Page 56 of Until Now

“I’ll be downstairs,” I walked out the door without another word.

And I haven’t spoken to any of them since. The plane ride was quiet, not even Kai or Eileen attempting to talk. The moment we got home, I changed into hiking clothes and left. I needed space.

You're missing something. There’s something you don’t know.

§

I don’t think I realized what was happening, not until I was already falling toward the ground. Maybe it’s the lack of sleep or I just wasn’t paying attention, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is the pain shooting through my left leg as my ankle twists one way and my leg the other, the jagged rocks dig and scratch my skin as I land. The pain almost unbearable when I try to push from the ground but fail. My heart beats in my ankle, in my thigh… This is not good. The sun will set within the next hour and I have no reception which means I’m on my own. Just like I wanted…

Everything begins to hit me chipping away at the wall around me blow by blow.

Lee.

Teagan.

Mother.

Lying.

My ankle.

Nick.

His secrets.

Our mistake.

I let the tears fall freely for the first time in a long time.

I’m not sure how long I’ve been sitting here, but I know the sun is lower than before. I need to get moving or I’ll be trying to hike back in complete darkness. Probably not the smartest idea. I wipe my eyes and examine the damage done. My ankle is swollen but seems manageable. I can move it without too much pain. The real damage is my leg. A deep bruise has already formed on my left thigh. Blood covers my leg from a gash in the middle of the bruise; it’s deep, but I don’t think it needs stitches, thank God. Small scratches and gashes litter the rest of my skin. It’s going to be a long walk back, but I don’t have a choice. I need to wrap the biggest cut, I can’t risk something getting into it. I peel my tank top off turning it inside out hoping I don’t run into anyone else on the trail.

“Fuck,” I hiss wrapping the shirt around my thigh. A small whimper when I tighten the knot. I just need to make it a quarter mile to the car.

Pushing up from the ground, I remind myself it’s not that bad. I don’t need stitches. I just need to get to the car and then home. I can do this…

Chapter Thirty-Four

I undo theknot in my tank top and peel it off my leg and fuck if I don’t want to just chop off my leg because I’m sure it would be less painful than this. I begin pushing my shorts down my legs, but the bedroom door opens. His gaze immediately lands on my left leg — a large purple bruise on my thigh; inside the bruise, a deep gash. Dried blood around the edges. Smaller bruises pepper the rest of my leg. Closing the door, Nick rushes to my side. “Shit, what happened?” He tries to look at the wound, but I ignore him. “Do you need to go to the hospital? That looks bad, it might need stitches.” I continue to ignore him walking — limping — towards the bathroom, but he grabs me. “Nina, what happened?”

“Sto bene.”

“Look at your leg! I didn’t even know where you were. What—what if it had been worse?” I push past him, a rush of pain with weight on my leg. “Let me help.”

“Nick, just leave me alone.” But, he doesn’t budge. “Please, I need a shower. I just need twenty minutes…alone.” My eyes well as my leg throbs. “Nick, please.”

“Dee, I’m sorry, okay? I didn’t mean to sound like an ass, I just—”

“A mistake, yep, got it.”

“No, we just…We don’t know each other. I mean, we just started whatever this is. And with Lee—”

“Are you fucking kidding me?” I scoff. “You don’t trust me at all, davvero? That’s why you think it was a mistake. You think I’m going to up and leave you for Lee.”

“No.”

“Then what is it?”

“I don’t know. I just…I…” His jaw locks like he’s trying to hold back whatever he wants to say.

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