Page 71 of Accidentally Forever
Some part of me hoped she had gone there to snap a few photos, and got lost in her art. But that wasn’t who Aria was. We were all worried about what happened today, so she would answer if she could.
The fact that she couldn’t sent chills up my spine.
I ran a stop sign, ignoring the honking car beside me, and slammed on my brakes as I made it to the side of the road where I could see the edge of the bridge. There was nobody else there, since it was not a high traffic time and there was a slight chill in the air.
The scream echoing through the air made my heart stop.
I jumped out of my SUV and ran toward the bridge.
I knew the moment I saw the tableau in front of me, I’d break if I let myself. The picture in front of me would forever haunt my dreams. I would never paint it, never see it on canvas or in any media.
But I would know every shade, every angle, and every moment until the end of my days.
Aria stood in the middle of the bridge, on the other side of the railing, holding on for dear life, as Travis stood behind her, a knife to her throat. There was blood matted in her hair, and some of it on her cheek, and I knew she had to be hurting because she was unsteady.
One slip and she would fall into the river below.
From what I could tell, the river was moving fast enough that it was probably at the right depth that she wouldn’t immediately break her neck if she fell. But there was no way I could know that. My blood grew icy, digging into my spine as I moved forward, not knowing what the hell I was going to do. It wasn’t as if I couldcome up from behind Travis at this angle and stop him. Even if I did, one wrong move and he could slice her neck, or pull her down off the bridge.
“Travis. You don’t have to do this. Put down the knife. We can just talk.” Aria’s voice sounded so calm, but I heard the fear beneath it. I didn’t know if I wanted Travis to hear that fear.
“You never want to talk. You always tried to lecture me. ‘Travis, you’re drinking too much. Travis, you need to focus on your art. Travis, why don’t you love me?’”
“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I hurt you. But please, you’re scaring me.”
“Good. Do you know how hard it was to wait for the perfect time to get into your garage? How long it took for you to finally leave your precious house? And then I had to drag you here until you finally woke up. The only reason you’re even standing beside me where you said you would always be is because I have a knife. You’re a liar. If you really loved me, if you really cared about me, if you really followed through on any promises, you would’ve stood by me, doing everything you said you would.”
Fear coated my tongue as I moved forward, hoping to hell this was the right decision.
“Let’s just talk, Travis. You don’t want to do this.”
“Stop telling me what to do!” Travis yelled.
“I’m sorry. Just put down the knife. We can stand here. But you need your other hand on the railing, and not on the knife,” Aria said calmly.
“Fine. But don’t try to pull yourself over the railing. I’ll pull you with me. You understand? You go with me just like you always promised you would.”
I could see Aria’s face pale from here, but she nodded slightly against the knife at her throat. “Okay. I understand.”
Travis swallowed hard before he dropped the knife. It fell into the river below, and I tried not to think how far it had to go before it hit the water.
I didn’t want that to be Aria.
Nor did I want it to be Travis because as much as I hated the man, I didn’t want that. Because Aria would never forgive herself. And I didn’t want her to see that.
“Let’s talk.”
“I’m done talking!” Travis cried out.
“Then talk to me,” I blurted, afraid because Travis had just put his hand on Aria’s arm.
Travis jerked slightly, and Aria’s foot fell off the side of the bridge, and she let out a soft squeak before clinging to the side again, her foot finding purchase.
“What are you doing here?” Travis shouted, his eyes wide.
“I’m just here to talk, Travis. You don’t have to do this.”
“Yes, I do. Don’t you see everything is ruined? Everything I touch turns to ash. It drowns itself in sorrows. I thought Aria understood. But she doesn’t. Nobody understands.”
