novelxo Chapter 20
Chapter 20
Timothy didn’t seem to mind carrying me down the mountain by himself. He was
determined to keep me in his arms, and that alone put me on alert. I could feel
his own heart beating beneath my fingers, its pace dangerously fast.
On the way down, we discovered my phone lying at the trunk of a tree in
surprisingly good condition.
An hour later, we reached the hotel in a state of exhaustion.
There was enough juice left for me to see the new text that appeared on my
screen. There was no name with the number, so I opened it out of curiosity.
I've found out where you are, Coco, it read.
The phone slipped from my hand, and I fell back against the mattress. It felt like
the wind had been knocked out of me as the words flashed before my eyes.
Coco.
There was only one person who called me Coco. A despicable man, if I could
even associate him with being human. I checked the text again, the words the
same as
before.
My breaths became ragged and short. That feeling of suffocation returned, my
airways constricting as I turned over desperately. My eyes shifted around the
room.
My pills. I need my pills.
My face was wet with tears. Between desperate gasps for air and the swelling in
my ankle, I felt utterly hopeless. Amid tearing through all my belongings,
everything was strewn across the floor in messy heaps.
After all this time, Bruce had gained control of me
He always did.
There was a loud knock at my door, and I screamed in ala time more determined.
It came again, this
“Evie, open up!” my boss, Mr. Erickson’s, harsh voice came through the door.
“You've got some explaining to do!”
I clenched my teeth. Now just wasn't the time.
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Wed, 20 Mar
Chapter 20
“Evie, open this door now, or so help me...”
Body wracking with sobs, I used the nearest wall to pull myself away from the
floor. I wiped my face on my shirt sleeve and limped toward the door. The
banging continued as I unbolted the lock and opened it with slight hesitation.
Mr. Erickson didn't bother with any greeting. He pushed past me and entered the
room, his face puffed up with anger. When I turned, he had an accusing finger
pointed directly between my eyes.
“I gave you one chance, Evie!” he growled. “One chance not to screw it up. You
couldn't even give the guy a simple hike on the trail?"
“Please!” I bent over, growing dizzier as my breaths grew shallow. He was
making it worse. I was already drowning, and he seemed intent on holding me
under until I passed out.
There was a light knock beside my ear and I turned to see who had intruded on
the conversation. I stumbled back to find Timothy standing in the doorway.
“Ah, sorry. I just found this bag in my room,” he said softly, lifting a red bag that
looked like my own. “Figured it belonged to either of you.”
I fell to my knees and coughed. Sweat dripped off my forehead and onto my
shaking hands as I clawed at the carpet. I was losing sensation in everything,
losing a grasp on reality itself.
“Evie?” Timothy rushed to my side and placed a hand on my back. “What's going
on?”
I pointed at the red bag in his hands and spoke between gasps, “My...pills!”
Without a second thought, he was unzipping the bag and rummaging through its
contents. He pulled out the small bottle and held it up. “These?”
“Yes!” I broke into sobs as he unscrewed the top to the pill bottle and slid two
capsules into his palm. He crawled toward me as I curled into a ball, my body hot
and cold all at once. He brought his hand to my mouth and pressed the pills to
my lips.
“Come on,” he said, his voice gentle but urgent. His other hand was rubbing my
back.
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A
13.02 Wed, 20 Mar
Chapter 20
52%
Forcing back a cry, I let the pills fall into my mouth and scrape their way down my
dry throat. I still couldn't find the strength to sit up. My limbs had become lead.
“What's she doing?” The boss asked. “Is she-"
“Not now!” Timothy snarled at him.
The boss clamped his mouth shut.
Timothy was hovering over me still, his presence a consistent warmth. “Breathe
for me, Evie.” He cupped my head beneath his hand and lifted me up until I was
sitting on my knees, facing him. “We've got to slow that heartbeat down.”
“I can't do this...." I choked out. “Not again.”
“I'm here with you,” Timothy whispered. He placed his hands on my shoulders
and gave them a light squeeze. “Concentrate on something else. Here, look at
me.”
I lifted my head and met his eyes. They didn’t hold their usual harshness. There
was something soft behind them, welcoming.
“Breathe in with me. Hold for three seconds,” he said.
I did as he said, counting to three before releasing a shaky breath. He prompted
me again to breathe with him, hold, then release. We repeated that for what felt
like a millennium.
We held each other's gaze, neither daring to look away. I was caught in the
trance, my heart slowing its beat between long exhales.
“Thank you,” I croaked. I brought a hand to my aching throat, finding myself more
appreciative of the air. “How did you know what to do?”
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Timothy looked to the side and
shrugged one of his shoulders.
“ any
Team procedures Asan athfete' tm
destinelit6 Tacs I
2 ace some tension and
anxiety on the field. They keep a
professional psychologist around to
. "
help us relieve that stress as well.
The content is on Novelxo.org!
Read the latest chapter there!
He removed his hands from my shoulders, though the motion was reluctant. His
expression hardened and he pulled away, clearing his throat.
“We'd practiced so much that I recognized you were having an anxiety attack.
Thankfully, those techniques helped.”
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Chapter 20
Mr. Erickson cleared his throat, breaking the silence that had stretched on
between us. His anger had simmered down, giving way to a more awkward aura
as he shifted between feet.
“Erm..." He rubbed the back of his neck and gestured to me. “I'll leave you two
alone.”
Mr. Erickson abandoned the room quickly, leaving Timothy and I crutched beside
each other on the floor.
“Right.” I sighed shifting away from him. “Well, I won't keep you up too long.”
Timothy lifted an eyebrow. “What?”
“You should head to bed. It's getting late, and I've kept you here long enough,” I
explained, attempting to push myself up onto my feet before Timothy held my
arm as support.
He lifted me onto the bed, but he showed no signs of moving. “I can't just leave
you here like this.”
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wy . . Pl =
It's fine, Timothy. Honestly,” I tried to
. : P o
assure him, but he didn't budge, his
. or p
face contorting with wry d &alldnt
fle
sfrake hy 6Wh Unease as my gaze
drifted over to my discarded phone,
the text from Bruce still at the
forefront of my mind. The content is
on Novelxo.org! Read the latest
chapter there!
“You could barely breathe,” Timothy pressed on. “At least let me sit with you for a
bit. You look terrified.”
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Terror was an understatement, and I
would be lying if 1 said his presence
5 ) i 5
didn’t settle my nerves Yiishand tad
f=
moved td élutch my own, which had
still been trembling. After a long
stretch of silence, I sighed and turned
to meet his eyes. The content is on
Novelxo.org! Read the latest
chapter there!
“If you wouldn't mind,” I said carefully, and I was surprised at how quickly he
smiled with relief.
“I wouldn't,” he said gently, patting my hand as stood abruptly. “Let me go get a
pillow.”
As he left to go get his things, I felt my heartbeat pick up speed once more, but it
wasn't due to fear.
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