Did I get that right? Did I talk at all?
In my peripheral, I saw Dad’s head turn to me, and my blood turned to ice.
Do it. Look at him.
Very slowly, I raised my eyes and met his stare head on. I gasped, but for nothing, and my lungs burst into flames—the world flipping upside down.
White dots danced in front of my face like a swarm of bees, and my fingertips tingled. My lungs were empty, and my eyes widened as I realised that Icouldn’tbreathe.
I thought my name was being called, but I might’ve imagined it.
I reached for something to grasp, but my hand was limp, and then everything went black.
Chapter 14
Cole
I’d watched with my heart in my throat as Oakley turned white as a sheet, knowing she wasn’t okay. Her voice had been shaky, barely audible, and then she dropped to the floor, disappearing into the witness box as if it’d consumed her.
“Oakley!” I shouted, jumping up out of my seat as Linda and security run towards her.
I couldn’t get to her from where we were sitting in the public gallery, so I ran with Jasper, Sarah, and everyone else along the row of chairs and out of the room, nearly tripping as I rushed.
Dodging people outside the courtroom as I moved, I pushed through another fucking door as the courtroom was being cleared. Too many barriers were between us. I had to get to her.
The jury and everyone in the public gallery were filtering out through a side door as we reached the entrance that Oakley had used.
The bastard representing Max escorted him out, along with a cop. He was too far away for me to reach. Any closer and I would’ve wrapped my hands around his neck.
By the time I dropped in front of her, I was out of breathfrom the sudden burst of energy mixed with an ice-cold fear. She was in a bad way.
“Oakley? What’s wrong with her?” Sarah cried.
“Just give me some space,” a guy administering first aid said. He looked into Oakley’s eyes and took her pulse.
“Is she okay?” I asked, staring at her pale face, wishing she would talk to me.
She’d just shut down. I watched as she turned to the bastard…. and the next minute she was out cold. This was a bad idea. Look what’d happened to her.
“Why isn’t she waking up?” Jasper asked. “Oakley! Oakley!”
He was right. She’d fainted, so why wasn’t she opening her eyes yet? How long had it been? One minute? Two? Panic pumped through my veins. I ran my hands through my hair, tugging on the strands.
Please, baby.
Another person was on the phone, getting the paramedics here, but I didn’t recognise the voice.
“Did she hit her head?” I asked.
Sarah, crying in my mum’s arms, said, “I don’t know.”
There was a thud when she hit the floor, but I didn’t know which part of her had hit the floor first.
“What’s going on?” I snapped. The feeling of total helplessness so petrifying, I didn’t know what to do with it.
Linda looked up from the other side of Oakley, the first aider still with her. “She’s breathing and she has a pulse. Please try to stay calm.”
I couldn’t fucking stay calm when she was out of it on the floor! She wanted to face her dad, and this was what happened. Why wouldn’t he plead guilty and save her this trauma? Hadn’t he done enough?
