Page 95 of Unspoken Lies

“Did he really talk your ear off the entire time…” Elijah is in my face a second later, his fingers holding my chin as he tips it up so I’ll only see him. “The mirror doesn’t define you. Ignore it. You just need protein, real food, and someone to take care of you. We’re going to do that. Don’t look.”

“We?” I breathe, eyes wide as I gaze at his brown eyes. It’s the part I hang onto right now, completely overwhelmed.

“Yeah,” he says. “Buckle up, because finding any time alone is about to be really difficult. You’re going to have a lot of people riding your cute little ass. Let’s get you the fuck out of here.”

Elijah helps me get dressed, and I notice the way each thing belongs to me. The bra, panties, long sleeved shirt, pants, and boots. I have no idea what day it is, or the month. Is it March? When in March?

I can feel my anxiety beginning to rear its ugly face, whereas before for some reason, it was there but I was still calm somehow. There are too many unknowns outside of here, and I feel as if I’m about to get a crash course on it all.

“Please don’t stab me,” Elijah teases as he lifts the scissors he has and begins to fix my hair the best he can.

“Wouldn’t dream of it,” I breathe as I watch his tongue make an appearance again between his teeth as he works. “I prefer other methods of torture that keep you alive.”

His lips twitch as he chuckles under his breath, and the hair continues to fall to the floor.

“I’m going to finish this shift, and then I’m done,” he says, his lips barely moving. “I’d like nothing more than to burn this place to the fucking ground.”

“Take photos for me,” I say before I can stop myself.

Tucking the scissors away he nods. “It’s as good as it gets for now,” he says. “Let’s get you out of here.”

My hair is sitting at my shoulders, but it’s a lot more even than before. Standing, I shut my eyes against the dizziness that suddenly hits me.

“Breathe through it,” he says in my ears. “I don’t want them to use this against your leaving. I need you to walk out on your own two feet. I’m supposed to give you meds, and I’m absolutely not doing that.”

“Such a rebel,” I say, blinking my eyes open.

“That’s it,” he says with pride, nodding. “Arm through mine just in case, and let’s get you the fuck out of here.”

Trusting him, I thread my arm through his. There’s butterflies in my stomach as we walk, but my footsteps get stronger with every step.

Please world, treat me better than you have.

CHAPTER 23

JARED

Keeping my feet planted to the ground while I wait for my wife is difficult. All I want to do is pace, and my nerves are eating me alive.

Is Rachelle going to freak out when she sees me, or will Elijah give her a heads up?

The nurse at the desk glares at me as the door separating the rest of the facility opens. The bitch has made it very clear she’s ready to see my backside as I leave and that it can’t come soon enough. I’ll be happy to oblige her. I don’t like this place.

Elijah helps Rachelle through the door, and she looks incredibly pale and sore as she walks. Her hair is so fucking short, but it’s not as uneven anymore. I wonder if someone else cut it or if Elijah offered to do his best to fix it.

Either way, while she looks like hell, I’m glad to see her.

Her eyes widen slightly as she sees me, but she doesn’t show any other emotion.

The nurse bustles out from behind her desk, a large plastic bag in her hands. It appears to be things that Rachelle was wearing when she came in. Honestly, I’ll probably burn it all. All reminders of the day she came in here are tainted and wrong.

“She needs to see a psychiatrist as soon as she can,” the nurse says, ignoring Rachelle while all I can do is stare at her. “Here is a rundown of the medication she’s been taking.”

That I want.I have to force myself not to snatch the damn paperwork from the nurse’s hands and move to Rachelle’s other side to offer her my arm.

“Let’s go home, shall we, wife?” I ask as I watch her tentatively move her hand to hold onto my bicep and leave Elijah’s.

She still doesn’t say anything as Elijah gives me a hard stare before going back inside the facility and I begin walking her out.