Beautifully Revealed (18 page)
Read Beautifully Revealed Online
Authors: Bethany Bazile
Liam
The shrill sound of my cell phone yanks me out of a deep sleep. I jerk into an upright position, my heart pumping rapidly, and a dreadful feeling coming over me. I immediately reach out next to me for Ella, but find the sheets
are empty and cold. My eyes begin to adjust to the bright room just as my phone rings again. I snatch it off the night stand and look at the display.
Brody.
He should know where Ella is.
“Where is she?
” I answer in lieu of a greeting.
“I followed her to Boca. When she returned, she stopped at
a motel. She’s only been in there a few minutes. Do you want me to go check it out?”
“No
,” I say, jumping out of bed. I pull on a pair of sweats and grab a shirt before sprinting out the door. “Send me the address. How far are you from me?”
“About ten minute
s…wait…a woman just stepped out. She’s carrying the case I saw Ms. Moss enter with.”
“Listen, I’m on my way down the elevator. Follow that woman, I need to know what’s in that case. I’ll be there to see what Ella is up to in a few.”
“Will do, Mr. Maddox.”
I stuff my phone into my pocket and pull my t-shirt over my head before starting the car. The address of the motel appears on my phone and more questions arise. Why would Ella be at a
rundown Motor Lodge? I can’t imagine she would end up there if she was having an affair. And what’s with the woman and a briefcase? The questions and mysteries surrounding this woman are endless. Just when I thought she let me in, there are more skeletons in her oversized closet.
I practically run every light and break every speed limit because I need to get there before she decides to take off. The wheels of my tires screech as I turn the car into the motel’s lot. The room number Brody gave me is in a rear building facing away from the road. I park next to her car, relieved she’s still here and I can maybe get some answers if I confront her here. The sound of a piercing scream
fills the air as I open the car door. Fear grips my heart like nothing I’ve ever experienced, and I bolt up the stairs, taking them two at a time.
I turn the knob of the room number Brody sent me. It’s locked so I step back and kick at the door. By the third time the lock gives and the door
flies open, then almost swings shut from the force. I step in and my eyes immediately land on Ella’s crumpled form on the floor. The pain in my gut causes me to double over and I fall to my knees, crawling towards her scared that what I’m seeing is real.
She’s covered in blood, her body lifeless on the floor. I pull her body into my arms, searching for the source of the blood. I scan every inch of her blood
-stained skin and can’t find a single cut. Her face is swollen and her ribs are turning an angry purple color. Then I notice her shallow breathing and relief surges through me. I dial Nine-One-One. I pull her shirt closed over her body and rest my head against her forehead, caressing her hair.
“Wake up
, baby,” I whisper into her ear. Any response would abate the terror gripping me. It suddenly occurs to me that she couldn’t have been in here alone. My head snaps up and I scan the room quickly, realizing whoever did this has to still be here. The bathroom door is ajar and I wonder if someone is hiding in there. I gently lie Ella down and cautiously enter the bathroom. My hands clench, ready to demolish the person who did this to her, but the bathroom is empty. I pull the shower curtains open and find no one. I step back into the room and quickly retreat in shock.
He’s dead.
I don’t know how I missed the body on the bed when I stormed in the room, maybe because the bed is in the far corner, but with the amount of blood covering the sheets, there is no possible way for him to be alive. As I step closer I notice the pocket knife I gave Ella still lying next to him on the bed. Had she not killed him I would have squeezed the life out his body with my bare hands. As glad as I am that this guy is dead, I'm not foolish enough to think this will not take its toll on her already fragile mental state.
The sounds of sirens ring in the distance and moments later paramedics and police officers fill the room. Everything passes in a whirl of activity.
Ella is rushed off and before I can join her, I’m questioned endlessly about details I cannot provide. When I get to the hospital I have to sit in the waiting room for hours with no real news of her condition. Too restless to sit and wait I take a walk and try to clear the images I saw in that room. What I felt was beyond fear. Her pain was my pain and I felt it radiate through my soul as I clung to her lifeless body on that floor. When I return to the hospital I’m directed to Ella’s room. She's awake and smiles weakly at me as I enter the room.
“Hey
.” Her voice is hoarse.
“How are you feeling?
” I sit on the edge of the bed caressing her neck and shoulders. I need to feel her warm skin under my hand, feel her pulse, strong and steady under my fingertips.
“I’m fine
, Liam.” Her tone tells me she doesn’t want me to worry, but how can I not? I wasn’t there for her when she needed me. I should’ve told Brody to kick down the door and find out what was going on inside that room. Had I done that she wouldn’t have to carry this burden the rest of her life.
I caress the back of her neck gently and
lay my head against her forehead. She reaches up and caresses my hair trying to relieve me of my worry, but it’s not possible. I look into those captivatingly grey eyes, thankful for the chance to gaze into them again.
“When I saw you on that floor…and all that blood…If you didn’t come out of this alive I would have died along with you. It’s as if your love breathes life into my lungs, it pumps the blood into my heart. Without you I would cease to exist.” My eyes shut and I let her scent surround me, that intoxicating feeling
that fills my heart every time I breathe her in. The heady awareness of her love lies heavily on my heart, like an armor protecting me from the loneliness that used to live in my heart. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you.”
She closes the space between us and
tries to kiss me, but I back off. “You’ll hurt yourself.” Her lip is swollen and I don’t want her causing herself unnecessary pain.
“Come back here
.” She pulls me in with one arm, visibly flinching from the pain in her ribs. Her intense eyes pull me back in. She’s my only weakness in this world. With one look from her, this powerful man will fall to his knees and do her bidding. I accept it as the strength of my love for her, and it’s not something I’m ashamed of.
Her lips brush against mine. “You’ve saved me in so many ways. I was lost before you, I felt worthless. You changed all that, you loved me and made me feel like I was worthy of love. Damon was my battle to fight.”
A battle I would have fought for her without a second thought.
The door opens behind us, breaking into our moment.
“Sorry to interrupt,” Dr. Knight says, looking away like our intimacy bothers him.
“It’s okay,” I get up and place a kiss on Ella’s head. “I’ll give you some time alone.” No matter how I feel about Cayden, she needs counseling and he’s the only one she’s willing to talk to. I called him four hours ago after the ambulance left with Ella. He wa
s in New York shooting his show. That he got here so quickly speaks volumes about his feelings for her. I step out of the room and call Lillian and Harris. She needs her friends here and I’ll move mountains to give her everything she needs at this point.
Isabella
Cayden stands next to the bed with his hands in his pockets, staring quietly at my bruised face. I’ve never seen him
speechless; he’s always prepared to voice his staunch opinions. He takes a deep breath and looks away. I must look worse than I thought.
“I’m alright
, Cayden,” I say trying to ease the tension forming on his face.
“No
, you’re not. We’ve had enough sessions for me to discern when you’re not okay.” He sits at the edge of the bed and gently pushes my hair back, studying the marks Damon left on me. Even in death he leaves me a reminder of him.
“It was horrible Cayden,” I confess
. “I thought I was going to die. I was so scared, and now…I’m glad to be here but I feel guilty too.” I look into his golden eyes and know I can tell him anything. “I took someone’s life, Cayden.”
He nods his head, contemplating my words. “If you hadn’t you’d be in his place.”
“But I don’t know that. Maybe he would’ve let me go. I was just so scared of him touching me again.”
“You have to know he wouldn’t just let you walk off. Unless you were ready to walk off into the sunset with him, you weren’t
going to leaving that room alive.”
I do know that. Damon’s temperament was maniacal at the least. He was delusional and his mood swings scared the hell out of me. That man was ten times worse than the man I ran away from ten years ago.
“We’re going to have to work on helping you let go of that guilt you’re carrying.”
“I’ve worn this guilt for so long, I wouldn’t know how to function without its weight on my shoulders. I can
just feel the weight increasing because no matter what Damon did to me, he used to be my friend. Maybe he could’ve gotten help and become a better man.”
“You’re not going to lie
here contemplating all the different scenarios that could’ve played out. Damon made a choice to come after you and you had every right to defend yourself.”
“I know Cayden, but I think you’re going to rack up a lot of billable hours on this.” My dry attempt at a joke works and he smiles at me.
His first smile since walking through the door.
“I don’t want to leave you but I have to go back to New York.”
“I don’t need you to babysit me, Cayden. You can’t be strapped down to me and my issues twenty-four/seven; I’m just your patient.”
“I can’t help that I care about you. I worry about you, Isabella.”
“I know you do Cayden, but I need you to go live your life. I need to learn to stand on my own feet right? Claim my life.”
“Yeah, but I’m going to help you with that. Call me anytime, day or night.”
“I will, Cayden.”
“I’m serious
, Isabella. You’re never bothering me and I’m never too busy.”
“I got it Cayden, now go, I’m fine.” He stares at me for a few moments before turning and walking out the door with his head hung low. I hate that I’m affecting everyone’s life with my constant drama. It’s one of the main reasons I didn’t make a lot of friends, people I care about always get dragged down by my shit.
The door flies open less than ten minutes later and Rich walks in with serious expression filled with pity. I don’t like when people worry about me, but I absolutely hate when people pity me. I know I have no right to dictate how someone should feel about what I’ve been through, but something about pity made me feel weak, like more of a victim than I want to be. I preferred when it was all a secret, and I could exist like everyone else, be normal and treated as an equal. I just feel like everyone will see me as that damaged, broken girl now. Strong Isabella is a front I put on, and now they all know.
Rich silently lies down
next to me, his lean body easily fitting in next to me. His hand runs behind my head and he kisses the top of my head. “Why didn’t you tell me?”
“There was nothing to tell. That was my past and I didn’t want it to have a part in my life now.”
“Our past is always part of our lives, Isabella. It scars us, molds us into who we are, and sometimes it comes back to haunt us.” After years of trying to leave my past behind, I realize it’s not possible. The only way I’ll ever conquer the ghosts of my past is to accept them for what they are and what they represent in my present.
He
rests his chin on my head, huddling me close, careful not to press on my ribs. I wonder if this is what it would’ve felt like to have a brother to protect me. Rich sighs before saying, “When I first met you, you had this glow that was dimmed by sadness. I knew that look, I’ve had that look. I promised myself I would let you open up when you were ready, but now I wished I would’ve pushed you. Maybe I could’ve helped you.”
“What do you mean you’ve had that look?”
“Most of us have past we’d like to put away and forget. For me, it was trailer parks and alcoholic parents. I didn’t go through anything like you did, but being ignored made me pretty self-sufficient. I didn’t get into college at sixteen because I wanted to be an overachiever, it was my escape.”
“Wow, I was so caught up in my shit I never realized you were dealing with your own issues.”
“I wasn’t dealing with anything, Isabella. I dealt with my past years ago and accepted it for the role it played in the man I became.”
He holds me like that until I begin to drift o
ff, content that I have someone that cares about me that I didn’t have to lie to, or manipulate, or sleep with. He just loves
me
.
“Promise me something,” I hear him say through my sleep fogged mind.
“Anything,” I whisper.
“When things get hard let us help you. You have people
who love you now. Just let us carry some of the weight for you; we’ll get you over that mountain.”
“Okay,” I say, taking a deep breath and letting the exhaustion consume me.