.

My entire body is aching and on fire, but the only thing I can think of is Skyla.

It’s a struggle to sit up.

My lungs feel like I’ve swallowed a bucket of charcoal.

I cough and shuffle against the pillows, glancing around the bright white room.

Tubes run from my arms to the machines beeping in the corner.

“Skyla?” I don’t sound like myself.

---