The look only hurts me more.
I let go of the knob and distance myself from him, turning my back and folding my arms across my stomach.
God, it’s so fresh.
Every word from his lips.
I promise I’ll come back for you.
Every minute behind those bars.
Baby girl. You still like to color, don’t you?
And every second that followed after he left me to die.
I’ll let you in on a little secret Lucas didn’t tell you. Promises are made to be broken. People like you and your mom? You deserve to die.
I snap back to reality when Adam steps closer, his warmth on my back. Rough fingers trail up my bare arms, and a shudder runs through me.
“I trusted you,” I whisper.
His hands freeze.
I step forward, out of reach. “I waited for so long.” A sob works up my throat, but I force it down. “Even when the door closed. Even when I climbed as high as I could and water still reached my mouth. I waited. I still thought ... I thought maybe ...”
The air is so still it feels frozen. Images, sensations, emotions—I’ve opened the floodgates, and now I’m drowning in them.
I hear him swallow, and I whirl around.
He’s looking anywhere but at me, his fingers working his collar like it’s too tight to breathe.
A rush of anger surges through me. My eyes narrow, and I move forward.
“Do you have any idea what it’s like? To watch your mother drown right in front of you?” When my toes brush his shoes, I lift my chin and grit my teeth. This would be so much easier if he’d just back away. Why won’t he back away? “To be so scared you can’t breathe? Can’t cry? Can’t call for the one person who was supposed to—who was supposed to—” My words choke on a sob, and I hate it.
I step around him, my arm brushing his shirt, and he catches my wrist, keeping me in place.
He holds my gaze with his, the coldness in his voice not matching his eyes. “I wanted to be there—”
“You abandoned me!” Tears stream down my cheeks. I tug my hand, but he only grips it tighter. “You left me withRaife. Was that part of your plan from the start?” My words hang between us, and I know I’m being ridiculous, but they spill out on their own. I can’t stop the conflicting mix of emotions gripping me. “Did you tell him to lock the door after he took the key too?”
A low growl works up his throat, and he walks me backward until my spine hits the wall. I suck in a breath.
“What key?” he grits.
The door to the bathroom opens, but neither of us break our gazes. I narrow my eyes. “The key he took from my mom. The one he used to lock the deadbolt.”
Something flickers in his eyes, and a vein pops in his neck. He places his palms on the wall on either side of me, then he leans down, his lips grazing mine. “I came back for you, Emmy.”
My heart skips in my chest, and butterflies jump from my stomach to my throat.
“I came back,” he rasps, his shoulders rippling with tension. “I never meant to abandon you. I was a fucking idiot. I thought I could do it. I thought I could get everyone out of there.” His eyelids lower, and he dips his head so he’s somehow closer. His breath skates across my skin. “I fucking failed you.”
His nose brushes mine, and I run my tongue over my lower lip. His gaze drops, his lips parting, and just when I think he might kiss me, he pushes off the wall.
All the air releases from my lungs at once. My chest is pounding, and I can feel the disappointment all the way to my toes.
He turns away, runs a hand through his hair, and clasps the back of his neck.
I can’t tear my eyes from him. The banging in my chest makes it harder to breathe with each second I stare.
He came back.
He came back for me.
