Shock
1050 Words
Chapter 3
Shock
(Lia’s POV)
"What happened to your wrist?" she asked, her voice soft but laced with suspicion.
Shit. The last person that should have seen this was Abby.
I cradled my arm protectively against my chest. "It's nothing, Abby, really."
She narrowed her eyes, her tone sharpening. "I doubt that. Did that asshole do it?" she whispered furiously.
I shook my head quickly, hoping to shut this down before it spiraled. "Abby, no. I just hurt it while making dinner last night."
"Show me," she demanded.
"There’s no need," I said, trying to brush it off.
Abby’s patience snapped. "Lia, show me your wrist."
I shook my head again, but Abby wasn’t the type to take no for an answer. She reached out and gently took my hand, inspecting it despite my protests.
Her eyes widened. "It’s burned! You have a massive burn on your wrist. That bastard!"
"Abby, be quiet!" I hissed, glancing nervously around. "I told you he didn’t do anything. It happened while I was cooking dinner last night." I lied.
"That’s bullshit, and you know it."
"It’s not!" I insisted, my voice trembling. "It’s a tiny burn. It’ll heal in a few days. Don’t make a big deal out of it, Abbs."
“Tell me exactly what happened first.”
I shook my head, “I accidently dropped the tea kettle.” I know it was a lie, but Abby never liked Oliver, and I didn’t want her to hate him even more. Besides, it was an accident, that wasn’t a lie.
She was quiet for a moment, but her expression was dark, her mind clearly working through what to say next.
When she finally spoke, her voice was low. "I love you, Cordelia Montgomery, but something in your head is f****d up if you think your relationship with Oliver is normal or healthy. You deserve better, but I know you’re not going to listen. Your past has messed you up, and nothing I say right now is going to change that. But just remember, please, I’m here for you."
Her words hit me like a punch to the gut.
I wanted to cry. She was treating me like I was some battered woman, as though my life had spiraled into a dark place I refused to acknowledge. But she didn’t understand. She couldn’t.
Aren’t you though?
No. No I wasn’t.
Everything was fine. It was perfect, just the way it should be. I had a man who loved me and a life that I could live without being surrounded by my past.
“Fine, I won’t push any further right now. Show me your paintings, babe.” Abby relented.
We walked over to the wall of paintings I had selected for the night. I refused to look at the painting in the top right corner, but Abby didn’t miss it.
“You didn’t!”
“I did and I do not want to talk about it, Abby.”
My friend didn’t even look at me as she scanned the rest of the paintings.
She was silent but her silence was speaking volumes.
I walked away from her before she said anything else and looked around the room. The place was filling up fast and I was starting to notice the red stickers by the artwork that had been sold. None were on the wall with my paintings.
I had no hopes that someone would want to purchase any of mine. Savannah was the owner of the boutique art gallery and had insisted on featuring a wall for my work. But I knew better.
“Do not come crying to me when not a single painting is sold. Just because your friend gave you a wall to hanging your paintings on and expose yourself like that, it doesn’t make you anything.” Oliver had reminded me last night.
He was right. But I was happy to do anything for Abby and Savannah. They had saved me when I moved to Berkley, barely functioning and crying all day and night. And now the three of us were in LA together. I could never repay my friends for everything they had done for me. They were angels.
“Lia! I have amazing news!” Savannah exclaimed, running up to me.
Savannah was a petite powerhouse, barely grazing 5 feet tall, but her presence was anything but small. Her short, straight hair framed her delicate face, and her amber eyes sparkled with a warmth.
She had a curvy figure, the kind that reminded you of a classic pinup doll, timelessly beautiful, with an allure she didn’t even seem to realize she possessed. Most of the time, Savannah was blissfully unaware of just how stunning she truly was, and somehow, that only made more enchanting. Her only down fall was her obliviousness.
Before I could reply to my friend she said, “Someone bought all your paintings!”
My mouth dropped open. “Excuse me?”
“Yup! Your painting sold to one person, and they really loved one painting in particular. But he wanted to take them all.”
“Which one?” I asked quietly, a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach.
“He absolutely had to have the ‘Cerulean Storm’.”
My mind was trying to make sense of what she was saying but why would anyone want my painting and especially that one.
It sold.
Those blue eyes that had haunted me… I prayed I would be able to breathe now.
“Here, come meet the buyer.” She said, pulling me behind her.
I didn’t even have a chance to register the pain searing through my wrist and up my arm as she pulled me. My mind was trying to process the information Savannah had thrown at it.
“Savannah-
“Come on Lia!” She said, pulling on my burned wrist with a bit too much force.
I followed Savannah, just to relieve some of pain radiating from my wrist from her yank.
“Mr. Kavanagh, this is th artist, Cordelia Montgomery.”
Kavanagh…
My brain was short-circuiting as I tried to piece everything together.
But it went silent when I saw the man standing before me.
Angry.
Blue.
Eyes.
Aiden Kavanagh.
The very man who had broken me.
- Writer
