Page 208 of Finding Olivia (Trace + Olivia 1)

lled out short pajama bottoms and a long sleeve shirt of Trace’s that would hide my fading bruises. I didn’t like to see my bruises, and being reminded of what happened, so I knew no one else did either. It was hard enough, knowing something bad has happened to someone, but seeing the evidence all over their bodies tears you up inside.

“I can do it myself!” I yelled at Trace when he tried to help me out of my clothes.

He flinched like I had slapped him. “Are you sure?”

“No!” I croaked and collapsed onto the bed, sobbing. “I hate this, Trace. I feel so helpless. I can’t walk up stairs or change my own clothes! It isn’t fair! Why did this happen to me?” I buried my tear-streaked face in my hands.

I heard Trace kneel in front of me and then he was prying my hands away so he could see my face.

“I don’t know why this happened to you, baby, and I know it isn’t fair. But you’re alive and that’s something to be grateful for,” his eyes bore into me, straight to my very soul. “I watched you die, Olivia, and that’s something I’m never going to forget,” he swallowed thickly. “But you came back to me, because you’re a fighter, and you’ll fight through this and you’ll get through the pain. In no time, all of this will be nothing but a distant nightmare,” his eyes were clouded with tears and his voice was thick with emotion. “It’s okay to question why this happened to you, Olivia. That’s normal. But don’t let it eat you up inside. You have to move on and put it behind you, so you can live your life to the fullest, because that’s all anyone can ever do.”

I took a shaky breath and hiccupped. “How do you always know exactly the right thing to say to me?”

He chuckled but it was weak. “It’s a talent. Now please, let me help you. There’s nothing wrong with letting me help you.”

Slowly, I lifted my arms above my head and he removed my shirt, careful to keep space between his hands and my healing ribs. He lifted the shirt I had grabbed, over my head, and it fell to my thighs. He removed the sweat pants I was wearing and replaced them with my blue flower pajama shorts. He helped me up and then pulled the covers back. I lay down in the bed and he pulled the blankets up to my chin.

“Do you want me to send Avery away? Or do you want to see her?” He asked.

“I want to see her, but tell her I’m really tired,” I pleaded, gazing up at him. I hoped the concern in his eyes would fade soon. I didn’t like it.

“I’ll tell her,” he bent, kissing my nose, and strode out of the room.

He’d barely walked out when Avery came barging in. She sunk to the floor beside the bed.

“Oh, Olivia,” she cried, “It’s so good to see you awake. I came to see you at the hospital but you were sleeping and then once you woke up, Trace wouldn’t let me come in and-”

I didn’t want her blaming Trace, for not being allowed to see me, so I quickly interrupted, “He kept you away because I didn’t want to see you.”

“But…why?” She was confused.

I reached for hand. “You’re my best friend, Avery. I didn’t want you to see me like that…so hurt and tired. I was a mess. I slept most of the time anyway, and my medicine made me a little loopy,” I added a smile to hopefully relieve some of the tension from her body.

“Olivia, none of that matters. I’m your best friend and I wanted to be there for you,” she squeezed my hand.

“I know,” I whispered, my eyes growing heavy. I fought against the sleepiness that was clawing through me. “But after everything that happened…I needed some space.”

“Well,” she looked at me fiercely, “you’re home now and I’m not letting you withdraw from me…or anyone. What happened to you was horrible, Olivia. But please, don’t let it change you.”

“How can it not change me?” I questioned. “I was almost murdered, Avery, by a man that for twenty years of my life, I believed was my father.”

She climbed into the bed beside me. “I know you’re going to be…affected by this,” she paused, running her fingers lightly through my hair to relax me. “But I don’t want to see it make you a different person. This wasn’t your fault, Olivia.”

“It was,” I sobbed. “And if he had found my mom first…he would’ve killed her, and I would’ve had to live with the fact that I got my mom killed, for the rest of my life. I thought I was doing the right thing, getting her away from him.”

“You did the right thing,” Avery held me as I cried. “I know it may not seem like it right now, but you did. You saved her, Olivia, and Trace saved you. Not everyone gets a second chance at life, but you’ve been given one. So, live it.”

e p i l o g u e

October

A few months later

Moving on, after going through something like I did…is difficult, to say the least. There were many days that I didn’t want to get out of bed and face the world, but I knew I had to, and Trace helped to push me. He didn’t let me dwell on what happened. He helped me move on. I didn’t know what I would do without him.

Before I knew it, summer was over, and I was starting my junior year of college. It didn’t seem possible that so much had happened to me in such a short period of time.

But it did.

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