“You okay, honey?”
I nodded, pushing my lips together.
Her eyes dropped down to my plate. “You’ve barely touched your food, Kandy.”
I studied the broccoli, mashed potatoes, and baked chicken briefly before pulling my eyes up. “I’m not that hungry.”
“Kandy, you have to eat,” she urged.
“You really do,” Dad cut in, and my eyes swung over to him. He had his uniform on today. He’d taken the first two weeks off just to be home with me. “Your mother said she’s been bringing food to your room, and you haven’t eaten any of it.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know what you want me to say. I’m not hungry. I guess it’s the meds.”
“Well, should we take you back, have them prescribe you something else? You have to eat something, Kandy. What about that spaghetti you like so much?” Mom asked.
Spaghetti…
Shit.
The thought of it made my eyes burn. I was going to cook spaghetti for Cane before Dad saw us in the parking lot of the grocery store…before I had to come back here. That was one of the best days we’d had—being together after everything had unraveled. Holding hands in public. Not giving a damn about reality and getting caught up in our own little world. Why couldn’t things go back to the way they used to be?
“Kandy?” Dad called, but his voice was nothing more than muffled noise to me. The tears I’d been biting back trickled down my cheeks, hot and thick. Dropping my fork, I pushed back from the table and stood.
“Going to my room,” I announced, and took off as they both called after me, desperate and confused.
I took the stairs as quickly as my body would allow and rushed into my room, closing the door and locking it behind me. I grabbed my phone and then curled up on the bed.
I knew it wouldn’t have been wise to text Cane after what I’d told him at the hospital. The thought of it made my heart ache, but there was one other person I could contact to see how he was doing.
Lora.
Chapter Six
KANDY
The phone only rang three times before she answered.
“Kandy?” She sounded like she was out of breath.
I sat up completely. “Oh my God, Lora?” I was so relieved to hear her voice. “I’m surprised you answered.”
“Surprised? Why? I’m glad to hear from you! What’s going on?”
“Um…other than recovering from a near-homicidal experience?” I forced a laugh.
“Yeah, Cane told me about what that crazy bitch did to you. I’m so sorry that happened to you, Kandy.”
I shut my eyes, but the tears fell anyway. I swiped them away with the back of my arm before reopening my eyes and sucking in a deep breath. “Have you, uh…have you talked to Cane much?”
“I have here and there. He’s mostly been at work. Hardly showing up at home and hasn’t really been calling. I think he’s trying to avoid being in the house because of the press. They’ve been camped out behind the gates, trying to take pictures and figure out who the stabbed girl was.”
“Oh. Yeah, my parents don’t want people knowing.”
“Understandable.” There was a brief silence. “He’s…not doing well, Kandy.”
I sat up a little higher. “What do you mean?”
“I mean…well, for example,” she sighed. “I went to his office to bring him lunch. He sucks at taking care of himself when he’s stressed. Anyway, I brought him lunch and noticed a lot of his suits and pants folded in the corner. There were food containers everywhere. It’s like he’s been sleeping there every night. I know he’s trying to avoid the press, but I think he’s afraid to go back to that house, period.”
“Because of Kelly?”
“What? No! God, no. Because of the memories, I guess. He told me that moment replays in his head over and over again—like he’s being forced to watch it happen, just so he can know how much he fucked up by not stopping Kelly in time. He feels guilty, like it’s his fault.”
I swallowed hard, lowering my gaze. “It wasn’t his fault. Both of us knew the risks involved. We knew Kelly wasn’t all there. She moved too fast for either of us to realize.”
“They caught her; did you know?”
I was shocked to hear that. “They did?”
“Yeah. Your parents should know. Have they not told you?”
“No…they actually haven’t updated me about any of it since we left the hospital. They’re being very overbearing, treating me like a baby again.”
“Understandable,” she stated bluntly. “Their only daughter was stabbed by some madwoman who is clearly dick-whipped. I would be the same way.”
I sighed. “Did Cane tell you anything…about me?”
“What exactly?”
My bottom lip trembled. “He came to the hospital…I told him I needed time. Space.”
“Ohh.” She said it like she’d come to the realization of something. “That’s why he’s being like this. He’s avoiding the issue. Same shit he always does when he feels like he’s lost control.”