CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE CHLOE
CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE
CHLOE
NOW
Soft sheets wrap around me, and I brush my sore cheek against the cloud of a pillow my head is resting on.
I’m no stranger to good-quality linen, but these feel like they were sent from heaven after being in that cell and then the hospital.
The hospital…
Why don’t I remember seeing the doctor? Or leaving for that matter?
Maybe I’m just in another room with less scratchy sheets.
I strain my ears for any sounds of a clinic, but when there’s nothing but silence, I accept that I probably slept through the examination.
The last thing I remember is the doctor coming in and putting my IV in, and then I got really tired. Probably the adrenaline crash after everything that’s happened the last few weeks.
The soft stroke of a thumb over the back of my hand lets me know I’m not alone, and I find myself snuggling deeper into the soft mattress beneath me.
I’ll force myself to wake up soon, to face the mess that is my life, but for now I allow myself to enjoy a quiet moment.
The hand holding mine is too big to be Camilla’s, making me wonder who is sitting by my bedside while I rest.
Curiosity gets the better of me, and when I force one eye open, I almost can’t believe what I’m seeing.
Convinced I’m still dreaming, I blink over and over again, trying desperately to pull myself from whatever dream I’m stuck in. But no matter how hard I try to wake myself up, the image in front of me doesn’t change.
Deep brown eyes I haven’t seen in a decade stare back at me, making my chest ache to the point of pain.
“Hey, Mama,” Kingston says softly.
Chloe’s story will continue in Hide Little Traitor, coming August 2026.