Page 75 of Triumphant Kings

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore.” I feel myself shutting down. “You know the truth. I promised not to keep anything from you, and I told you. Now you know all my dirty little secrets. Can we please just try to find a way to move on from this?”

The group of them look at one another, but they don’t say anything. I don’t miss the lingering look between Collin and Preston. But I don’t have the energy to worry about that right now.

“Sadie?” An unfamiliar voice has me looking over to see a nurse standing in the doorway. “You're awake, good.”

She steps in and takes a look at my guys with a soft smile. “Mind if I have some time alone with Sadie?”

Declan looks at Grayson. “Let’s go get her something to eat.” Then his eyes widen. “Shit.” He looks at me. “I mean... I...”

“It’s okay.” I laugh. “Something to eat sounds amazing right about now.”

“Are you sure?” His brow furrows.

“Yes.”

The guys give me a kiss on the cheek and Declan gives Preston a worried, guilty, lingering look. The idea of the two of them fighting doesn’t sit well with me.

“Don’t be mad at him,” I tell Preston. “He saved me. Remember that.”

Preston just stares at me, making me sigh. Stubborn man.

“Come on.” Collin grabs his brother by the arm.

“Don’t fucking touch me,” he snarls, shaking his arm out of Collin’s hold.

“Fine. But the nurse needs to do her job.” He stares at his brother hard.

I watch the two of them have this stare-off, and I’m wondering if someone’s going to start throwing hands, but thankfully, Preston lets out a low growl before stepping over to me. He grabs the back of my head and leans down to press a hard kiss to my lips. “I fucking love you. Do you understand me?”

“Yes.” I smile, my heart fluttering. “I love you, too.”

Collin kisses me goodbye, too, telling me he loves me and he’s gonna be back soon.

When they’re all gone, I let out a heavy sigh and close my eyes, letting the nurse do her job.

Once she’s done, my friends all rush in. They’re in tears, sobbing their eyes out. I feel like shit for worrying them.

After a lot of apologizing, crying, and promising not to do anything like this again, they’re asked to leave because visiting hours are over.

That doesn’t apply to my mom, though, because she comes to visit me as soon as my friends leave.

“Sadie.” Tears spill down her cheeks as she rushes over to me. As soon as she wraps her arms around me, I break again.

I've never cried so much in my life, and I hate feeling so weak.

“I’m going to get help again,” I promise her when we’re done crying.

“I’ve never wanted to see you like this. Not the first time, and never again. Sadie...”

“I know.” I snuggle into her. “I feel like all I’ve been saying is I’m sorry. But I am.”

“Promise me that if things get hard, you’ll talk to me. Or one of your guys. Just don’t suffer alone, okay? You’re the mostimportant person in my life. And I can’t lose you,” her voice shakes.

“You won’t,” I promise. “From now on, I’m going to trust the people who care about me and stop worrying about being a burden when I know I’m not.”

“You're not,” she insists. “And you never could be. We love you. We just want to keep you happy and safe.”

“I know.” Something else I feel like I’ve been saying over and over again.

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