By Chance

Chapter Thirty Five : By Chance

Brady's POV

I really was foolish enough to believe that Summer and I would get our happy ever after when we got home from Hawaii.

I can't fucking believe I was stupid enough to actually think that.

How could I have been so fucking oblivious and slow-minded to assume such a good thing? I should have known that the entire trip was just the calm before the fucking storm.

Waking up to find Summer not by my side where I left her fucking terrified me, but I forced myself not assume to worst and got up to look around. I thought she might have been back in the bathroom or was getting her mind off of what happened by cleaning.

The message on the mirror broke her down, threw her on the ground, and beat her just like the man who wrote it. I'd rather die before I ever have to see her go to such a sad, lonely place again.

Again, I was so fucking mindless to think I was able to help her enough to come to bed with me and relax, dealing with the disaster upstairs tomorrow.

Clearly I couldn't have been more fucking wrong.

I paced around the house, trying not to act too frantic just in case I did find her, searching for the girl I love.

I didn't find her, and suddenly my world began to spin and I had to rush to the toilet to throw up.

I knew then that she was with Lance. There was no other explanation. Not after how deeply his words affected her.

I called her, praying I was wrong and she just went to stay with Elle or another friend for the night, but I was almost immediately sent to voice mail.

I knew Summer wouldn't have done that. If she didn't want to speak to me that badly, she would have let her phone ring and ignored it.

Someone saw I was calling her and didn't like it, so they took the phone and took care of it for her.

It was then that the tears finally broke free. I thought that she was never coming back to me, and the assumption alone hurt enough to kill. I didn't even get to fucking say goodbye.

I thought that I lost another person I loved beyond words.

I, as the one person who is supposed to keep her safe and protected, allowed her to run to the one person in the entire fucking world that she feared the most.

For those few minutes, I wanted nothing more than for Lance to come over and finish what he threatened. I didn't have a reason to live on. Not with Summer in such great danger that I couldn't keep her away from.

But then I saw the headlights shine through the large window of the living room, and I hurried to see it was Summer.

I cried harder from relief as I sprinted out to hug her, never wanting to leave her side ever again. She's all mine and I will stop at nothing to make absolutely fucking sure that never changes because of him.

Even if it's the last thing I do.

I glance over at her in the bed next to me, barely being able to see her open eyes in the darkness of the night.

I turn over to face her while she lays on her back, just staring at the ceiling, and scoot a little closer.

"Hey," I quietly say, starting up a conversation.

Her eyes shift to meet mine, and I almost break down at how different hers look. They're not as full of life as they were before I opened the fucking door.

"Hey," she responds just as silently.

I hesitantly reach out to touch her, expecting her to tell me to go away like she did so many times in the bathroom. I'm surprised when she reaches out and places my arms around her waist, pulling on my neck to bring us to a closer position.