Total pages in book: 151
Estimated words: 139803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 699(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 139803 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 699(@200wpm)___ 559(@250wpm)___ 466(@300wpm)
“Dr. Gresham, I don’t want to dance,” I told him when I noticed the wall of mirrors on the wall. Never thought I’d see the day I said that, but it was true.
I didn’t want to dance.
“You sure, baby girl?”
I swung around, my wide, swollen eyes locking on Julian. He was standing in a black hoodie with a pair of washed-out jeans and white high tops on his feet, his black hair a mess of curls on the top of his head.
Tears welled in my eyes. “Julian?” I choked out, blinking furiously, almost as if he were going to disappear—a hallucination.
He gently smiled at me and held his hand out as soft music began to play in the room. “Dance with me, baby?”
I placed my trembling hand in his. He drew me in close to him and rested his hand on my hip, his other hand holding mine. He slowly waltzed me around the room. “Fuck, you look so fucking beautiful,” he whispered. “I missed you so goddamn much, baby girl.”
“I can’t believe you’re really here,” I admitted, my voice breaking.
He smiled. “I’m always here, baby girl. Now shine, Meghan. You’re still my goddess—always my goddess. Now rise above and fight your demons.”
* * *
✶ ✶ ✶
* * *
I lightly ran my fingers over the painting in front of me. It had long since dried, but I couldn’t stop staring at it, couldn’t stop touching it.
The woman in the painting was me, my dark hair a mess of waves as it hung down my back. Tears were spilling down my cheeks, and I was screaming out my internal pain to the sky. Black wings were spread out behind me, and I was clutching my hands to my chest. My heart was bleeding through my fingers. Bloody, mangled hands were clawing at my legs and feet, trying to pull me back down into the darkness.
The sky was rolling with dark clouds, and it was storming all around me, but there was a tiny break of light—a tiny bit of hope in my future that everything would be okay again.
“That’s both beautiful and so fucking heartbreaking,” Axel commented as he stepped into the room with Dr. Gresham.
“I dreamed about him last night,” I spoke quietly, not turning around to face them. Sometimes, Dr. Gresham let Axel come see me in action, so it wasn’t anything unusual. “It felt so real. He asked me to dance with him, and we waltzed around the room.” I swallowed thickly as tears blurred my vision. “He called me his goddess—told me to rise above and fight my demons.”
“You are my goddess.”
I swung around to face Julian, almost falling off my bar stool. “This is real, right?” I asked, hot tears sliding down my cheeks. I was terrified I was dreaming again.
Julian moved forward and cupped my damp face in his rough, calloused hands, slanting his lips across mine, kissing me hard and deep. I sobbed against his lips as I reached up and cupped his own face in my hands, my tears salty on our lips as I hungrily kissed him back.
“Does this feel real?” he asked me as he slowly pulled back.
I nodded as I traced my fingers over his handsome face. He grabbed my wrist and pressed a soft kiss to my palm. “Always so beautiful,” he whispered as he brushed some of my tears off of my cheeks.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” I whispered.
He helped me up from the stool, and I blushed as his hands brushed over my love handles. I had gained weight since I’d been in the center, and I was no longer toned and fit everywhere. In fact, I was at a much healthier weight, and though it was considered slightly overweight by my dietician, he assured me it was perfectly okay because I had been denying my body of all the nutrition it had needed for so long.
Julian groaned lightly, his blue eyes darkening a shade as he squeezed my hips. “Fuck, you look so much healthier. I fucking love it.”
I shyly smiled. “Really?” I self-consciously asked.
He nodded and leaned down to brush his lips with mine. He then grabbed my hand in his and turned to face Dr. Gresham. “Let’s all go to my office,” Dr. Gresham said as he gave me a warm smile.
Julian held my hand in his as the three of us followed Dr. Gresham down multiple hallways to his office. Once we were inside, he shut the door behind him, and we each took a seat with me in the chair between Axel and Julian.
“Meghan, I’ve come to the decision that you are well enough to go home,” Dr. Gresham stated. My face paled with fear and uncertainty. I swallowed thickly. “Breathe,” he gently commanded. I sucked in a sharp breath of air, my heart pounding in my chest. “Meghan, you have come so, so far in the past few months. It’s time for you to venture out into the real world.”