“Ahh!” I screamed, throwing my hands over my head and face.
Thunderous footsteps came up on me so fast, I didn’t have time to turn around.
“What good is your sorry?” she shrieked. “What do your promises matter now! He’s dead!”
Shock struck me through the chest.What?
“Because of you and your stupid sibling rivalry, my son lost everything!”
Something fell over my eyes, and wrapped around my throat.
“Eurgh!”
“His body, his future, his life—everything!” She wrenched the dishcloth tighter, popping my eyes and tongue out of my skull. “Where were you?! The whole time— The whole time!” she screamed, thrashing me around. “The person responsible was right there, and I didn’t knowbecause of you!”
Blood rushed to my face—trapping in bursting blood vessels as air trapped in my burning lungs. I clawed at the cloth, my nails bending and breaking under the assault.
“Because of you, we had nothing! No money to pay for Colin’s care! Because of—!”
My fist flew up, striking something that crunched against my bones.
“Ah!”
Mrs. Finley flew back, loosening her grip.
I didn’t waste a second.
“H-help!” I scrambled across the floor, crawling through the hall into the living room. The doorknob loomed only six feet from my grasping fingertips. “Hel—!”
A heavy mass dropped on me, bouncing my skull off the hardwood.
“Where were your promises last week, you narcissistic bitch!” Knees crunched my spine, pinning me to the floor as the dish towel found my neck again. “It’s too late!”
I garbled and gasped, black spots popping in my vision. One of the shadows moved and I strained to look away—my hands pounding and slamming the floor trying to buck her off.
Alex?
Alex stood at the window, peering through the glass.
“Al— Ag!” I called for him, reaching through the bleeding darkness.Alex, help me!
“Just die!” Mrs. Finley wrenched my head back and forth, bouncing it off the floor—bloodying my forehead as my body desperately screamed for air.
And Alex didn’t move.
HELP!
He didn’t twitch. He didn’t call for help. He didn’t shout. He didn’t tap the glass.
As consciousness fled, Alex stood there... and watched me die.
Chapter Nineteen
“...take her to the hospital...”
“...were you doing...”
“Your job!”
