Read Online Nearly Broken by Devon Ashley - Free Book Online

needs to stop it with these damn rumors already.”
    I turned to leave, but
Joe snatched my right arm, just above the wrist. “Joe, let go,”
I said calmly but firmly, hoping his drunk-ass would comply once my
words penetrated the drunken haze around his brain. My eyes were
fixed hard on the edge of my sleeve, my heart jumping when I saw a
flash of red squeeze out.
    “I promise I
could make you real happy, Megan. If you’d just give me the
chance. I swear I’m better than I’ve been coming off.”
    The stench of his
breath nauseated me, triggering a memory I tried my damndest to push
back down. I tugged my arm, his grip tightening more as his other
hand reached over to aid the fight. I could feel him squeeze all the
way to the bone, and I yelped and yelled, “Let go of me!”
I pulled using my full body weight, and his hand slid up my arm as he
yanked me closer, my sleeve exposing the worst of my burns.
    His eyes immediately
caught the color clash, his face souring into a look of revulsion.
“Gross! What the fuck is that?” He released me, his hands
in the air, fingers spread wide like he contaminated himself just by
touching me.
    He didn’t get to
verbalize the rest of his disgust, as Nick burst in from the kitchen,
yelling for him to get the hell out before he beat the shit out of
him. Even drunk, Joe knew to hightail his ass out as fast as
possible, and once he stumbled out the door, he was gone from sight
in less than five seconds.
    My hand was already
cupped over my mouth, my eyes widened in a desperate attempt to fight
the sting infused into my eyes. I had already pulled my sleeve back
down but I still felt exposed, so I bolted for the safety of the
hallway that led to the bathrooms.
    “Megan!”
Nick called behind me, rushing to catch me in case I aimed to lock
myself away in the bathroom. He gave me a tight squeeze just as the
tears rushed out. “Don’t,” he soothed. “Don’t
let what that jerk said get to you.” His hands moved to rub my
arms up and down. I cringed, feeling every bump in my skin against
his palms, fearing he’d feel it too. And when my sleeve pulled
up on one of his passings, I reached down to fight the rise, which
only seemed to set him off. Out of nowhere, he shoved both sleeves up
to my elbows and snagged my biceps in such a way I couldn’t
break free, forcing me to leave that disgusting skin visible for him.
“Why do you hide this from me ?” he asked harshly,
just shy of yelling at me.
    Why? Wasn’t
it obvious? The tears broke free of their corner ducts, despite
my best effort to contain them. “Because it’s disgusting!
Just like Joe said!” I hated that he held me that way, hated
that he wouldn’t let me lower my sleeves to cover the patchwork
of abstract bumps and unnatural color patterns. With a cracking,
shaking voice, I cried, “ I’m ugly .”
    “Ugly?”
His grip on me lightened, but he still held me firmly in place.
“Megan, you can tie your hair back, cover yourself head to toe
with clothes that are too big and avoid wearing any type of makeup.
But people are still going to notice you. Men are still going to want
you. You’re the fucking opposite of ugly. Everything about you
is beautiful.”
    “Not
everything,” I whispered. I’m ugly inside, too. No
kind, decent person is capable of doing the things I’ve done.
    I swung the metal
within my shaking grasp and his head whipped to the side, blood
splattering against the beige linens, his body falling unnaturally to
the floor.
    Fire billowed on
the ceiling, reaching down, down, down…
    Nick’s eyes
darkened when they narrowed at me, seemingly pissed as I began to
weaken in his arms. I tried to pull away, craving nothing more than
to cover the nasty burns before my eyes and the horrible memories
they always triggered.
    Leading with my rear,
I went limp, hoping he’d just drop me and let me be. In one
swift motion, he released me, only to thrust his biceps beneath my
arms, lifting until our shoulders