Chapter 3
Chapter 3:
Elodie’s POV ~
My body felt like it was tearing apart, every nerve screaming as I clutched my arm and tried to breathe through the stabbing pain. The burn throbbed so deep I swear it was crawling through my veins, and yet the sound that gutted me wasn’t from the wound... it was from the soft echo of Calhoun’s footsteps fading, his tall frame disappearing from sight without even a glance back as he carried Carmela away.
Just like that. He was gone.
I bit down so hard on my lip that I tasted blood, but it still couldn’t stop the sob that broke through me. The workers nearby were whispering, their eyes darting at me in pity, but I couldn’t bear to look at them. I hated their stares, hated the way they reminded me how low I’d fallen. How stupid I’ve been all these years. My throat burned, and before I could stop it, tears came in waves.
I wiped at my face with my sleeve, gasping, and staggered to the wall where the broom and mop leaned. My hands shook violently as I grabbed them, the wooden handle digging into my palm. Do something. Move. Just move. If I cleaned, maybe I wouldn’t collapse.
I forced myself forward, bent down with the mop in one hand, broom in the other, scrubbing at the mess through blurred eyes. My body was trembling, dizziness clawing at my head until I swore the ground was swaying beneath me. I couldn’t feel my legs. I couldn’t breathe right.
“Elodie, stop—” a gentle voice broke through.
Before I could even react, the broom was tugged out of my grip. Another pair of hands pried the mop away from me. I blinked up to see two of my co-workers, faces heavy with pity.
“Let us help you,” one of them said softly, her voice shaking with guilt. She knelt, pushing the mop away and reaching for me.
An arm slid carefully around my shoulders, steadying me as my knees threatened to give out. “You shouldn’t... you shouldn’t be standing like this. You’re bleeding,” another murmured, her eyes darting to my arm.
One of them crouched low, meeting my broken gaze. Her voice cracked as she whispered, “Elodie... I’m sorry. This is wrong. You should get this checked, please.”