Always There

Chapter One Hundred and Twenty-One

What do I have to lose anymore? Bryce is already almost gone, and he's all that matters.

"I started seeing this guy after I saw the news about Bryce and Lydia. Since I thought their relationship was real until a few minutes ago, I figured that I should move on, too. He was very nice at first, but then he started to hit me. It's been nearly a year, and I can't escape him. He knows where I live. He knows where I work. He doesn't take my threats to leave him seriously. I feel so helpless," I whisper all in one breath.

I'm greeted with silence.

And then Elena pushes to her feet, wraps her arms around me, and holds me tight as unwanted tears begin to pour from my eyes.

"Oh, Lexi. I am so sorry. I know what it's like to be in a relationship with a man who hits you. I know how hard it is to find freedom. Hell, it took me more than twenty years to leave Caleb. We are all here for you, though, and we won't let what happened to me happen to you," Elena tells me gently.

I bury my face into her shoulder and cry even harder.

"I don't want to be with him anymore," I sob. "I want to be with Bryce. I didn't want to ruin his relationship with Lydia because I wanted him to be happy, but if they aren't together, then I want to be with him. More than anything else in the whole wide world."

Elena simply squeezes me tighter.

"Jordan?" Leo's voice cuts through the room like a knife. "You spoke to Bryce last before he overdosed, correct?"

Jordan is still standing at Bryce's bedside from when he came over to examine my neck, but he takes a step back and reclaims his seat on the armrest of Nessa's chair. "Yes, sir."

"Did Bryce say anything to you that would explain his overdose? I was told that it was a combination of Xanax and alcohol in his system," Leo continues.

I sniffle and remove my face from Elena's shoulder so that I can turn to watch Jordan. His eyebrows are pinched in concentration.

"Well, he had just found out about Lexi's boyfriend today. He keeps in touch with Kathleen and John, and apparently Lexi only told them recently that she was dating someone and Kathleen told Bryce today. He was very upset, as I'm sure you can assume. He's very protective of her," Jordan answers Leo calmly.

I turn to face Leo.

His eyes flutter shut.

He inhales deeply and then exhales loudly.

When his eyes reopen, they fall on me, still held in Elena's arms.

"I think it might be best for you to go, Lexi. Before Bryce wakes up," he tells me gently.

My heart stops beating.

"Pardon?" I ask, shocked.

Leo clears his throat and gets to his feet. He reaches for his wife and gently pulls her away from me so that she's standing by his side.

Elena scowls up at him, but if Leo notices, he doesn't show it.

"It has nothing to do with you, Lexi," he tells me. His tone is stern. "It has to do with Bryce. He overdosed on the same drugs he typically takes to ease his anxiety. It's evident he isn't in a stable state mentally right now. No matter how much he loves you, I'm not sure that it is wise for you to be here. His love for you may make him do something even more irrational than what he has already done."

Mateo clears his throat. "Dad? Seriously? Bryce would want her to be here."

"I agree with Mateo," Vanessa chimes in.