Page 29 of Chance
I froze midstep, every muscle in my body locking, red rimming my vision.
“Whores will be whores.”
“Enough!”Jos snapped right as I turned to confront Rory.“I’m done listening to you run your mouth.None of this has anything to do with you.I’ve spent decades staying quiet for Tanner and Matt, but that stops here.You don’t get to come in here and talk about one of mine like that, Rory.”
Chance moved in front of Jos before she could reach his mother, acting as a wall between them.His silence added another crack to my heart.If he’d told Rory to shut up or asked her to apologize for what she’d just said, I might have given this—us—a chance.But he allowed her to continue to disrespect my sister, and that made him unworthy of my heart.
How I could have thought for even a moment that Chance Reid was the one who could heal the broken parts of my soul was suddenly lost on me.This man couldn’t even see me.He couldn’t heal anything because he was now one of the people responsible for breaking me.
Evie
Vaughn stood outside a closed door,arms folded in a military-like stance, looking like he was protecting the most precious person in the world.That it was my sister’s door caused tears of gratitude to fill my eyes.I paused in front of him.
“D-does she know yet?”I asked quietly, in case Evy could hear me.When I’d realized he was Abi’s husband the night before, I’d known it was time to have an in-depth discussion with my sister.If we were going to stay in Creswell Springs, we both needed to face the role Vaughn had played in our lives.
“She knows I’m here.It would be better for both of you to have a long conversation about that night.”He stepped aside, and I was thankful Mila didn’t ask questions.There was enough drama going on around us.“She’s resting at the moment.”
Inside, Abi was sitting on a chair beside the bed where my sister was sleeping.Standing there looking down at her, I was thrown back to the moment I had been the one in her position, waking up in a bed similar to the one she was lying in.How scared and alone I’d been, how angry and soul-weary I’d felt until I’d seen Evy.From the moment I’d seen her, and realized she wasn’t a psychosis-induced hallucination, I’d started to heal.
But in the time since we’d been reunited, I’d seen the price my twin had paid.She’d spent so long fighting to get me back, protecting me, that somewhere along the way she’d forgotten to live for herself.That was on me.I hadn’t fought for her the way she had fought for me.Selfishly, I’d pretended like everything was perfect now, when she was destroying herself.
Swallowing a sob that tried to choke me, I made it as far as the foot of the bed before the first tear fell.
“It’s not as bad as you might be thinking,” Mila said softly, her hand touching my back.“She was having an allergic reaction all day.I didn’t realize how bad it was, how uncomfortable she was.And then Rory came in.Things got heated and a little chaotic.When everything started to calm down, Everly started to panic.She was sedated and given antihistamines as well as plenty of fluids in an attempt to flush everything.”
Scrubbing a hand over my wet cheek, I couldn’t tear my eyes from my twin.“An allergy to what?Neither of us is allergic to anything that I’m aware of.”
“About that.”Mila sighed.“You and Chance didn’t have sex, did you?”
Surprised by such a personal question from someone I barely knew, I looked at her.“What does that have to do with my sister?”
She grimaced.“Everything.You’re identical, which I know from experience means that if one is allergic to the spermicide in condoms, then the other would be as well.Everly found that out the hard way.That it was her first time probably didn’t help the situation.”
“Oh.”That information began to sink in.“Oh.”
“Yeah.”She looked at me expectantly, and I realized she was waiting for me to answer her original question.
Snapping my gaze back to my sleeping sister, I clenched my hands into fists at my sides.“I didn’t have sex with Chance.”
That surprised her.“Huh, okay.Well, at least only one of you had to experience this particular predicament.And now you know.For future reference.”
Abi hummed an agreement.“Her doctor mentioned that she would be released once she’s awake and able to confirm that the treatment plan is helping.Blood work confirmed it was an allergic reaction and not an underlying condition.”
“That’s a relief,” Mila murmured and stepped back.“I’m going to head back to the waiting room.I know what happened when you first got here must have been a lot, and I don’t want to overwhelm you.”
“Thank you for taking care of Evy for me,” I told her, attempting to give her a smile.“I don’t know how to repay you.”
“None of that shit.Everly is one of my people now.And I always take care of what’s mine.”She opened the door but hesitated, looking back at me.“Rory doesn’twantto like you, Evie.No one is going to change her mind.Not even Matt or Chance.If you want to be with Chance, you’re going to have to hold on tight until she finally accepts it.”
That echoed what Matt had said the night before, and I’d taken it as a warning.At the time, I thought he meant I’d have to hold on to Chance because of all the other women in his life.Now I was wondering if it was because of a single woman.His mother.
Shaking that thought away, I turned my gaze back to my sister before the door shut behind Mila.I didn’t need anyone’s advice when it came to Chance.He’d already put cracks in my heart.I wasn’t going to give him the power to break it completely.
Too late.
Ignoring that annoying inner voice that continued to haunt me, telling me that I’d already given Chance the power because I’d already given him my stupid heart, I focused on the only thing that was important.Evy.Abi stayed with me for a little while, but when Evy started to get restless again, she excused herself to give us privacy.
Taking my sister’s hand, I sat in the chair by her bed, counting her breaths and thanking the universe for not taking her from me.Silent tears fell.If something happened to Evy, I wouldn’t survive.She was my reason to keep fighting the darkness that was always lurking at the edges of my mind, keeping the constant taunts from William’s ghost to end it all whispering in my ear.
