Rose's knees buckled when she tried to stand. She grabbed the end table next to the bed and slowly lowered herself to the floor. Her stomach lurched. She clenched her jaw, determined not to be sick. You can do this. She began to crawl toward the bathroom at a pace that would have seemed slow to the average turtle.
She didn't recognize the woman in the mirror. It wasn't her; it couldn't be. She didn't have sallow skin or a swollen, split lip. She didn't have a black mass where her cheekbone should be. Her hair wasn't a matted nest of what were once curls. Her eyes weren't empty. Her stomach lurched again. She leaned forward, gripping the sink for support. She closed her eyes. Just breathe. But no amount of air could stop the contents of her stomach from filling the sink.
Hot, angry tears ran down her cheeks. She stumbled over to the bathtub. It took three tries before she finally got the water running. She climbed in, noticing neither the scalding temperature nor that she was still dressed. She took a deep breath and plunged her head underwater. Her lungs were on fire by the time she finally resurfaced. She gasped for air, gulping down all that she could before going under again.
*****
Matilda glanced at Jack out of the corner of her eye. His hands were clenched into fists; he stared out the window, studying every detail of the streets that flew by. He hadn't spoken once in the twenty minutes since she had hailed the taxi. Except for giving the driver an address, neither had she. Jack raised his head slightly when the rows of modest houses and family-owned businesses began to be replaced by walled-in mansions and hotels. Matilda slumped down in the seat. If Aunt Una sees me...
"Rose!"
Matilda jumped. "What?" But Jack didn't hear her. He already had the car door open and was preparing to jump before she could even think to tell the driver to stop.
Jack hit the ground running. "Rose!" he yelled. "Rose!"
*****
Rose raised her head. "Jack?" It couldn't be him. How would he know where to find her? Cal's voice rang in her ears. Would he even be able to try to find her?
"Rose!" There it was again, louder this time, as though the voice was getting closer. "Rose, honey, look at me!" There was no mistaking it.
"Jack?" She leaned over the edge of the balcony.
He gazed up at her. "Rose."
A lump formed in her throat. "Jack." Tears welled up in her eyes. "Oh, Jack!"
"Hang on just one more second," he said. "I'm coming up."
"How—" She watched, dumbstruck, as he scrambled up a tree; its branches extended just over the edge of the balcony's left side. A moment later, he was leaping from the branch. And then he was landing with a quiet thud. And then she was in his arms.
"I'm sorry," he said. "Rose, I'm so sorry! It's all my fault! I'm so sorry!" He lifted her head. Gingerly, he touched the bruise on her cheek. "Oh, Rose." There were tears in his voice. "I'm so sorry. Rose, I'm so sorry." He knew it was useless; how could an apology possibly make up for whatever Cal had done to her? And yet he couldn't seem to stop saying it.
She pressed her face into his chest. "Jack—" She said something else, but it was lost in a flood of tears. She clutched the front of his shirt, twisting the fabric around her fingers.
He rested his cheek on the top of her head and tightened his embrace. "It's okay," he said. He rubbed her back. "It's gonna be okay. I'm here." He paused. Is her dress wet? It was more than just wet; the whole thing was soaked through. And her hair was damp. What the hell happened? There would be time to ask later. At that moment, all that mattered was getting her out of there.
Rose took a deep breath. There couldn't possibly be any tears left. She was empty. She had cried them all out. Only she hadn't, and no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't make the tears stop. She could feel herself starting to shake. Stop. Stop. Stop.
Jack's arms tightened around her. "It's okay," he repeated. "Rose, honey, it's okay. Whatever happened—" The words stuck in his throat. He knew exactly what had happened. He didn't know how he knew, but he did. "We'll get through it," he said, forcing his voice to remain steady. "I love you." He pressed his lips to the top of her head. "Don't you ever forget that. You are the best thing that ever happened to me. Do you understand that?"
Rose raised her head.
"Jack!" They stared at each other for a moment, both confused as to who had called his name. "Jack! Jack, down here!" As one, they leaned over the edge of the balcony. Matilda stood at the bottom of the tree. "He's coming!" she hissed.
Rose clung to Jack with a new intensity. "Don't worry," he said. "He's not coming anywhere near you ever again."
"We can't get out without him seeing us," she said.
"Yes, we can." He glanced at the nearest branch. "Do you trust me?"
"I trust you."
Matilda swallowed a yelp of fear as Jack began to inch his way onto the branch with Rose on his back. She covered her mouth with her hands. He'll kill them both! She looked at the French doors that led into the hotel lobby. There was no sign of Cal anywhere. "Hurry," she hissed.
"Don't be afraid," Jack whispered. "Just hang onto me. Don't let go, Rose."
She nodded. "I won't let go." She pressed her face to his back and closed her eyes.
"Almost there," he said. "Just hang on a little longer." He was too busy trying to keep them from falling to notice the figure creeping up behind them.
Pain shot through the back of Rose's head. She jerked back; her eyes flew open. "Jack!"
His head whipped around. His face twisted. "You son of a bitch!" In one quick motion, he ducked and rolled Rose across his back. She wobbled a bit, but she landed on her feet. Cal, taken by surprise, lost his grip on her hair. He stared at Jack as if he wasn't sure what to do next. Jack hopped off the balcony railing. "You son of a bitch," he said again, quietly this time.
The sound of his voice snapped Cal out of his daze. He lunged toward him. Jack stepped aside. Cal's fist only hit air. He swore under his breath.
Rose screamed as he turned toward her. He grabbed at the front of her dress. She slapped his hands. "Get away from me!"
He pulled her to him. She twisted her body from side to side, frantically trying to escape his clutches. "You really are just a little slut, aren't you?" he spat, shaking her. Her teeth rattled in her head.
With a furious scream, Jack grabbed him by the collar and threw him against the wall. He pinned him. Cal tried to throw his arms back, but Jack held him fast.
Rose shrank back against the railing as the battle unfolded in front of her. Jack appeared to be winning until Cal got in a hard punch with his left hand. Jack staggered back. His disorientation was only momentary, but it was all the time Cal needed to get another shot in.
Jack slammed into the railing. Rose! his mind screamed. He dodged Cal's next punch.
Cal grunted angrily. He grabbed Jack's hair. "Fucking rat—oomph!" His eyes rolled back in his head. His legs folded and he slumped to the ground.
Rose stood over him, a brass candlestick in her hand.