Novel Payback 280
OLIVIA
I couldn’t tell how long I had been unconscions or why I had lost consciousness in the first place. The confusion lingered in my mind, but when I finally opened my eyes, everything shifted. There, sitting quietly beside me, was Marcus, his head resting on the edge of my bed.
His presence felt comforting, but there was still a fog clouding my thoughts. How had he gotten there? When had he arrived? Had someone called him, or had he come on his own? I couldn’t remember the details, but somehow, his quiet strength was grounding; me.
As I tried to gather my thoughts, still struggling to plece together what had happened, Marcus stirred. A soft groan escaped him as he blinked, slowly walking up. His eyes met mine, and I could see the relief flood his expression. Without a word, he stood up, gently took my hand in his, and spoke In a low, soothing voice.
“It’s alright, I
my love. I am right here. I’m not going anywhere. You are safe now.”
The moment his words reached me; everything came rushing back, like a dam breaking open. The memories, the fear, the voice I had kept hearing… It hadn’t been some figment of my imagination or a trick my mind had played on me. It was Marcus. He had been there with me the entire time, even when I hadn’t realized it. He had never left.
“Home,” I rasped, my throat dry and scratchy. The word barely left my lips, but it was the only thing that mattered now. I didn’t want to be in this godforsaken place for another second. The island, the isolation, the nightmares, it all felt like a trap I couldn’t escape from. I longed to return to some semblance of normalcy, to go back to my children, to go back to us.
Marcus leaned closer, his expression soft yet concerned. “understand. But the doctor said once discharged, we can leave.”
e you are
The tension in my chest tightened. I wasn’t asking for a delay. I wasn’t asking for any more time here. I just wanted to be gone, now. “I don’t care what the doctor said. I want to leave now. I don’t want to be here another minute.”
He paused, his brow furrowing slightly as he processed my words. I saw a flicker of hesitation in his eyes, perhaps a fear of pushing me too hard, but he quickly suppressed it. He knew me well enough to understand that when I said I wanted to leave, it was not something I could negotiate.
I wasn’t just running away from a place. I was running away from the memories, from everything that had happened here. The trauma was still fresh, and I just couldn’t bear it any longer.
“I want to go home,” I repeated, this time with more conviction, “to New Village. I want to go home, Marcus. I need to out of here.” I wanted to be with my family, see who Lupita and grandma were doing. There was no point in being in that island anymore
get
Marcus gazed at me for a long moment, his eyes searching mine as if he were trying to figure out what more I needed, what I was truly asking for. Then, slowly, he nodded. His hand tightened around mine as he said softly, ” Alright. As you wish.”
I closed my eyes for a brief moment, trying to steady myself, trying to calm the pounding in my chest. I could feel the tension in my muscles begin to ease, knowing that he was with me, and that we were going to leave. I didn’t need to be here anymore.
I was ready to go home. Marcus send a text I didn’t know to whom and id didn’t care, as long as he was getting us out to there.
I leaned back against the pillows as Marcus stood, moving to gather our things. A wave of relief washed over me,
Chapter
though It was still tinged with the exhaustion of everything had been through. The doctor had already told me 1 was recovering, that the worst had passed. But how could 1 cover while I was still here? Every corner of this place felt like a reminder of what had happened, what had been taken from me, and what I was still trying to forget,
Xander. His face flashed in my mind for just a moment, but quickly shut it down. I wasn’t going to think about him. Not now, not ever again.
“I’m going to get everything ready,” Marcus said gently, his voice steady, though I could see the concern still lingering in his eyes. “We will be out of here as soon as you are ready.”
I nodded, though I wasn’t sure how ready I could ever be. But I was going to do this. For myself. For my children. For my family. I needed to reclaim my life, and the first step in doing that was getting as far away from this place as possible.
Marcus returned a few minutes later, holding my bag and the things we would need for the journey back. His face softened when he saw me looking at him, still lost in my thoughts. He moved closer and placed a gentle kiss on my forehead.
“We u
will make it through this, Olivia. Together.”
The words were simple, but they filled me with the kind of strength I hadn’t realized I needed. As long as he was with me, as long as we were together, I could face anything. We would go home, back to New Village, and rebuild what had been shattered. I didn’t know what the future held, but I knew one thing for sure, I was ready to leave this chapter behind.
And I was ready to start over. No more running away when things got tough. It was the running that had only brought more problems, and I was done with it. My family had suffered because of my inability to face the challenges head–on, but not anymore. No more avoiding the hard things. I was going to face them, for myself, for Marcus, and for our children.
“I will never leave you again,” I found myself saying, the words leaving my lips with a quiet but firm promise. It was a vow, not just to him, but to myself. I knew there would be difficult times ahead, but I also knew that we could weather them together. No more running, no more hiding from the pain. It was time to confront it all and rebuild what had been broken.
Marcus, who had been standing there quietly, watching me, gave me a soft smile, his eyes filled with warmth and understanding. He gently squeezed my hand, as if accepting my promise, and in that moment, I felt the weight of everything we had been through, the heartache, the fear, the distance, begin to lift. It wasn’t going to be easy, but with him by my side, I knew we could face anything.
“I know,” he whispered, his voice full of love. “And I will never leave you either.”
For the first time in what felt like forever, I felt a spark of hope. We had made it through the darkest of times, and now we were ready to face the future together. I wasn’t running anymore. I was ready to fight for us, for our family, and for a life filled with love and healing. noveldrama
And that was a promise I intended to keep.
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