Page 81 of Beautiful Scars: Unshakeable

"Angel?" Zane tilts my chin up, trying to catch my gaze. "Please come back to us."

But I can't. Because this—all of this—it was never real. I was never meant for gentle touches or tender words or soft kisses. I was meant for basements and bruises and breaking.

I can hear the noise from outside. Trucks being loaded with equipment and men. They're heading out to continue searching. Again. It's pointless though. They won't find her until he wants them to.

"She needs to eat something." Levi's voice from behind me, raw with exhaustion.

"I know." Zane sounds equally drained. "But we can't force—"

"The fuck we can't. She's barely here anymore, Z. We're losing her."

You can't lose something you never really had.

The thought hits me with such clarity it hurts. That's what I've been doing wrong this whole time—pretending I could belong to anyone but him. Pretending I could love and be loved back.

Downstairs, Colt yells in frustration again.

Jade is suffering because I overstepped. I reached for more than I deserved.

"Please," I whisper, my first word in hours. "Just let me go."

"Never." Levi's arms wrap around me from behind, fierce and protective. "We're not giving up. Not on Jade, not on you."

But they should. They all should. Because Garrett won't stop—not until everything I love is in ashes. Not until he's stripped away every good thing, every good feeling I have that exists without him.

I close my eyes, sinking back into the fog where feelings can't reach me. Where I don't have to see the pain in their eyes or hear the desperation in their voices. Where there is nothing. WhereIam nothing.

Eventually, I surface from the heavy darkness, awareness trickling back slowly. The mattress shifts beneath me as someone sits on the edge. Through half-closed eyes, I make out Z's broad shoulders, his dark hair falling forward as he leans over me.

"Angel." His deep voice rumbles through me. "We need to handle some things, but we'll be back soon."

I try to focus on his words, but everything feels far away. His calloused fingers brush my cheek and I fight the urge to nuzzle against them.

"Here." He presses my phone into my palm, curling my fingers around it. "Here. I want you to keep this with you, okay. Hold on to it. Don't let go."

It feels heavy in my hand. I want to tell him I don't need it—don't deserve their concern—but my tongue feels thick, useless.

"Message either of us if you need anything." His thumb traces my cheekbone. "Anything at all. We'll be right downstairs in the security room with all the guys, okay?"

Levi appears in the doorway. "Z, we need to move."

"I know." Z's voice carries an edge I rarely hear. He leans down, pressing his lips to my forehead. "Always, sweet girl."

The word catches in my chest, a reminder of everything I'm going to lose.

Levi crosses to the bed, his fingers threading through my hair. "Rest, my Angel. We won't be long."

I close my eyes, the weight of their concern crushing me. The mattress rises as Z stands. Their footsteps fade, followed by the soft click of the door.

Sleep pulls at me, dragging me under despite my best attempts to stay awake. The phone remains clutched in my hand, a lifeline I don't deserve. I chase fragments of dreams through my mind—Jade's laugh, the warmth of being held between two bodies that love me.

Ijoltawake,hearthammering against my ribs. The room is darker now—late night shadows stretching across the floor. My fingers are cramped from clutching the phone, but I can't make myself let go. Z's words echo in my head.

Don't let go.

I don't know how long I've been drifting in and out. Minutes? Hours? I catch distant murmurs from downstairs.

The emptiness of the room settles over me. This is how it should be for me. Alone. No one else getting hurt because of me. No one else suffering for my selfish attempts at happiness.

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