Born Mine
Chapter 77

TRIGGER WARNING: ATTEMPTED SUICIDE.

It took exactly a week for me to be let out of the hospital and during that week, Darius did not leave my side once. I didn't know how to tell him that the last thing I needed was his presence to remind me that I was the cause of most of his problems so I stayed silent and forced myself to endure it. Amy brought me flowers and Ian brought chocolates but my appetite was nonexistent.

When we got to the house, I was shocked to see that Amy and Serena had planned a welcome-back celebration for me complete with a banner and balloons. Darius rolled his eyes when he saw it although a small smile played on his lips and I knew without a doubt that they didn't let him in on the plan.

I was ushered into a chair because although I was mostly healed, my legs still hurt when I stood on it for too long. Amy cut a slice of cake for me but I couldn't stomach it. I took a bite so she wouldn't be suspicious and placed it on the table. Darius sat opposite me but I could see his eyes watching and taking in my every move.

"I'm sorry we couldn't invite your family," Amy said as she took the empty seat beside me. "I didn't want them to worry so I thought it would be best if they didn't know you were hurt."

"It's fine," I tried to brush her off hoping she would leave me alone.

"If you ever want to talk then I'm right here. You don't have to go through all of this alone. You have the greatest support system right here."

"Did you tell Darius about Frederic?"

She was taken aback by my question and I saw guilt fill her gaze. I didn't need her words because I already knew the answer. She opened her mouth to speak but closed it almost immediately as if realizing that there was nothing she could have said that would have justified her.

"She just wanted comfort from her family and you denied her that," I couldn't keep the accusatory tone out of my voice. "If you had just told Darius then none of this would have happened. She was hurting."

"Are you actually defending her right now?" her voice was soft but hard. "It wouldn't have mattered whether I told Darius or not. He would have just felt guilty. He has a savior complex and he was dealing with the rest of the pack and the shifting. I didn't want to put any more stress on him so I did what I thought was right. I helped her clean it up and I buried it."

"Was that the right thing though? You thought it was right but was it? All of this happened because she wanted revenge for her mate dying."

"All of this happened because she wanted to be Alpha. I don't know what she told you but you cannot trust Faye. She is a master manipulator and she is an expert at twisting the truth," I stayed quiet and Amy sighed. "What is going on with you? Did she say something to you?"

"No. I just have a headache. Forget everything I just said."

She hesitated as she watched me as if looking for any evidence that I was lying but I kept my face carefully blank. After she didn't replace what she was looking for, she sighed.

"I can get you some ibuprofen."

"I'd like that, thanks."

She rose from her spot and I watched her disappear. I stayed in the living room for about five more minutes before I got tired of the noise and the cheers and I decided I wanted to be alone. Everyone was busy and indulging in conversation with themselves when I rose and quietly made my escape.

I didn't think anyone would notice my disappearance but I was wrong. I had gotten to the door of my room when I heard someone clear their throat behind me- Darius. I hesitated before finally turning to face him and for the first time, I could not read his expression. I couldn't tell what he was thinking and it worried me.

"Are you okay?" he asked and I nodded. "Leindra, please talk to me. You have been so quiet since we got you back. You have never been so hard to reach, not even when you hated me. Please talk to me."

"I'm fine."

It was a blatant lie and we both knew it. Darius sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He reached out to me but decided against it at the last minute and let his hand drop to his side. I was grateful for that because there was no telling how I was going to react if he touched me.

"At least tell me that you're okay. Tell me I wasn't too late in saving you and a part of you isn't still stuck there."

I opened my mouth to speak but the words couldn't come out. I was unable to tell a lie that huge without it absolutely wrecking me.

"You saved me, that's what matters," is what I ended up saying and Darius sighed. "At least let me hold you."

I figured I could grant him that much. I stepped into his arms and he wasted no time in wrapping them around me. I allowed myself to bask in the warmth of his hold because I wasn't sure if I would let it happen again. Darius pressed a soft kiss to the middle of my head and it had some stray tears leaking out of the corner of my eyes.

"Leindra, I-" the moment was broken by Amy's voice and I quickly stepped out of Darius' hold.

If you're loving the book, nel5s.com is where the adventure continues. Join us for the complete experience all for free. The next chapter is eagerly waiting for you! She had a bottle of ibuprofen in her hands and she looked like she wanted to run. I could tell she felt bad for interrupting but I was sort of grateful. I sidestepped Darius and took the bottle from her hands. There was a guilty expression on her face and she opened her mouth to speak but I cut her off.

"Thank you, I think I'm going to take a nap right now."

I walked away before any of them could say a word. Once I was within the safety of my room, I allowed the walls to crack. I sat cross-legged on the floor by my bed and just stared at the wall. It felt like I was in a simulation of sorts and I didn't know how to come out from it. For the past week even in my waking hours, I thought about Faye and how she suffered.

I knew it was impractical but it felt like everything was my fault. If I didn't return then she would have never needed to attack. If I had never agreed to be with Darius then he would have never needed to kill his sister. I was the common denominator in everything. The guilt I had been carrying around for the past week threatened to swallow me whole and I just wanted it to stop.

I wanted a moment of peace where I didn't have to worry about anything. I wanted to close my eyes and realize that it was all a fever dream and none of it happened but it was impossible. I was living the awful reality.

I opened the ibuprofen and swallowed it dry. It helped the headache but did little to help the raging emotions inside of me. I glanced over at the bottle and turned it over in my hands and for a split second, I allowed myself to think of what would happen if I just took it all.

I vaguely remembered Faye's words from the cave. She said if I died then everything would go back to normal. I wasn't sure if I believed her but I didn't want to cause any more problems. I hesitantly rose to my feet and made my way into the bathroom to get some water. I made sure to lock my door so no one would get in.

The pills were daunting and I poured them out to count how many were inside- twenty. I figured it would do the trick and I muttered a small prayer to whoever was listening hoping I was making the right choice. I swallowed them two by two until I had taken them all.

There was radio silence for a split second as I allowed the weight of my actions to settle. The sweating started first followed by immense chest pain. I bit my lip to prevent myself from screaming out loud. I did not want anyone walking in or realizing what I had just done.

It only took a few minutes after the chest pain for my limbs to go rigid and begin to jerk. There was pain everywhere and I let out a small pained moan. There was a knock on my door and I ignored it hoping the person on the other side would go away. I could hear voices but I couldn't make them out.

The knocking became more frantic and it was then I began to wonder if I had made the right choice. Another pained moan left my lips when the door was kicked open.