Unbreak Me (rewritten)

Chapter Eighteen

Oliver rushed to stop her from falling in the small space and slowly lowered her to the ground in order to get her blood pressure to right itself again.

He brushed her ponytail away and laid her head on his thigh. It didn't take long for her eyes to flutter open and his worried blue eyes came into view. Avery frowned and looked at the small space they were in. The lift doors remained opened causing her to blink and start to sit up.

"Hang on. Take it slow." Oliver supported her pale form. She insisted on standing up and leaving the lift that had who knows how many feet in it at one time. Avery took a few deep breaths to clear her tired and foggy head. "Let's go to the hospital, have you checked out."

"No, I'm okay. It's really just exhaustion. I've been pushing myself a little too hard and not eating enough." She spoke honestly. "I just need a good sleep. The hospital won't find anything except for poor nutrition." And some bruises.

Oliver pressed his lips together but nodded anyway. He was going to at least tell Alissa to make her drink fluids and some soup or something. She was about to take a step forward but was instead carefully lifted into his arms and off the ground.

"Just relax. At least let me do this if you won't go to see a doctor."

Avery leaned on his broad shoulder and her eyes fluttered closed. Oliver pressed a kiss to her head and moved closer to his car. He was unimpressed with how light she was, how pale and tired she was.

Oliver placed her in the warm car, it only took her a few minutes to drift off to sleep. He didn't want to take her back home, but he figured a familiar bed and Alissa's motherly care would be best for her right now. Oliver didn't really know much about taking care of someone when they were ill, he didn't know what was best to do.

At the house, Oliver knocked on the front door and walked back to lift Avery out of the car without waking her. The small woman in his arms snuggled into his chest, making him fill with warmth and his eyes shine. He wasn't aware what expression was on his face, but it showed more adoration than he would be prepared for.

Alissa opened the door, she stood stunned for a moment before she began to fret.

"She's okay," Oliver spoke quietly before Alissa began firing off her questions. "She fainted when I picked her up from work, she's asleep now."

She sighed in relief, her hand on her chest then ushered them up the stairs and to Avery's bedroom.

Oliver stopped a moment before placing Avery on the bed and tucking her in with her duvet. Oliver sat on the edge and looked around the room. A lot of it had been cleared since the night before, but there was still a large difference from the neat, cozy room he saw last time.

"What happened in here?"

"Miss Leah, I believe she came in here while Avery was at work yesterday and destroyed everything. The small amount of clothes she owns were ruined." She picked up a stack of crumpled papers. "These were everywhere."

Oliver frowned and shuffled through them. They all had Avery's face scratched, burned or scribbled out. Nearly every insult in the book was written all over the pages as well as an order to die.

"It's getting so much worse for her. Please, Mr Black, get her away from these people." She begged with glassy eyes. She looked like she was about to fall to her knees. "She keeps getting thinner and more exhausted. I don't know what to do!"

"Okay, calm down. She will be out of this house by the end of the week and away from them. In the meantime, call me if anything happens. I'll continue picking her up from work, make sure she eats."

"Of course." Alissa nodded fervently.

"It's better for everyone if we move along as scheduled. I'll contact Russell."

"No, no. If you do that, he'll confront Mr Adley, then Mr Adley will confront Avery. It's best if she stays out of trouble. He will always take the side of Miss Leah."

Oliver blew out a breath, rubbed his forehead and reminded himself to speak with Avery the next chance he got. He stepped outside the house where he heard screeching tires and a cherry red Audi screamed up the driveway. For a moment he feared it was going to crash into his car.

The giggles echoed in the darkness as a familiar strawberry blonde stepped out of the car. She had yet to notice Oliver standing on her doorstep.

"You know what I did to that bitch?" she spoke through her laughter. "You should see her room. I doubt she even has anything to wear!"

"She's so-" her friend stopped as soon as she caught sight of Oliver. Her eyes grew wide and her mouth fell open.

"I know! She should just die..." she trailed off.

"Please, continue." Oliver stood; arms crossed glowering at the leggy woman before him. Leah behaved like a teenage bully more than she did a grown woman. "Don't stop on my account."

"Oliver... we just think she isn't good enough for you. You deserve the best." Leah shrugged as if she didn't just wish for Avery's death. "She thinks she's better than us, just like her parents." She looked back at him, but something was so off with her. He wasn't sure if she was high or not, either way it didn't matter, her behavior was awful. "Have you ever wondered about those rumors? Most rumors have an ounce of truth." Her lips smirked and she dared to step closer to Oliver, bravely ignoring his glare. "If you ever change your mind, you know where to find me," she spoke seductively before walking into the house and her little friend trailed after.

He hated watching her swaying her hips back into the house where Avery slept. Especially after the destruction of her bedroom. Thankfully, there was no mention of violence, otherwise he wouldn't know what he would do. All the lessons his father taught him about never putting a hand on a woman might be under threat of flying out the window.

Having said that, there weren't many risks he could take. He decided to go back home and run it out at the gym and at least try to process everything that was happening. There was so much to wrap his head around, if it were only business, he could easily handle it without a second thought, but it wasn't just that...