Chapter 44
Chapter Forty-Four
Adeline
I have been in heat for a week, and I am running out of painkillers again.
I am pretty sure my general practitioner thinks I have a prescription addiction.
I am fine all day till they ring and can ignore the constant pain.
Hearing Cyrus’s voice on the other end makes my heart skip a beat, my mark burning as if someone has doused it in acid.
Such an extreme reaction to hearing his voice.
I am quick to hop off the phone before rushing to the bathroom.
I stare at my reflection, thanking the god of a person that created make-up.
My skin has been permanently flushed, and looking in the mirror, I can just make out the flushed stains on my cheeks under my foundation.
I wet the back of my neck, trying to cool down and stop the burning sensation and the throb between my legs.
How long will it last? It has already been a week with no reprieve.
I wet my hair and face, and I pat my face dry with a paper towel not to ruin my make-up.
Going to my desk, I grab my water bottle off the desk and guzzle it down.
I am always thirsty and have to refill my bottle again.
Checking my bag, I find the last sheet of Panadeine Forte and pop two between my lips before drinking the last of my bottled water.
I then walk over to the water cooler and refill it before placing the cap on just as I hear a message on my phone.
Eli: Are you sick? Why are you taking pills, and what for? And you haven’t eaten today. Please go on your lunch break.
Me: I’m fine, just a headache…
I wish it was a headache. I look at the camera in the corner with a little red light blinking, signaling it is on.
I roll my eyes; I know they are watching, but it is a little different knowing they are doing exactly that right now.
I sit back at my desk and finish sending out the emails I am working on.
By the time I can finally go home, I am spent, bloody exhausted, like every day.
I meet Taylor in the foyer. She has Maya with her already, so I know she’s picked her up on her lunch break today.
My feet are killing me from these damn heels, and I can feel the blisters rubbing on my heels, adding more pain to my aching body.
“Can’t wait to get home,” I tell her, yawning as I follow her to the car.
I listen to Maya tell me about her day, and she shows me the painting she’s done in art today. I zone in and out, listening to both of them talk on the way home; I dread home time because that means the day is ending and turning to night.
Nights are the worst. That is when the pain truly starts.
I always end up either in the shower trying to cool myself down or in a fetal position trying to stop the severe abdominal pain that comes with it, a pain only they can get rid of.
But I refuse to go running back just to get relief.
No, it will pass. It has to, right? My heat can’t last forever, or at least I hope it won’t.
The pain is almost unbearable, and with each passing night, it gets just that little bit worse, almost like the time and distance between us are making my body react strangely to being away from them.
Mom made lasagna for dinner and salad. I eat as much as I can before retiring to bed. I make sure I shower quickly before getting in my pajamas, knowing Cyrus and Eli always call her around 7PM and try to talk to me. I usually take the phone and hang up as soon as she is out of sight.
Climbing into bed, goosebumps rise on my arms even though I am overheating. I shiver when I feel a wave wash over me; this is what it is like every night. Every night is spent with little rest, tossing, turning, and running for a cold shower.
Looking at the clock on my bedside table, I groan when I realize it is only 8PM. Hearing footsteps on the stairs and walking down the hallway, I roll, facing away from the door. I hear my mother’s voice as she speaks on the phone.
“I will just see if she is still awake.”
I know instantly it is them and close my eyes, pretending to be asleep. I hear my door creak as it opens, light from the hallway filtering into the room.
“Ada, you awake? Eli is on the phone,” she whispers before I hear her walk into my room.
She places her hand on my head, and I freeze, not wanting to alert her to my being awake. Being forced to talk to them would make the pain worse, as it did earlier.
“She must have had a big day. She is asleep already,” I hear my mother say as she leaves.
“She must be coming down with a bug. She is a little hot to the touch,” she says before I hear silence as she shuts the door, and I know Eli has to be talking.
“I will let Taylor know. Talk soon.”
That is the last of their conversation I hear as she walks back downstairs.
I wonder what she has to tell Taylor. Getting up, I take two more pain pills, hoping for some decent rest before climbing under the sheet.
It is much too hot for the duvet, but I hate not having the covers on.
One night of decent sleep is all I want, just enough to not feel like I am dead on my feet.