Stimulant and Viagra? Great.
The cocaine cranks everything up—his heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen demand—pushing the heart into overdrive. It has the potential to trigger arrhythmias or coronary artery spasms. Mix in the Viagra, which causes the blood vessels to widen and increase blood flow to the penis; now the heart’s working harder while its own blood supply can dip.
Fuck me.
This makes everything unpredictable. We need to get him to the hospital as soon as possible.
Once Edward’s on the stretcher, we push him out of the room and down the hallway. The two women are huddled beside Melissa, fear etched on their faces.
“Edward!” The blonde panics and rushes to his side, but he turns his head in disgust.
“Make sure they get their things and leave,” he snaps at us before wheezing into the oxygen mask. He glares at them. “You won’t be getting a cent from me.”
The blonde flinches, tears pooling in her eyes, but her friend scowls and pulls her away.
I bite the inside of my cheek, holding back the mouthful I want to spray at him. The dirty perve has obviously picked up these much younger women for a good time. After partying a little too hard on the powder, he took a Viagra to help him keep it up. The exertion was too much for him, and once the shortness of breath kicked in, panic would’ve overtaken him, causing the crushing chest pain.
We’ll still take him in to be monitored and thoroughly checked out, but I’m confident the bastard isn’thaving a heart attack.
While objectively good-looking, I can’t figure out what Juliet saw in the arsehole, or why she married him. But after what I’ve seen tonight, I understand why Everett wants nothing to do with him, and I have a fair idea why Juliet doesn’t want him near her daughter. Tinsley doesn’t need to be exposed to any of this rubbish. She’s too pure and too good.
Jack monitors Edward’s vitals on the drive to Beckford Hospital—he’s already improving by the time we arrive.
It kills me that confidentiality laws prevent me from telling Juliet or Everett what happened tonight. Edward will still get his fortnightly visits with Tinsley, and I can’t do a thing to stop it. The system is fucked.
Chapter 20
Juliet
As Wednesday draws nearer, my anxiety grows, sitting low and constant in my stomach.
I’ve rehearsed the conversation one hundred different ways in my head—while I’m getting Tinsley organised for school or cooking her dinner, in the shower, lying awake at two in the morning staring at the ceiling. Letting Blake see what I went through won’t be easy. It’ll change things between us, adding a weight of something more serious. We’ve been careful not to label what we are, but this feels like heading in a direction that makes it impossible to pretend it’s only casual.
I know Blake has his own demons, but he’s never given me a reason to think he’ll hurt me or Tinsley. He’s shown up time and time again—with the anaphylaxis, the preschool, her bedroom, her party—before he even knew I was the woman from Euphoria. But my history has me scared. I didn’t see Edward’s red flags until it was too late. He was charismatic and smooth and wormed his way into my life by preying on my vulnerabilities. On the otherhand, Blake is cautiously attentive, never pushes me to do anything I’m not ready for, and lets me set the pace.
We talk every day and text constantly. He sends me voice notes during his breaks or when he’s walking to his car before and after training. We send each other silly memes and talk late into the night. It’s ridiculous how much space he’s taken up in my life in such a short time. When I can’t see him, I miss him, and that’s what terrifies me.
I’m falling for him, and I’m not sure I’ll survive the fallout if this all goes south.
Telling him about Edward and the domestic violence means showing him the most fragile parts of me. The parts that still flinch when a door slams too hard, go into fight or flight at raised voices, or panic at the sound of floorboards creaking in a silent house.
Blake knows I left a bad marriage.
He doesn’t know how small I became to survive it.
What if he decides it’s all too much? That it’s too heavy? What if it’s too complicated for someone who should be enjoying uni, soccer, and nights out with his mates?
I’m scared he’ll look at me differently—I won’t be able to handle seeing pity in those beautiful blue eyes.
Blake sees me as strong and capable. He tells me all the time how lucky Tinsley is.
What happens if that illusion shatters?
I trust him more than I’ve trusted anyone in years. He’s patient and always makes sure I feel safe. When he wraps his arms around me, there’s no force in it. He’s gentle and makes me feel secure.
My only red flag for Blake is that he doesn’t appearto have any, though I’m not naïve enough to believe that. Whatever he wants to tell me has been weighing on him since our second night at Euphoria. Obviously reconnecting with his sister has brought it all up.
Maybe we’re both as damaged as each other, but will that be what brings us together? Or will it tear us apart?
