Broken & Torn (Emerald Falls #1)

38. 38

38

PARKER

E very muscle in my body is coiled, tensing with each passing moment. What is five minutes, feels like hours. My truck speeds through the winding roads heading towards town. The words playing on repeat in my head.

“There’s a darkness in me.”

Despite gulping down air, I feel like I can’t breathe.

My heart is racing.

I’m visibly shaking

Blood is coursing through me at an alarming rate.

Adrenaline floods my system as I race towards her, and I silently beg whoever is out there to hear my plea.

Please let her be okay.

After an excruciating drive, I pull up to the store and practically fly out of my truck, not even bothering to close the driver’s side door. Something in the air feels urgent, tense, like every spare second is important. I run into the store, barely hearing my sister call my name as I dash for the apartment door.

I knock once, twice .

Nothing.

Then I’m banging on the door with my fist, begging Lyla to let me in.

“Lyla, open the door!”

Silence on the other side. Not even the sound of shuffling footsteps. My heart pounds in succession with my fist, hitting the door with force. Something is definitely wrong.

I turn on my heel, running down the stairs and into the office. I frantically search for the spare key to the apartment door, my heart rate picking up speed with every passing second.

“What are you doing?”

My sister pops her head in, concern written all over her face. I ignore her, letting out a sigh of relief when I find what I’m looking for. My feet carry me out of the room and back up the stairs, nearly tripping on the last step. Inserting the key into the lock, I turn it swiftly and hear it click.

“Lyla? Baby, I’m coming in!”

I enter the hushed apartment and what I see next alters my very being, forever.

Red fills my peripheral, along with a slumped form. The smell of copper invades my nose and I turn my head, a cry forcing its way out of my throat.

There’s Lyla, laying in a pool of her blood, motionless.

My heart literally stutters as I take in the scene before me. There’s a knife on the ground beside her outstretched hand. Her body is slumped on the ground, and blood cakes her once golden hair. Her eyes are closed as if she’s in a peaceful sleep, contradicting the gore. I fall to my knees, barely noticing the way the blood immediately soaks into my jeans, and scramble to her. My hands shake as I reach out, pulling her into my chest as my eyes swim with tears.

It’s the most horrific pain I’ve ever felt, like losing my mother ten times over. Guilt surges through me as I think back to our last conversation. I’d been so stupid, so lost in how her mood had been affecting me that I hadn’t thought to look for the signs .

I desperately cling to her, wishing I could breathe life back into her lungs.

The woman who made me believe in love again.

The woman whose smile had lit the world.

The woman who had once been so full of life, is now lifeless.

A scream tears its way out of my chest, hitting the walls and echoing in the space that has faded without her vibrant presence. It brutally ravages my throat, but I don’t care. Nothing matters without her.

“Peyton! Call 911, now!” I yell before turning my attention back to Lyla.

Frantically, I pull a dish cloth off the counter and use my teeth to rip it in half. I wrap both of her wrists, tying the cloth to control the bleeding. It feels futile at this point, but I won’t give up on her.

I look down at her pale face, stroking my thumb over her cheekbone that’s too pronounced. Tears fall and splatter on her forehead as sobs rack my body. My shoulders shake as I cry for everything we had, everything we were, and everything we would never experience together.

I don’t know how long I sit there, holding her frail and cold body. Tears continue to flow down my cheeks as I hear sirens in the distance. I blink up and notice Peyton standing in the doorway, her eyes filled with moisture and a hand clasped over her mouth.

Looking at my brave girl one more time, I pull her closer and place a kiss on her forehead.

“It’s okay.” My voice breaks. “I’ve got you.”