Page 58 of Where You Belong
His eyes burn into me, down to where my arm stretches out to push her away, protecting her from him. They are wide and maniacal, jolting back to meet mine.
He bares his teeth, and the vein in his forehead protrudes, growing red.
“Calm down, man. You don’t want to do this.” I attempt to persuade him. “I know you’re upset, but this isn’t how you want to handle things. You don’t want to hurt anyone, right? Let’s take a deep breath and calm down.”
Through the shouting and commotion, I notice a light across the street flick on, and Alex steps out onto his front porch. He’s dressed in a T-shirt and a pair of shorts.
He holds his hand up to me, signaling to keep him calm as he darts back into the house.
When my eyes dart back to Atlas, a slow grin stretches across his face.
“That’s where you’re wrong.” He chuckles, lunging toward me once more. This time, Haelynn steps away. The strong stench of blood hits me as I collapse against the wall.
It’s not until he pulls the blade out and I hear Haelynn’s cries wailing behind me, sending me crumpling to the floor, that I comprehend what’s happening.
“You took from me what is mine, and I’d love nothing more than to watch you suffer.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Haelynn
The sight of blood pouring from Corbin, drenching his shirt, sends me collapsing to my knees. I recall the sound of Atlas’s laughter before he took off, running toward his car.
After that, everything was a blur. All I can remember is sitting with Corbin’s head in my lap, begging him to hold on and not to leave me.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I promise him when they load him into the ambulance. “I’ll meet you at the hospital.”
Madelyn urges me into the back with him, reassuring me not to worry. She took my phone and quickly entered my mom’s number into hers.
“I’ll stay here with Huxton until I get ahold of your mom. Don’t worry, I won’t let anything happen to him.”
Corbin was rushed into the emergency room to assess his injuries when we got to the hospital. I sat in the hallway, waiting. Every minute that passed felt like it ticked by at an agonizingly slow pace.
I lean against the cool brick wall and slide to the floor, wrapping my arms around my legs and burying my head in my lap. My body trembles with the emotions racing through me, unable to contain it any longer.
“There she is.” I hear Alex’s voice coming from the end of the hall, standing next to an older man and woman.
The woman has light blond hair and tan skin. The man next to him, though, was like staring into the future. From the way he stood to his body structure to the dark hair intermixed with his five o’clock shadow, there was no doubt he was Corbin’s father.
“Oh, sweetheart,” the woman cries, racing toward me. She bends down on the floor in front of me, wrapping her arms around me in a warm hug.
I know without introduction that she’s Corbin’s mom. My chin trembles, and my chest tightens with fear of what could happen to her son.
“It’s going to be okay,” she reassures me, rubbing her hand over my back. “We have to believe he will be okay.”
She pulls back, flashing me a warm smile before pushing herself to her feet and holding her hand out to help me up.
“I’m Corbin’s mom. You can call me Ellie, and this is his dad, Callum.” She squeezes my hand reassuringly before taking a step back.
“Corbin has told us so much about you, Haelynn, and that son of yours. I feel like we know you already.” Her warm voice is so comforting.
“He’s going to be all right,” Callum’s gruff voice adds. “He’s too stubborn not to be.”
A smile breaks across Ellie’s face, nodding in agreement. “Ain’t that the truth.”
She drapes her arms around Callum’s waist, and he runs his hand over her back. He leans into her ear, whispering something to her. I couldn’t help but picture Corbin and me together when I see the two of them. The only difference is the color of my hair.
Corbin has told me so much about his mom, her past, and what led her to Arbor Creek, where she met his dad.