I take the items and hold them tightly. The nurse slips away and I wrap Sean’s jacket around me. Something inside the lapel pokes me. I reach my hand in and pull out an envelope. It’s the one he was trying to give me. Sniffling, I pull it out and look at it. Running my thumb over the paper, I expect it to be smooth, but it’s not. There’s something else in there.
I open the envelope and look inside. There between the envelope and the cash, is a silver glittering necklace and a note. My lower lip trembles as I pull out my mother’s necklace. I flip open the note.
I know how much this means to you. I wish I could show you what you mean to me. I messed up, Avery. You’ll never know how sorry I am, how much I wish I hadn’t said those words.
-Sean
I clutch the note to my chest and feel too much. I always feel too much. Horror slips over me, choking me until I can’t breathe. Slowly, I fall onto my side, holding his note to my chest like it’s a lifeline, like it can change everything.
Memories flash through my mind from the night my parent’s died. It was chaos, like this. It was pain and agony, laced with shock and shadows. I couldn’t process what was happening, but now I know it—I feel it. My world is caving in. My life is being torn apart again and it’s my fault.
This is my fault.
If I’d let him speak, if I didn’t keep running away from him, this wouldn’t have happened. And it kills me, because that’s the point—this was preventable. If I’d spoken to Sean, I wouldn’t have driven into the intersection. I wouldn’t have run the light. I wouldn’t have made Sean cut in front of me. I wouldn’t have made him fall. Images of his body hitting the ground play through my mind. They don’t stop and I know they never will.
I close my eyes for a moment and curl into a ball. Machines beep behind me. The IV in my hand aches. My whole body aches, but sleep paws at me anyway. The medicine makes me tired. I hear their voices around me.
“She finally drifted off.”
“Poor thing. She’s been hysterical for…”
And then there’s nothing but blackness.
COMING SOON:
THE ARRANGEMENT VOL 5
*****
THE ARRANGEMENT SERIES
This story unfolds over the course of multiple short novels. Each one follows the continuing story of Avery Stanz and Sean Ferro.
To ensure you don’t miss the next installment, text AWESOMEBOOKS to 22828 and you will get an email reminder on release day.
MORE ROMANCE BOOKS BY H.M. WARD
SCANDALOUS
SCANDALOUS 2
SECRETS
THE SECRET LIFE OF TRYSTAN SCOTT
And more.
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The Arrangement
Vol. 5
H.M. Ward
Laree Bailey Press
This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2013 by H.M. Ward
All rights reserved.
No part of this book may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in
any printed or electronic form.
Laree Bailey Press
First Edition: April 2013
The Arrangement
Vol. 5
CHAPTER 1
Strange dreams plague me. Memories are tangled up in older memories. Everything is so convoluted that I don’t know what’s real. Time no longer exists. I can’t feel my head, although I know it was throbbing a few moments ago. To make things stranger, my parents are talking to me. They tell me it’s all right. They look exactly the same way they did the last time I saw them. My mom has her gold cross around her neck. The light catches it, and it grows brighter.
The scene shifts. There’s no floor or walls. Only darkness. I blink over and over again, trying to focus on something. My skin prickles as if someone is looking at me. When my eyes adjust, I can see the outline of a familiar form. He comes into focus. Sean’s blue gaze meets mine from across the room. My heart thumps hard. I want to walk to him, but my feet won’t move. Sean says nothing. He stands there like a ghost, flickering in and out of focus. The haunted expression I’ve seen so many times is still etched onto his face. It’s like there are things that he wants to say, but he doesn’t move. He doesn’t try to come to me.
I don’t know how long it lasts. It feels painful. Neither of us can move. There are so many things to say, but neither of us speaks. The silence is deafening. Then he walks toward me.