Page 102 of Worth the Trouble

Down.

Down.

I really am weightless, but somehow, gravity still manages to pull me to the ground. And I hear the snap before I feel it, so loud it echoes through the empty forest. And then there’s only pain.

34

Rome

Myfaceaches,mybody aches, but from the moment I heard the snap, none of my pain mattered. Because he fucking pushed her.

It took everything in me not to murder him on the spot for it because when Lili screamed, I lost all sense of sanity.

I looked over to see Lili on the ground, her leg twisted beneath her where she’d tripped over a rock as she fell backward. And for some reason, instead of reaching for her leg, she was holding her stomach. Like everything inside her hurt in that moment.

I’ve felt all kinds of pain—knives, burns, knuckles, and broken bones. But watching her face twist in unrecognizable anguish was the worst.

“What happened?” Adrian stops in front of me.

He’s definitely pissed, not that I blame him. I’m sure getting a call from jail to come pick me up wasn’t how he planned on spending his day.

“Assholes,” I say, tipping my head back. “Please tell me you’re getting me the fuck out of here.”

“Just posted bail, let’s go.”

He doesn’t say anything else as we make our way out of the police station. And as much as it hurts biting my tongue, I don’t say shit because I don’t need anyone to overhear something and decide to hold it against me later. It isn’t until we get in the car that I finally let out a breath.

The fucker actually had me arrested. If I thought being a celebrity gave me some kind of sway with law enforcement, it’s nothing compared to what Vaughn’s money can do. The second he saw me try to get in the ambulance to go with her to the hospital, the asshole said I assaulted him.

Technically true.

But semantics. The bitch hit me first. I made sure of it. I always do because I’m not going to waste my money and reputation on fights.

Although, I would for Lili.

Because the fucker. Pushed. Her.

“What the fuck happened?” Adrian asks me again, pulling out of the station.

“Her ex showed up, that’s what.” I rake my hands through my hair. “He’s a fucking dick.”

“So you hit him?”

“He hit me first,” I say, noticing Adrian about to turn down the wrong road. “Wait, turn right. I need to get to the hospital.”

In my five-second phone call to Adrian, I didn’t get to explain what was happening, but now that I’m out, there’s no way I’m not going to where I should have been in the first place—with Lili.

I’m done denying that I’ve fallen hard for this chick. Whatever started as sex or obsession has become something deeper, and I need her to know that.

“The hospital? Are you okay?” Adrian’s eyes skim me.

“It’s not for me. Lili’s there.”

He shakes his head. “Back up. Why is Lili in the hospital?”

I explain the whole thing and watch Adrian’s face change. He might be frustrated with me for getting arrested for fighting, but the second he hears about Vaughn pushing Lili, his entire demeanor shifts. The same murderous rage welling inside me seems to surface within him. If there’s something that pisses Adrian the fuck off, it’s someone putting their hands on a woman.

“Fuck, Rome.” He grips the steering wheel.

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