Page 58 of Dissent (The Dissenter Saga #1)

T here was a knot in my stomach that I just couldn’t unravel since we left headquarters.

Matias led the way with Edith, while I trailed behind, arms wrapped around my stomach.

It was dark, but plenty of people bustled around as everyone prepared for curfew.

I wasn’t even paying attention to where we were going.

I was too focused on the cocktail of emotions I had twisting and toiling within me.

We approached the medical bay, which, for the first time, had a gorgeous, dark-skinned soldier standing guard outside of it.

His feet shoulder-width apart and arms behind his back, he straightened as we approached.

The curls of his black hair came to rest on either side of his face around his eyeline, drawing my attention to warm, honey-colored eyes. He was older than us, but not by much.

“Do you have any injuries? If you don’t have injuries, I’m afraid no one is allowed in,” he said.

“Well hello ,” Edith purred on approach. “None here, soldier. But if it gives me a ticket for a good time with you, then I think I can find something.”

Oh god, Edith…now? She swept her silky black locks back off her shoulder.

The movement was playful, inviting, and predatory all at the same time.

And I wasn’t the only one that caught it.

The soldier shifted his weight on his feet and darted his gaze back and forth across us all, clearly unsure if she was mocking him or about to jump his bones.

Leave it to Edith to always be in a spicy mood.

Matias, on the other hand, definitely was not.

“We’ve got permission from President De’vor to come in.”

“I haven’t received any permissions,” the soldier pushed back.

As if on cue, the flaps of the tent opened to reveal Sergeant Major Giza. “Good evening, soldiers.” His expression was hard to read, but I could detect the somber tone in his voice. “At ease, Jeremiah.”

“Jeremiah? Well, hello Jeremiah…” Edith sauntered forward.

Giza rolled his eyes. “Come on in. She’s toward the back.” No one said anything else as Jeremiah took a step back, leaving the space before us clear.

Matias didn’t hesitate, immediately consuming the steps in front of him and disappearing through the entrance.

Edith gave the soldier a wink, tossed her hair back, and then followed suit.

But I hesitated. The wave of mixed emotions swelled in my belly once again.

It was all there, the guilt and shame for Chelsea’s capture, the joy that she’d escaped, the hope that maybe we could be friends one day, and the realization that hell would probably freeze over first. Then there was the fear for her safety and whatever the hell was coming our way.

It was all there, but the worst one was the jealousy.

Bitter.

Toxic.

Toiling in my stomach like the poison I knew it was. Nothing good ever came from jealousy. But that’s the problem when you’re an insecure rich girl with daddy issues. Jealousy becomes your shadow.

Giza looked at me and gently placed a hand on my shoulder.

“It’s going to be okay, Miss de la Puente.

” I didn’t know if he understood everything going on inside me, if he had pity, or if what he said was the best he could come up with, but it eased my suffering.

I gave him a brief nod as I steeled myself and went inside.

The medical bay looked just as it did earlier that day, with the rows of cots on either side still empty.

This time, however, at the very back, two curtains were drawn instead of one.

Edith was already standing there, holding one of them back as she peered into the space beyond, giving me a glimpse of what was happening on the other side.

As I took each step toward them, the scene in front of me played out like a movie.

Chelsea was sitting on the cot, dressed in a medical gown.

They had cleaned her up, her curly red hair draped about her, the vibrant hues standing brighter against the white of the gown.

She had IVs in her arms, and the tubes attached to them rose and split up into several bags.

One was filled with blood, another with a minty blue fluid, and another filled with clear liquid.

Though most of her body was covered by the gown, the parts that could be seen of her caused my stomach to roil, threatening to send the bit of chocolate I consumed earlier out of my stomach and onto the floor.

Her skin was marbled with colors. Purples, reds, blues, yellows, all bruises in different stages of healing.

Scratches, scraps, and burns decorated her skin.

And her face—oh my god, her face—was unrecognizable.

Her left eye was bruised and swollen shut.

Her other eye had a gash on the brow line, just missing the eye itself.

Her bottom lip was split, and more bruising colored her upper lip, cheek, and jaw.

Death would have been more merciful.

As I reached Edith, my heart tumbled over itself as my mind put the pieces together. A question formed, and I asked it, not caring what Matias was asking her, not hearing what answer she gave. I needed to know.

“Who did this to you?” It came out as a whisper, but somehow, it cut through their conversation, causing everyone to look at me.

I knew the obvious answer—the REG, Raúl, Telvian soldiers.

But Chelsea knew what I was really asking.

She’d lived with me for some time, worked in the house, witnessed it all, knew it all, like a fly on the wall.

My eyes met hers, and I could see the fury within them.

I could see the malice that was stirring within her, the desire to tear something apart.

The silence hung for only a second, and then another. Then she responded.

“Your brother.”

No. I wanted it to be a lie, but her words unearthed knowledge that had been growing since my eyes saw her mottled body. Please, no…not Jacob. He couldn’t have done this. He wasn’t like Raúl or Belinda. He wasn’t cruel. He had a kind heart. He was… good .

“I’m going to kill him.” Matias spoke as though he were stating a simple fact, like announcing the sun rose in the east. But there was a chill in his words, and the iciness of them sent a shiver down the length of my spine.

My stomach sank, becoming an empty pit that threatened to swallow me whole.

My eyes shifted to Matias, catching his gaze.

“You can’t,” I breathed out, the words barely audible.

He couldn’t…Matias couldn’t. He knew how much Jacob meant to me, how much I loved him.

Besides Chase, he was the only other thing that kept me grounded, that helped me feel safe, especially when Belinda was around.

Matias was like stone, arms crossed, with a cold energy seeping off him. A look of pure hate was sinking in across his expression. “You can’t.” I was struggling to form the words, my voice still barely a whisper as the last word escaped my lips. “ Please .”

His eyes drifted to mine and caught me there, but he said nothing. And his lack of a response was a response in itself. Matias was going to kill Jacob. The chill that ran down my spine spread throughout my whole body, leaving me trembling.

Chelsea crumbled then, her body curving inward over itself as she gripped her head, digging her nails into her skull as she shrieked out in pain, “Oh god, please , make it stop!”

Matias was at her side in a flash, the look of hate replaced with concern and affection.

Both of his hands went to hold her elbows, giving her support as he brought his body down toward her.

His face— his lips —were so close to hers.

My insides twisted into knots as magma hit my heart and permeated my entire system, replacing the frigid chill with the familiar bitterness and burning of jealousy.

“Chelsea, what’s wrong? What’s happening?” he asked her.

“I don’t know,” she gasped out, her knuckles going white with the strain of her grip in her hair. “Just make it stop! Make the pain stop!”

Edith turned on her heels beside me and called out for help.

I knew I should do something…anything, but I was frozen.

The cocktail was back. Fear—so much fear for so many things, twisting with hurt, tangling itself with jealousy.

I could hear boots running toward us, but I didn’t turn around to see who it was.

Because in front of me, Chelsea had relaxed.

Whatever pain had been there was now gone.

And in front of me, she placed her hands on Matias’s stomach, her fingers curling around his shirt.

Her eyes locked with his, and the exchange carried so much in it—longing, hurt, fear, and… love.

“Please…” her voice was delicate, and her tone a plea.

“Don’t leave me.” The second the words escaped her lips, I knew exactly what she was asking him.

It was so much more than a request for company.

There were so many layers to her simple plea.

And I wasn’t stupid. I knew what she was asking of him.

Choose me.

Matias collapsed, taking her into his chest, wrapping his arms around her and resting his cheek on the top of her head, just like he had done with me.

Just like he held me that first day at the river.

Just like he held me while we talked earlier in the day, watching the sunset.

I was all too familiar with that enveloping gesture.

“Shh, it’s okay,” he cooed, soothing her. “I won’t leave you. I won’t leave you ever again.”

His words grated against my insides, causing all the emotions that had been warring within me to roil.

I wrapped my arms around myself as my world collapsed, the pain stabbing my heart, turning it into a broken, mushy mess.

Because I knew what this meant. It was stupid of me to think that I could compete with the history they shared. That somehow, I was something special.

As others joined us, brushing past me to attend to Chelsea and whatever the hell was going on with her, I took steps backward.

My breath came in quick and shallow, and I felt myself wanting to get lost in the chaos erupting all around me.

My vision blurred as tears threatened to cascade down my face, but I blinked them back.

I wouldn’t do this. I wasn’t doing this again.

I took another step back, looking around me, not wanting to witness Matias and Chelsea’s newfound love for one another. That was when I saw them—hazel eyes fixed on me, unwavering and burning like liquid gold.

Wes.

I felt a tear slip, the wet droplet rolling down my cheek. Wes’s stoic expression gave little away, but his eyes…his eyes were speaking volumes that I just couldn’t read.

But I didn’t care.

Nothing mattered anymore. I turned on my heels and moved quickly, bumping into Edith on the way out.

I was so sick of all of it. I was so done with the whole effing thing.

Screw it. Screw everyone ! I threw back the flap of the infirmary when I heard my name being called behind me.

I didn’t know who it was, and I really didn’t care.

As the cool air hit my face, the urge to flee hit me. And that’s what I did.

I ran.