Chapter Fifty-Seven

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Hannah

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Hannah

"Oh God," I breathed, recoiling in horror.

She misunderstood my reaction. "Please. Please. You can't take him from me. I need him. You can't take him from me." Another sob wracked her body as she curled into herself, hugging her knees to her chest.

I could only stare at her with wide, horrified eyes, still trying to come to terms with what she just told me. Surely she couldn't mean him.

"Are you talking about Dylan Masters?" Who was I kidding — I knew it was him. I guess I was still holding out hope that it was some other Dylan I didn't know. Because if it was him, then I had a sinking feeling about how she ended up in this state.

She gave a small, pathetic nod and my stomach dropped.

I sat back, defeated as well as tired. This whole thing had quickly drained the last remnants of rest I had managed to get last night.

Just then, Jenny returned, holding an old towel and a water bottle. Crouching down beside us, she silently offered the towel and water to Beth, indicating that she should clean herself up. It was evident from the tense atmosphere around us that none of us were inclined to offer her any more help. No one trusted or liked her right now.

Beth slowly and hesitantly took the towel from Jenny, her movements careful and tentative as she dabbed at her face and neck, still hiccupping softly. She looked so small and fragile now that she was devoid of the feral anger that had possessed her just moments ago. Bruises were already beginning to darken her eyes, and, thankfully, her nose had stopped bleeding. Though, I suspected I had broken it.

"I'm going to wait outside for the cops. The sooner she's gone, the better," Molly muttered, grumbling to herself as she walked out.

Jenny looked back at me, leaning close to whisper, "What do you want to do? I don't think we need to restrain her, but if you don't want to be in the same room, then Amanda and I can handle her by ourselves," she cleared her throat, a hint of amusement in her eyes. "That punch of yours did the heavy lifting. Don't worry, we'll tell the cops it was self-defense, but remind me not to get on your bad side."

Her offer was kind, and I appreciated it, but I knew I couldn't keep running away. Beth had approached me twice before, and I still had no idea who was behind those threatening messages — The only way to figure that out was by talking to her.

"No, it's okay. I need to talk to her."

She looked hesitant. "Are you sure that's a good idea? We could barely get her off you just a few minutes ago — what if she snaps again?"

"I'll be fine. She won't catch me off guard again, I mean — just look at her."

Together, we turned our attention to Beth, who sat motionless, staring blankly at her bloodied fingers as she clutched the towel. She looked lost. This might be harder than I thought.

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