Page 13 of Unforgiving Queen

And then what,I wanted to ask.What kind of accident?It was all too much.

Even if I’d been able to say the words, I wasn’t sure I’d want to know the answers. Being strong sucked. Being weak even more so. Where did that leave me?

Alone. Withouthim.

“You and Phoenix are all I have left,” she whispered. “Don’t you leave us. Losing your mom just about killed me. Losing you… I wouldn’t survive it.” Her voice cracked and she cleared her throat. “You fight in there. Fight for your sister. Fight for me. Fight to live.”

* * *

Beep. Beep. Beep

My eyes fluttered open.

The buzzing in my ears was constant. Beeping rattled my skull. Bright fluorescent lights assaulted my eyelids and I groaned, reaching to touch my temple.

My eyes instantly grew wide, spotting tubes attached to my veins. My fuzzy vision cleared with each blink, and I lowered my gaze to find the heavy cast on my other arm. Bruises and cuts painted every inch of visible skin.

“What’s—” I coughed, my throat as dry as the Sahara.

“She’s awake.” I heard my grandmother’s voice before I felt her warm touch on my hand. I turned my head slowly, squeezing my eyes shut and then opening them again to look at her. My girlfriends and my sister were sitting behind her. Four wide-eyed, tear-stained faces. Grandma’s lips came down to my forehead, fluttering over it. “I’m so glad to see your beautiful eyes. How are you feeling?”

I swallowed, the lump in my throat still there.

The images started filtering in. The party. Amon. I remembered how fucking bad it hurt to see him with someone else. I remembered my anxiety being dulled out by the pain of my heartbreak.

Then a set of headlights.

And another.

There was a voice I heard before I passed out.

It sounded familiar, yet not.Don’t make me resort to drastic measures.

“How did I get here?” I coughed out, my chest tight.

The girls shared a glance before Phoenix looked at Grandma, who averted her eyes and straightened her spine. I waited, holding my breath. I didn’t know what for, except that I needed to hear it.

Phoenix stood up and walked over to the window, pressing her forehead against the glass. Rain pounded on the other side of it, and somehow I knew she’d felt this pain before.

This heartbreak.

It was what she’d been warning me about all along. Phoenix wiped at her eyes and turned to face me. My big sister looked drained. Tired. Exasperated. But she didn’t say anything.

“A good Samaritan,” Grandma answered simply.

My heart squeezed. “Has anyone come to visit me?”

Something flickered in her eyes.

“Just your papà and us.” Why did it feel like she was lying to me? My memories were scattered, my thoughts confused. I’d thought I’d heard Amon’s voice, but maybe it was all in my head. I took a deep breath in and slowly exhaled, focusing on my feet under the blanket. I swallowed, my lungs burning. Or was it my eyes?

“What’s the prognosis?” I asked, my voice weak.

A heartbeat passed before Grandma answered, “It’s not the best. The doctor needed to perform an urgent surgery, but with time, he thinks you’ll be back to normal.”And the baby?I wanted to ask, but I couldn’t find my voice. I suspected the answer and was terrified to hear it. “Your abdomen will be sore for a while, but the damage isn’t permanent. You’ll be able to have children one day.” I swallowed a lump in my throat, the back of my eyes burning. My fingers reached for my necklace, twisting my necklace just like my heart. “I’m going to call the doctor and let him know you’re awake,” she added softly and I wondered if that was my confirmation that she knew I was pregnant.

She pressed a soft kiss on my cheek, then whispered and disappeared from the room.

The door barely clicked behind her when Phoenix signed, “I told you he was no good for you.”