Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 81 - Chapitre 90

Kassidy's POVThe familiar sight of our shared house didn't feel the same when I finally walked back through the front door. The doctors had run their final tests, flushed the remaining toxins out of my blood, and signed the discharge papers, but stepping back into regular life felt strange. I was still numb to it all. I could hear the cars driving past the street outside, and I could hear my friends talking in low voices, but none of it was really registering. It felt like I was watching my own life through a thick sheet of glass. The terror of that night had faded into a dull quiet, leaving my mind blank and heavy.I was tucked into the corner of the living room sofa, buried under three thick wool blankets to keep the lingering cold out of my bones. My feet were resting comfortably on Celeste's thighs, who was rubbing my feet with slow pressure to help my circulation get back to normal. Eli was sitting on the opposite armchair, his eyes never really leaving my face as he tracked ev

Kassidy's POVThe very next day, I found myself on a wooden bench on campus and watching the other students walk past, feeling like I was still completely disconnected from the regular university routine. My body was tired, but Bree and Simone had refused to let me stay locked up in my dark bedroom for another afternoon.“You need the vitamin D, Kassidy,” Bree said, leaning across the table while her tight blonde corkscrew curls bounced around her face. “Sitting in that house is only going to keep your brain foggy. Look at this shade, it’s the perfect spot.”“She’s right,” Simone added, adjusting the colorful headbands she used to keep her thick black afro out of her eyes. “We aren’t going to make you talk about the hospital or that trash bag Luca. We just want you to sit out here with us.”Simone had bought three cold cups of green tea from the campus café, and the bitter, earthy taste was actually helping to clear the dry feeling from my throat.“I’m glad you guys forced me out,” I

Eli’s POV When I finally arrived home in Hudson Falls, Wisconsin, I parked my car and slammed the vehicle door shut, barely remembering to grab my keys as I sprinted up the familiar concrete driveway. My chest was pumping from the adrenaline of the three-hour drive, my knuckles white as I gripped the handle of the front door and threw it open, expecting to find a scene of total medical chaos. But I was shocked to see that Piper was doing alright. She was sitting on the couch and crocheting, curled up in the corner of the sectional under a fleece blanket, a ball of pink yarn rolling on the carpet near her slippers as her fingers worked a pair of plastic needles with total ease. There were no paramedics or oxygen tanks anywhere near her. 

Kassidy's POV That same night, I was slowly drifting into an exhausting slumber under three thick blankets, when a loud creak outside my bedroom door made my ears twitch. I heard the front door open and close, followed by the heavy, dragging sound of his boots on the living room rug. I knew it was Eli; he was finally back from Wisconsin, but I had no strength to get up and go to say hi to him. My limbs felt like they were made of lead. Eli's shadow moved across the hallway, and the door of his room opened and closed beside mine. A few seconds of silence passed, and then I heard a sound that made my heart ache in the dark. It was a low, broken sob, followed by a muffled choke as if he was trying to bury his face in his hands to keep from waking the whole house.  It sound

Kassidy's POV Finally, the Pizzeria emptied out. The kitchen crew had already washed down the metal prep tables, turned off the heavy baking ovens, and hurried out the back exit to catch their buses. I unknotted my apron, folding it neatly over the wooden counter as I looked around the empty dining area. I didn't want to go home. If I went back there now, everything would remind me too painfully of him. Maria was the last to leave. She was standing by the coat rack, her winter scarf already wrapped twice around her neck as she jingled her store keys in her hand. She paused, looking at me with a deep line of worry etched between her eyebrows as I began dragging a mop bucket out from the utility closet. “Kassidy, are you sure about this?” Maria asked, her voice ech