Chapter 137 SHATTERRED
SLOANE'S POINT OF VIEW.
My world comes back to me in bits and pieces as I wake up with a cough. Everything burns.
My throat.
My chest.
My heart.
My lungs sting as taking in air feels like being stabbed with a thousand needles. Suddenly, I'm pulled forward, as something solid collides with my body.
"Breathe, princess. I wouldn't want to kiss you yet. You'd like it too much."
Someone says, as their hands rub on my back. My coughing fit doesn't let me see who it is, because my eyes are shut tight from the pain in my throat, as my body racks from the force of my cough.
Moments later, I blink, my vision blurry, as my throat stings, while trying to make sense of my surroundings. All of a sudden, the face hovering over me comes into focus, as that chill smirk makes me recognise him.
"Ace." I breathe out in shock as I realise his arms are around me in a hugging fashion.
He looks maddeningly calm as he stares lazily at me.
"First day in school, and I'm already playing lifeguard. I should have charged a fee." His smirk tilts as his voice drops low. "But then, you looked great in my arms."
"What the....what happened? Where am I? What's going on?" I fire at him, but he doesn't betray his calm demeanor, as he lets go of me to walk around.
Suddenly, the beep sound of the monitor beside me, the smell of drugs, and medicine fill my senses, as the sting from the IV drip in my hand makes me realise something.
I'm in the school hospital.
The events of earlier also flash in my mind, as Roxanne's words, the way she hissed at Eldric, shatter my broken heart even more.
A bet?
I was only a bet to Lucien....all the times we spent together. The kissing, holding, him defending me in front of everyone, him helping with my mother.....me falling in love with him.
It was all a prank.
What I thought was no longer fake was always fake....at least to him. I was the fool who held onto my foolish heart.
Before I could speak or sob painfully, the familiar voice of someone charged in.
"Oh my god, Sloane!" Her voice breaks the silence, followed by her footsteps, as she rushes in.
"Amara?" I ask, unsure of whether or not I was dreaming.
How did it all go so wrong?
I was still smiling at his text earlier....he called me his girl.
Was that fake, too?
Her arms wrap around me in a bear hug, as she sobs on my neck. "I was so scared when I got the news....how are you doing?"
"What are you doing here? You're supposed to be in Prague."
"I know. I returned a bit earlier. I leave for a few months, and you almost drown?, Sloane. I thought we agreed on you being good while I was away."
Her voice is choked with relief, but mixed with sadness, as her tear-stained cheeks stretch in a sad smile. Before I could speak, she turned to Ace with hard eyes and thin lips set in a grimace, as Ace's voice stopped me.
"Well, looks like I've been replaced. Mama Hen has arrived, and here I thought I was about to at least get a thank-you kiss from the queen of Ravenscroft High."
"Who the hell are you? Amara asks.
"Ace Everhart." He responds, his hand on his chest as he bows like we're in the fucking Middle Ages. "Charmed to make your acquaintance."
I detect another accent...and for some reason, it flashes a sense of recognition through me,...But I can't piece it together yet.
"Again...who the hell are you?" Amara asks again, as she places her hand on her hip, while giving him a no-nonsense glare.
The action almost makes me smile, but my lips refuse to stretch because I know Lucien would be here in no time, and I'd have to confront him about all I'd heard.
Ace doesn't lose his smirk, though, but for some reason, I caught a flash of his left eye twitching slightly.
"Savior, charmer, gentleman. Terrible swimmer too, but by some miracle, I was able to rescue Sloane here from a near-death experience."
His grin is wicked as he stares at Amara with dark eyes filled with something that seems sinister, so sinister, I shiver slightly.
But before I could ask him about how he found me, someone barges into the ward. The door slams against the wall, as his chest heaves in what looks like fear and panic.
Lucien.
His blue eyes regard me alone as he reaches me in three long strides, while disregarding everyone else.
"What the fuck happened? Who did this?" He asks, his voice hard, as his hands brush my hair and face softly.
I stare at him with skepticism and hurt as Roxanne's words come back to mind.
A bet.....Nothing but a damn bet.
Whore.
Eldric's words hit me the hardest, as the events in the principal's office from earlier came back to my mind again. I hadn't forgotten it.
I don't think anyone can forget being called something so degrading, especially from someone so powerful.
"Let me go." My voice sounds out emotionless, exactly as I'd wanted.
"What?" He asks, his tone cold, as he stares at me with curious eyes.
"Let me go," I repeat, my jaw clenched, as I fight the urge to thrash around him.
"No. Tell me what happened."
"Lucien....was I a bet?"
He stares at me for what feels like eternity, not saying a word.
His expression is guarded, as his body tenses around me. "Who told you that?"
His question hits me like a ton of bricks.
He didn't deny it....he wasn't saying it's a lie.
He never said Roxanne was lying. He never told me to trust him.
Pain clenches me hard as I stare at the man I've come to love, even though it feels foolish.
He could never be mine, he was always going to be someone else's....but for some reason, I still dared to love him.
I push myself to my feet, trembling on my shaky legs.. My throat is raw, but I force the words out. “You tell me. Was I just a bet to you?”
The stupid hope I'd clung to dashes to the floor, as the urge to scream erupts inside me.
“A bet?” Amara spits, fury trembling in her voice as she steps forward like a shield. “You son of a-”
"Amara." I stop her. "Don't."
"I think you should leave. I don't want to do this anymore. We're over."