Sweetest Release Page 11

  “I’m not the one who cheated on her,” Devin groaned between hits.

  Devin freed his arm, returning the blows James gave him. A powerful hit to James’ eye sent him careening backwards, landing with a thud on the pavement.

  He knocked the wind out of James, and regained the upper hand, but as he bent down to continue his thrashing, James kicked Devin’s right leg. Devin lost his balance one more. Struggling to breathe, Devin gasped for air under the suffocating weight of James’ body.

  Sirens blared in the distance, piercing the noise of the night, and I hoped help was on the way.

  Immobile with fear, I watched James kick Devin’s body, but his body lied on the pavement stiff. He wasn’t moving.

  It was difficult to breathe as I choked back my tears, and the lump in my throat grew larger. For the first time in my life, my will to carry on was almost completely gone. Death no longer frightened me; losing Devin did.

  I couldn’t stay still any longer. I emerged from behind the safety of the car, charged toward James, not fearing what he would do.

  I wasn’t sure if Devin was alive or not, but he would pay for what he did.

  I would make damn sure of that.

  CHAPTER 19

  _______

  Devin wasn’t dead.

  He’d sustained the brunt of the injuries in the exchange, and though he was alive, his condition was poor. I spent the remaining hours in the day sitting by his side in the hospital, wanting to breathe life into him. His face was bloody and swollen, and looking at his disheveled face brought tears to my eyes.

  James was a monster, but for now he was off the streets. It eased my worries knowing he couldn’t harm anyone; at least for a while.

  A few hours passed before Devin woke up. He looked so peaceful lying there, but I knew when he woke up he wouldn’t be in a peaceful place. He’d be far from it.

  “Natalie?”

  He squinted, struggling to open his eyes, and a faint smile appeared on his face when he figured out it was me.

  “Well you remember me, at least, so that’s good.”

  It brought me joy to see him alert and recognizing who I was. I knew it was a step in the right direction.

  “I couldn’t forget you,” he whispered.

  “I’m glad you’re ok,” I said.

  “Me too. My head’s killing me, though.”

  “It’ll take you some time to recover. But you’ll be ok. You’re safe now. James is in custody.”

  “He’ll get what he deserves, then.”

  “How did you know where I was?” I asked.

  “I went out for a smoke, and I heard screaming. Thought it sounded like you.”

  “You know we’re always told that smoking kills, but I guess this time it actually saved a life,” I joked.

  He grinned. He tried to sit upright, but his strength wasn’t back yet, and I could tell he was in an immense amount of pain.

  “Thank you. You saved my life,” I said as I reached out to touch his hand.

  “I’m in a lot of pain, but I would do it again if I had to. I hope you know that.”

  “I do. I know you have my back,” I said.

  “And I have yours. It’s the least I can do. You deserve the world.”

  “You are my world,” I said.

  I didn’t have to worry about making a choice any longer because James made the choice for me.

  James had the power to hurt me, and the last few weeks showed that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

  He wielded that power with a vengeance, and it was time to be a strong woman and walk away. I couldn’t live in fear anymore. He’d showed me his darkest side, and I knew I couldn’t stay. I had no choice but to leave.

  “Will you stay tonight?” Devin asked.

  “Of course. I don’t have anywhere else to be,” I said.

  I wanted to stay by his side, especially since he’d done that for me when I needed him. I can always take tomorrow off, I thought.

  “Get some sleep, so you can be better again,” I whispered.

  As his weary eyes closed, I kissed his cheek.

  Tomorrow would be a better day.

  EPILOGUE

  _______

  Finally, I thought as I left the courtroom. I felt the weight being removed off my shoulders from everything that had burdened me for so long.

  The warm sun kissed my skin as I made my way down the steps, and not a cloud was in the sky. It was truly a glorious day. It was a long road to get here, but I was glad to get the justice I wanted.

  It turned out James had a darker past than I’d known and looking back now, it should’ve seemed obvious, but it wasn’t at the time. His quick temper had always been the perfect recipe for disaster, but this time it got the better of him.

  James had always been secretive on some level about his past. He didn’t talk about it much, and at the time, I didn’t think much of it. But courtrooms have their ways of making the truth come to light.

  This wasn’t his first rodeo. He’d been charged with assault twice before, making his assault on Devin his third, and the judge sentenced him to two years in jail.

  Though it wasn’t as much jail time as I would’ve preferred, I tried to remain positive, and grateful that he had been handed down a decent punishment at all. After all, it was better than nothing.

  But the most freeing day for me wasn’t the day he got sentenced. It was the day he received the certified mail containing the divorce filings.

  It was over now. I no longer had to live in agony.

  With James out of the picture, my heart finally felt at home. I didn’t have to suppress my love any longer, because I was free again.

  That evening, Devin and I celebrated our fresh start with a candlelit dinner.

  “I think we should have a toast,” Devin said.

  “That sounds like a fabulous idea to me.”

  His eyes scanned the room, as though he were looking for someone.

  “Something wrong?” I asked.

  “No, I was just thinking. Wasn’t this the place we went on our first date?”

  “Yes, it is,” I said.

  I had memorized every last detail of that night, so of course I remembered. Devin continued to look around the room, and it started to make me nervous.

  “Are you sure you’re ok? You’re acting really weird.”

  “Yeah, I’m fine,” he said.

  He seemed to be sweating bullets, and I didn’t understand why. I supposed he would tell me later.

  The waitress arrived with our glasses of champagne, and to my surprise, there was a little extra sparkle in my glass.

  “What’s this?” I asked, as I fished out a gorgeous heart-shaped diamond ring from my glass.

  He picked it up and slipped it on my finger, and I burst into tears of joy.

  “Let this ring be my promise to you that from this point forward, I will always be here for you. And you’ll never have to worry about the distance between us again, because I’m not going anywhere. You said you wanted a fresh start, and becoming Mrs. Devin Brandt seems like a pretty fresh start to me. I love you, Natalie.”

  “I love you too, Devin. You’ll forever be always.”

  ♥⍣♥

  They say when one door closes, another one opens, and I’ve found that to be true, to a point. Sometimes, traversing through murky waters can lead you toward much cleaner streams.

  The door to James closed, and it allowed me to start a new chapter. And though I’d been through hell, everything that happened with James brought Devin and I closer, and every event that happened brought me to this one moment in time.

  And that was all that mattered.

 

 

 
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