The Blackmail Bride

Chapter 8

Tears

Tears free-falling from my eyes, I continued to stare at the door where Jace went out of. Emotions were cruel, taking full assault of my senses. The shaking I felt was inside of me at the realization that no one--no one would believe me.

I flinched when the door opened again. The female nurse stopped at the messed up sight that I was and offered an apology.

"I will remove the drip now, miss."

I absently nodded as she approached, lifting ny left hand for her. My eyes watched in faraway fascination as she pulled out the needle before quickly pressing a cottonball where ii was removed. She instructed me to press on it.

"The doctor gave his go for discharge. You're free to go home, Miss" she picked up her implements, then turned to the door with a nod, "sir, the patient is ready to leave."

My head turned to the door, already knowing what my eyes would find. Jace was leaning against the door, hands in his pocket. He nodded once as the nurse left, shutting the door behind her. And then he was approaching me. Another paperbag was dumped on my lap. This one with a logo of some well-known clothing brand.

"Change your clothes. I'm sure your family is already waiting for you at home."

I nodded without looking at him. Snatching the bag, I turned to the other side of the bed and got down to avoid him altogether and hastily went to the en-suite bathroom. It was reflex that I locked the door to bar his existence. And when I turned my back on the door, I was met by a mirror that showed me my exact physical state.

I was as white as a ghost. My cheeks were tearstained and there were no exact words to describe the expression on my face.

The girl in the mirror was a stranger. Bags under her eyes and her cheeks a little hollowed out from the last time she cared to look. But that had to be a trick of the light, no one should be able to lose this much weight in just a month.

I shed the hospital clothes and looked into the bag. It was a peach, sleeveless and formless shift dress. When I wore it, I noticed how loose it was on me. The scoop neckline emphasized the sharp protruding collarbones that weren't there a month ago. It was a sad picture but it made no use to dwell, and I breathed out a sigh.

How could I let myself fall to this much disrepair?

I didn't linger much longer on the sight and immediately went to the door, twisting the knob open. I almost jumped in fright. Jace stood directly in front of the door with a dark expression on his face.

"You locked the door," there was accusation in his voice.

"It's nothing you haven't seen before," I threw his words back at him with a shrug. I stepped to the side to avoid him but he blocked me.

Blood rushed to my head. "What more could you possibly want?!" I was feeling raw inside and he was the only available punching bag. My only consolation being he deserved it.

But my outburst didn't seem to affect him. He lifted a hand to show me what he held there. It was my backpack and I snatched it from him, glaring like a weary prey. He stepped aside and I stormed off. I almost slammed the door when I went out of that room. But then had to stop at a single realization.

I didn't know where to go.

Jace came out of the room next and scoffed when he saw me standing there.

"This way." He turned his back at me and walked down the left hallway. We took an elevator and went down to the underground parking lot of the hospital. The whole way to his car, I followed behind him and not once did he look back to see if I was following.