They informed us that he was being charged with assault, attempted rape and attempted murder. He was refused bail and wouldn’t even get a formal trial because the evidence against him was too great – that and the fact that he was caught red-handed. Drew’s friend Jack had subdued Jensen until the police arrived and they took over. The most Jensen would see of a courtroom was the day he’d be taken for sentencing.
He couldn’t deny what he did – well, he could, but that wouldn’t help him. He would get locked up for what he did to me, and the sentence wouldn’t be light.
I was very happy about that.
My father filled my uncle in on what happened with the police, and Uncle Harry was delighted that justice would come to Jensen, though he was gutted he wouldn’t have a chance to break every limb on his body before he was sent to prison – his words, not mine.
“How was your trip?” I asked, changing the topic to something that didn’t turn everyone’s stomach.
My uncle smiled. “It was great, but it will be my last. I’m getting too old for those long-haul flights.”
I nodded in agreement. “I don’t know how you’ve done so much travelling. I can barely sit still long enough to watch a television show.”
That made the room laugh and relieved me greatly. Their sense of humour hadn’t died off after all!
“Have you had many visitors?” my uncle asked as he sat next to me.
I nodded. “Kale’s parents came to see me today. So did Lavender and her boyfriend, Daven. She blames herself for what happened because she dropped me off at his apartment, but I told her that was stupid. If she’d come in with me, God only knows what he would have done to both of us.”
The males in the room seethed in anger. I adjusted my position on the bed and groaned as pain spread down the left side of my ribcage.
“Shit, shit, shit,” I whimpered.
My mother and nanny were on their feet and on either side of me, helping me lie back. Their faces twisted with emotion when tears fell from my eyes. I tried my hardest not to cry, but the pain was too powerful.
“Mum,” I whimpered.
She leaned over and kissed me. “I’ll press your morphine button, and it will give you instant relief, okay?”
Yes.
“Yeah, do that,” I hissed in pain.
My mother pressed the button the nurse had shown her how to use earlier, and not ten seconds later the pain began to seep away, replaced by bliss.
“You should try some of this medicine, Uncle Harry,” I slurred as my good eye grew heavy. “It’d stop you complaining about your back pain all the time.”
“Cheeky mare,” my uncle said, laughing.
My lip quirked at the laughter of my family and then, without warning, I fell into a deeply medicated sleep that felt really bloody good.
Morphine was the shit.
It had been six weeks since Jensen had attacked me and put me in the hospital, and three weeks since he had been tried and sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
I was more than ready to put Jensen and the attack behind me. I was so overtired of hearing people talk about it and reading about it in the papers.
I wouldn’t give him the power to hold fear over me. For the first couple of weeks after I got out of the hospital, I was scared to be on my own, scared to leave my house, scared to do anything because of him, but not anymore. I would never let myself be controlled by him. Ever.
It was why, when my Uncle Harry’s birthday came around and my mother suggested we throw him a small house party, I jumped at the opportunity. I wouldn’t be drinking, but I would be around family, friends and talking, and people having fun.
We held the party on a Friday night, and as predicted, it went off without a hitch, and I felt alive for the first time in weeks. Since my face and body had healed from the damage Jensen inflicted on me, no one – apart from my parents – brought it up, and I was chuffed about it.
I was having a ball until Kale showed up, Drew on his arm.
I was doing well – kind of – when it came to getting over him, but it still hurt seeing him with Drew.
They looked really happy together.
“Lane!” Kale smiled when he spotted me in the parlour.
I smiled too and got up to hug him, and then I hugged Drew in greeting because it was the polite thing to do.
“How are you?” she asked.
I nodded. “Fine, and you?”
She beamed. “I’m better than ever.”
She shared a secret look with Kale and grinned at him, while he seemed uncomfortable as he kept flicking his eyes in my direction. He cleared his throat and called out to Lochlan when he spotted him. He looked relieved that he didn’t have to stand with Drew and me any longer.
I excused myself and moved to the back of the room, my mood turning sour. I wished I had Lavender to hang out with, but she had left the party half an hour ago so she could get home to Daven, who lived with her in our old apartment. After the attack, I’d moved home and considered dropping out of university.
I didn’t want everyone on campus staring at me, whispering behind my back or, worst of all, pitying me. My father and uncle met with the chancellor of my university, and I was granted permission to attend class online, which meant I could finish my remaining two years and get my degree. I must have hugged my father and uncle every time I saw them for a week straight after I got the good news.
“Lane?”
I turned when my uncle’s voice called me.
I walked over to him and smiled. “Yes, birthday boy?”
He snorted. “You don’t look very happy – is everything okay?”
I didn’t want to put a downer on his night, so I smiled and said, “It is, but I’m just really tired. I don’t think I’m able to keep up with you old-timers.”
My uncle cracked up before getting pulled into another conversation, which I was thankful for.
I turned and my eyes, as usual, found Kale. He had his arms around Drew, and his head was tipped back as he laughed. I didn’t want to look at them so I headed up to my room, where I changed into pyjamas. I went into the bathroom to clean my face, and tied my hair up in a bun.
When I exited the bathroom, I came face-to-face with Drew Summers.
“I want to talk to you,” she said firmly.
Uh.
“Can it wait?” I asked. “I was just about to go to sleep.”
“It can’t wait,” she said. “I want to talk to you now.”
I gestured her into my bedroom. I closed the door behind me and folded my arms across my chest, standing across from her.
“What’s up?” I asked.
“You hate me,” she said confidently.
I blinked. “I beg your pardon?”
She grunted. “You. Hate. Me. I know you do.”
I scratched the healed cut above my eyebrow. “I don’t understand what is happening here.”
“I saw you downstairs, watching Kale with me, and you looked angry.”
I was more sad than angry, but I tried to downplay it and said, “I’m just tired—”
“Don’t lie,” she said, cutting me off. “You hate me. Admit it.”
She wants to have this talk? my mind hissed. Fine.
“I don’t hate you,” I grumbled, “but I don’t like you either.”
That was a white lie. I did kind of hate her.
“Why?” she pressed. “I’ve never done anything to you.”
She was right; she hadn’t.
“I know you haven’t, Drew,” I sighed.
“Then why don’t you like me?” she asked. “Is it because I rang Kale after you were attacked?”
“No, I know you were trying to help that day, Drew,” I sighed. “But part of me wishes you hadn’t told him.”
“Why not?” Drew asked, exasperated.
“I didn’t want Kale, or anyone else, to look at or treat me differently, but now they do. Everyone treats me like a china doll.”
It pissed me off.
Drew frowned and folded her arms across her chest. “Would you rather Jensen had gotten away with it? He didn’t get to rape you, but what about the next girl who might not have been so lucky?”
The lump that formed in my throat kept me from replying.
“Once you have time to think on it, you’ll see having Jensen sent to prison was the right thing.”
“I know it was the right thing to do, and I’m over it,” I said. “You were right to do what you did.”
She frowned. “Then why do you hate me? Is it because of Kale?”
She must have read something in my expression because her face turned murderous.
“I knew it!” she snapped. “I knew you liked him. I have always had a suspicion, but Kale assured me you were just best friends.”
“We are just best friends,” I confirmed.
Drew’s gaze didn’t stray from mine. “But you want to be more?”
I rubbed my suddenly throbbing temples. “What does it matter? He’s dating you, not me. You.”
Her jaw set. “I don’t want you around him anymore. I refuse to let you ruin us.”
I blinked. “You’ve got to be fucking joking me. I’m not going to do anything to ruin your relationship. If that were the case, I’d have done it years ago. I’m not that fucking bitter.”
“Are you sure about that?” she questioned, her eyebrows raised.
I scowled. “Yeah, I’m sure.”
“Well, I’m not sure,” she stated. “I don’t trust you around him.”
Oh, for God’s sake.
“You’re the human version of Monday morning in my everyday life – I hope you know that.”
Drew blinked at me. “Flat out saying you hate me would have been less bloody hurtful.”
I hated that she was so nice. This was the first time she had ever been angry with me, and even then she wasn’t being half as mad as I would be if our roles were reversed.