Bound to my Enemy novel Chapter 78

Chapter 78: Chapter 78.

"I’m going to go outside for a bit," I say.

Margaret glances at me, then toward the back door. "Take a sweater, it’s chilly outside."

"I will."

The air outside is indeed cool. I sit on the low step near the garden, wrapping my arms around myself.

I don’t know how long I sit there, but I hear footsteps crunch behind me sometime later.

"Elaine."

Aaron’s voice sounds like a whisper, I sigh guessing he’s heard the news too.

"You don’t have to whisper," I say. "I’m not that fragile."

He stops a few feet away. "Didn’t say you were."

I glance back at him. He looks uncomfortable in that way men get when they want to help but don’t know how.

"Margaret said you were up," he says.

"I am."

He shifts his weight. "Do you... want company."

I consider lying, but I don’t .

"Yeah," I say. "For a bit."

He sits on the step below me, close but not touching. We watch the garden in silence. Birds hop along the fence. Somewhere, a lawn mower hums.

"I’m sorry," he says after a while.

"For what."

"For everything I guess?. I get why you didn’t want people to know, now everyone is acting strange with you. Myself included."

Another pause.

"You scared him," Aaron says.

I don’t need to ask who I already know.

"He shouldn’t be scared," I reply. "It’s not his life and it’s not like he cares or anything like that ."

Aaron doesn’t argue.

"You don’t owe anyone explanations," he says. "But... you don’t have to do this alone either. We are friends... right?."

I look at him a smile pulling at my lips. " Yes we are friends. But I’ve been doing this alone for months now kinda got used to it."

He glances at me then looks away again. "Still shouldn’t have to."

My chest tightens. I stand before he can say anything else.

"I’m tired," I say. "I think I’ll go lie down again."

"Okay," he says immediately. "I’ll be around if you need anything."

I head back inside, up the stairs but instead of Zane’s bedroom I go into the smaller sitting room instead and curl up on the couch, pulling a blanket over myself.

My body gives in fast this time, sleep dragging me under so fast.

I wake up to voices, actually no to someone groaning in pain.

I stay still at first, trying to listen in maybe sleep was just messing with me but another sound cuts through the air, sharper this time. Pain, unmistakable.

My first thought is to stay where I am, the second is to go see what’s happening.

I push myself upright. The room tilts for a second, my vision dimming around the edges. I wait it out, breathing slowly until the dizziness backs off enough to let me stand fully. My bbare feet slap the floor and the voices next door pause, then resume again, quieter now, like they’ve realized I might hear.

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