Chapter 71
KAI
Seeing Alex’s arm was one thing - the bruises, the cigarette burns, the blood - but seeing his body was a whole different story.
My breath caught in my throat.
He was covered. Absolutely covered.
Bruises spilled across his chest and ribs like someone had painted them on with cruel hands. Some were faint, fading at the edges. Some were fresh and red. Others were so dark they looked almost black, deep purples and sickly yellows blooming together in a way that made my stomach turn.
It was harder to find the clear patches of skin - the untouched parts - than the bruises themselves. They were everywhere. A map of pain he’d been carrying alone.
And he’d hidden all of this.
He’d been walking around like this.
Breathing through this.
Pretending he was fine.
He stood there, small and trembling, and all I could think was how he’d ever believed he had to hide this from me. And how no one noticed for this long.
Mum kept her professional face on as she examined the bruises, her gloved fingers tracing the ones she was most worried about.
She was calm, steady, doing everything right - but I could still see it.
The flicker of alarm in her eyes. The way her breath caught for half a second before she masked it again. She was alarmed.
And I was alarmed too.
More than alarmed.
I bit down on the inside of my cheek just to stop myself from saying something I’d regret.
Curled my fists at my sides so I wouldn’t do something I couldn’t take back.
Every bruise she touched made something hot and furious rise in my chest, something I had to swallow down because Alex didn’t need my anger right now.
But my eyes kept dragging back to the bruises, burning into them, then flicking away, then back again like I couldn’t help it. Every mark felt like a punch to my own ribs.
And I couldn’t stop myself from making it obvious.
The pressure building in my chest was too much, too sharp, too close to spilling over.
So I looked away before it showed on my face.
I took a few steps to the right, putting a little distance between us - not because I wanted space from him , but because I needed space from the anger clawing up my throat.
Alex turned to look at me immediately.
Of course, he did.
He could tell I was angry. He read me too easily, like my thoughts were written across my face in letters I couldn’t hide.
“It’s okay, Kai,” Alex spoke quickly, swallowing hard. “I’m fine. It’s fine.”
My voice came out low, tight, barely controlled. “It’s not fine.”
“Kai,” Mum murmured gently, without even looking at me. A warning. A reminder to keep myself together.
He looked up at me, and the expression on his face made my stomach turn. He looked startled - like he thought my anger was aimed at him. Like he thought he was the problem.
I dragged in a breath, forcing myself to soften. For him. Only for him.
“Sorry,” I muttered, though the anger still trembled under my voice. “I just… I didn’t know it was this bad.”
Mum kept her movements slow, respectful, but I could feel her watching me from the corner of her eye - making sure I didn’t spiral, making sure I didn’t make this harder for him.
“I’m okay,” he whispered, even though we both knew he wasn’t.
I shook my head, eyes fixed on the bruises again. “No one should ever do this to you.”
My voice cracked on the last word.
He stared at the floor, fingers twisting in his jumper. “You don’t have to worry about me,” he muttered. “I’m used to it.”
“You shouldn’t be used to it.” I shook my head. “You shouldn’t be.”
He looked down, heat crawling up my neck. “I didn’t… I didn’t mean to make you upset,” He whispered, guilt tinged in his voice.
“I’m not upset, Alex,” I said with a sigh.
And I wasn’t. Not at him anyway. But the words came out tighter than I meant, and I saw the way his shoulders twitched - like he was bracing for something. That alone made my stomach knot.
Before I could try again, Mum cut in.
“Why don’t you wait in the hallway?” she said, her voice calm but firm. Then she gave me the look - the one that meant you’re not helping right now .
I froze for half a second, looking from Alex to her. Alex, pale and trembling, eyes darting between us. Mum, steady and professional, but clearly trying to keep the room from tipping over.
I swallowed hard and sighed, the frustration burning under my ribs. I didn’t want to leave him. Not when he looked like that. Not when he was hurting. Not when he might think I was walking away because of him.
But I also knew Mum was right. I was too wound up. Too close to snapping at the wrong thing. Too close to making Alex think he’d done something wrong.
So I stepped back. Then another step. Then I forced myself to turn and walk out into the hallway.
The moment I crossed the threshold, the air felt colder. Quieter. Too empty without him beside me.
I wasn’t upset with him. I wasn’t.
But God, it was getting harder to keep that from showing.
I sat on the stairs, letting my head fall back against the wall. I dragged a hand through my hair, trying to breathe past the squeeze in my chest. Every bruise I’d seen was still burned into my vision.
I didn’t even hear Mum come out until she spoke.
“Kai.”
I straightened immediately, wiping the frustration off my face like it was something I could hide. “I’m fine.”
She gave me a look - the kind that said she’d known me since I was born and I wasn’t fooling her for a second.
“You’re not fine,” she said quietly, stepping closer. “And that’s okay.”
I clenched my jaw, staring at the floor. “That’s bad, Mum.” That’s so much worse than I thought.”
“I know.” Her voice softened, but not in a pitying way - in a way that made my chest ache. “But you can’t fall apart in front of him right now. He’s holding himself together by a thread.”
I swallowed hard. “I wasn’t trying to scare him.”
“I know you weren’t.” She touched my arm, grounding me. “But he reads you. Every flicker. Every breath. If you tense, he thinks he’s done something wrong.”
That hit harder than I expected.
I let out a shaky breath. “I don’t want him thinking that.”
“I know,” she repeated, gentler this time. “So take a moment. Breathe. Let me finish checking him over. Then you can go back in when you’re steady.”
I nodded, pressing my palms against my eyes for a second. “Is anything broken?”
Her silence was answer enough.
“I think he’s got a fracture to his rib. It’ll heal,” she said finally. “But he needs calm. Rest. Safety. And right now, you’re too wound up to give him that.”
I hated that she was right.
I hated that I couldn’t just walk back in and be what he needed.
But I also knew she wasn’t asking me to leave him.
She was asking me to be ready for him.
I took a slow breath, letting it settle in my chest. “Okay,” I murmured. “Just… tell me when I can go back in.”
Mum squeezed my arm once, reassuring. “I will.”
Then she slipped back inside, leaving me alone with the echo of my own heartbeat and the promise that I’d be there for him - properly - as soon as I could breathe again.