Page 97 of Unspoken Lies

“It’s easy to be avoidant when we don’t see much of each other,” I admit. “Between school and two jobs, Elijah hasn’t seen Theo or I outside of passing out to sleep.”

“Huh,” she says softly. “Why did I code?”

“You were in the isolation chamber for six days, went cold turkey without your medication, and we think you had a severe panic attack that strained your heart,” I explain. “It’s hard to know what was the final straw that broke you. One second Elijah was trying to get you to drink, the next you were seizing and your heart flipped out. The facility is pretending none of that happened.”

“They seemed really excited to get rid of me,” she says with a shrug. “It doesn’t seem like they’re qualified to keep someone long term on a feeding tube and ensure they’re also hydrated well.”

“Fucking assholes,” I growl. “I’ve been here every single day trying everything possible to get you out. They wouldn’t let me see you, and had a million excuses. What I do know is because of Elijah.”

“It sounds like he was also keeping secrets though,” she says mildly.

“When you’re wading through hell every day, it’s easy to want to keep it to yourself,” I reply. “He says the staff found reasons to send him to other departments or found him busy work like scrubbing toilets and cleaning floors. He tipped his hand a little pulling you out of the isolation chamber, but you would have died otherwise. Between the two, the choice was clear.”

“I remember that you wanted to take me on dates and get a second chance with me, but being my fake husband and infiltrating a mental facility feels like so much more than that,” she says, at a loss.

“Dating doesn’t seem enough for what we want with you,” I say. “I know it’s a lot, but we want more.”

“I’m afraid to ask how much more,” she grumbles.

Worried she’s going to think helping her comes with unkind strings, I frown.

“I don’t like the sound of that. We want a relationship with you, Rachelle. Somehow, I’m fucking this up,” I complain.

“You can’t kill someone and then give them whiplash by telling them you’re suddenly married,” she says, rolling her eyes. “Is this supposed to be real? You do know how complicated I am, right? I’m a mess and in relationships with two other people that are in the infancy stages.”

“I’m aware of all that,” I say, nodding as I get on the interstate. I’ll be happy to get home. I’m pretty sure I’m bumbling this entire conversation. “The way I see it, you’re someone who is special enough to have a lot of people want to show you the world. Life sucks without you in it. Your doctor did you dirty, and we all have different ways that we can help you. The guys and I have Calvin to help us with a meal plan to help you gain weight, and we already have a program prepared for strength training.”

“That’s a lot of assumptions,” she says, watching the signs go by. “I may be entirely too fucked up for any of that.”

Snorting, I shake my head. “You’re stubborn and tough,” I remind her. “It takes a lot to kill you. While I would prefer we not push the boundaries of fate, the last thing I see you as is fragile. This is a bump in the road. By the way, there’s a water bottle next to you with your name on it. Your voice sounds a little rough.”

“It’s been like this since I woke up,” she says, picking up the cool bottle and gazing at the seal.

“I wouldn’t have to break the seal to drug you,” I grunt. “Just drink the damn water, Rachelle.”

“That’s not nightmare inducing at all,” she complains, twisting the cap to break the seal and taking a sip.

“While we now have a list of medications they had you on, I don’t really trust them,” I say. “I’d like to have some blood tests run to see what it shows.”

Swallowing another sip of water, she returns the cap on the bottle and nods. “I don’t know what would still be in my system at this point, but it’s worth a try,” she says tiredly.

“We’re forty minutes from Montecito. Feel free to take a nap,” I tell her.

Her head drops back as her eyelashes flutter. “I feel as if all I’ve been doing is sleeping,” she says.

“Your body needs rest. Pay attention to it,” I suggest.

Minutes later, her breathing becomes deeper, and I can tell she’s sleeping. Checking the time, I see that Elijah will be leaving work in the next hour for good. There are so many balls up in the air it’s exhausting.

I would love a nap too, but it’s not in the cards for me today.

RACHELLE

Blinking groggily, I turn and remember I’m with Jared. The rise in my blood pressure as I gasp in a breath takes a second to calm, leaving me with ringing ears and a thundering heartbeat as I see we’re pulling into a courtyard. The beauty of a pool overlooking a cliff floors me as I gaze out at it.

“What do you think?” he asks.

“It looks like somewhere you’d be happy,” I rasp, coughing slightly.