Tempting (Inked Hearts 1)

The door slams shut behind her.

It's just like before.

She's locking me out.

She's walking away from me.

Not this time.

This time, I'm going after her.

Chapter Twenty

Violet

God dammit, I'm covered in soapy bubbles. My dress is sticking to my skin. My bra and underwear are lost somewhere in Ethan's room.

I dig through my purse for my room key. My fingers are too slick. I can barely get a grip. There. I've got it.

Beep, beep. The door unlocks. I shove it open and let it swing shut on its own.

I need out of this dress. I need out of my entire fucking body. Everything hurts again. This isn't what baths with my… whatever I should call Ethan, whatever I call our relationship, this isn't how it's supposed to go.

My eyes sting. Tears or soap, I'm not sure. I can do something about the latter. The former is a lost cause.

I step into the bathroom, throw my dress over my head, and turn on the shower. No waiting for the water to heat up. I need every bit of that bath washed off my skin.

Fuck, it's cold. But that's how it should feel. The water pounds into my chest and face. It hurts but that's nothing compared to how much my heart aches.

Memories flood my mind.

That's how I found him, in that bathtub. His eyes were closed. The expression on his face was serene, like he was finally at peace. But the rest of it… the gashes on his wrists… the blood.

There was so much blood.

He was already cold.

He was already gone.

I sink to my heels and let the water pound my back. Asher was my twin brother. I should have known he needed help. I should have listened. I should have seen the signs.

How could I fail him like that?

How could he do that to me? He knew our parents were away that weekend. He knew I'd be the one to find him.

A sob rises up in my throat. But it's okay. There's no one here. I can cry until my tear ducts are empty.

I pull my legs into my chest and bury my head between my knees.

There's a voice in my room. The water is muffling it but there's no doubt that's a voice.

Shit.

"Violet."

That's Ethan.

I pull my knees closer. He shouldn't see me like this. No one should see me like this. I should tell him to go away. I should throw the nearest object at the door to scare him off.