Let Me Go

- Chapter Twenty-Two - Elora -

I could feel the tears in my eyes, before they fell down my cheek. I looked down to my hands, still covered in blood, this time dry and flaky. I took a deep breath, letting the tears fall, before I stood up from the bed and walked to my bathroom to take a shower.

I stopped in front of the mirror, taking in the person standing in front of me. She didn't look like me, not in this state anyway. Her face was bruised, dried blood covered her neck, her hair tangled and messy.

I pulled Luca's jumper off, letting it fall to the floor with a thump before I pulled off my other jumper. My chest was covered in blood also, my bra stained. I stared at my reflection for a moment, trying my hardest to take it all in.

My eyes filled with tears again at the sight of my body, I could see purple under the blood. I had bruised most of my torso by the look of me. I turned away from the mirror as I continued to undress, I needed a moment where I didn't see my broken body standing before me.

I spent an unnatural amount of time in the shower. I sat for a portion of it, watching the water falling around me creating little splashing puddles. I washed my body once, twice, three times, even more than that, realising there was blood in places that I hadn't seen at first. I washed my hair, my face, the spaces between my toes. I scrubbed everything, every inch of me until I was red. I cried as I watched the water at my feet go down the drain, the red seemingly never ending. I just felt numb.

I climbed out of the shower slowly, my body still exhausted. I hadn't asked Harry why I hadn't had a wound on my neck, I didn't know if I wanted to know the answer. Not yet at least. He had mentioned Luca healing me, I didn't want to know what that meant either.

Instead I dried myself off, looking in the mirror once again. It was worse than I had first thought. I had bruises coving both arms, decorating my skin up to my collarbones, they were a deep purple, almost like I could see the blood underneath my skin. My chest was the same, different shades of purple covering me like I was a painting. I turned around to see my back, it was the same. I was surprised I didn't have any broken bones. My hip was a dark purple, I must of landed on it more than any other part of me and it looked like even the slightest touch would send pain shooting through me. I decided I wouldn't touch my skin. I couldn't feel anymore pain.

I looked away from the mirror once again, grabbing some underwear and a comfy bra and putting them on, delicately as I winced at the feeling. I grabbed my dressing gown, putting it over my bruised skin, trying to ignore it for a moment. I walked back out to my bedroom.

There he stood.

Luca.

His back was to me as he looked out my window and into my yard. I didn't know how to feel about seeing him. Was I scared? Was I glad? Was I thankful that he had saved me?

No. I didn't want him here. Not after all the secrets. Not after everything I'd seen him do. But I couldn't move my legs, instead I stood there. Waiting for him to notice. Something inside me was glad to see him, yearning even. That little spot in my chest wanted to drag me over to him, close the distance. But I couldn't. Not now.

He turned slowly to face me, his hands in his pockets, his eyes looking at the floor. I stood in the doorway from the bathroom, crossing my arms, unsure whether to walk over to him. Harry had told me I didn't have to worry, that he wouldn't hurt me. But after what I saw, was that the truth? I tried my best to keep my breathing steady, to get air into my lungs. God forbid I pass out and bruise my body any more than it already was.

He looked up to me after a moment, before breathing out loudly in shock. He had obviously not expected me to look so broken. He took a few steps towards me as I watched, wondering if he would stop, but he made it to a few feet away from me before he stopped. The backs of my eyes prickled, but I blinked away the tears, I didn't want to break, not in front of him.