Page 152 of Broken by my Bully

I step around the shrub and onto the curb, coming up behind Haven and Rooke. Haven’s the first to spot me, glancing over her shoulder and then giving me a stunned double-take.

“…almost did, but it looked like she got it under control at the last minute,” Bastian’s saying, but Haven’s eyes are locked to mine. “Didn’t you, Miss Lee? Miss Lee?”

She blinks, shaking her head as if she’s coming out of a trance. “Y-Yes, Professor, Sir. Um…”

“Hey, Parker, did Ezra get the time wrong or something? I thought we had that meeting now?” I ask as I step up beside them.

Rooke, the fucking psycho, barely flinches when he sees me. But he’s pretty fucking quick to take a step away from Haven.

Yeah, you’d better back up, you motherfuckingcunt.

Melissa sends me a cool glance. I don’t know her that well, but she seems pissed about something. But like just about everyone in college, she doesn’t dare let Rooke see.

“It’s tonight,” she snaps. “Just getting the new girl settled in. Go inside. Everyone’s waiting.”

She sounds like a fucking telegram. I keep expecting her to say ‘stop’ at the end of every sentence. Lord knows why Ezra thought this chick was fuckable. She’s way too fucking high-maintenance for my psychopath of a brother.

I saunter past as slowly as I can, straining for any last words from either of them.

Haven’ssettling in? What does that even?—

“Wait…I’m moving in tonight?” Haven squeaks like the little mouse she is. “But all my stuff is back at—I mean, in my car. Myothercar.”

“You already put everything in the trunk, Miss Lee. Did you forget?” Rooke says.

How the fuck does he know where her stuff is?

“Oh. Right.”

I glance back in time to see Haven slide a hand behind her neck. Her smooth, pale,unmarkedneck.

I almost walk into a porch column.

Where the fuck is my hand necklace?

I marked her. Branded her. Made hermine.

Now she’s gone and covered it up like it never happened.

LikeInever happened.

I scoff quietly to myself, shaking my head. Like she can just erase me with some fucking makeup. No way she can pretend she didn’t beg for more when I was choking her out against the tree.

Unless…Jesus…

What if none of that shit actually happened?

I know I went to class. I can clearly remember Bastian saying he was running late, and then keeping his class occupied. How devastated Haven looked when I read that thing about her car.

But now, seeing her standing there by Melissa and Rooke, a little wild and untamed, but perfectly unhurt…I’m doubting my own fucking sanity.

She looks up, our eyes locking.

And her hand slides from the back of her neck to the front. She traces her fingers over her skin, her lips parting. Then she licks her lips and looks away, facing Rooke with almost steely determination, eyes wide like she’s forcing herself to pay attention to what he’s saying.

It happened.

She covered it up, but it fucking happened.