Read Divided for Free Online

hand flew to her mouth, and she looked to Gabriel. "That's awful."
    "Dev's coming—" I blurted out. "Here. Tomorrow morning. Alive."
    They talked around me, but my brain had tuned them out. All I could think about was seeing Dev, comforting Dev, hoping Elizabeth would be okay, hoping Brian was handling it okay, and wishing for everything to work out.

Reunion from Hell

    The next morning, I couldn't handle the waiting. I sat on the couch, staring at the phone, hoping Dev would call. By early afternoon, my patience cracked completely, and I was ready to go hunt him down. I stood up abruptly, making Sonya jump a little.
    At Sonya's questioning stare, I answered, "I can't just sit here and watch the time tick by. I'm going down there."
    "You can't just barge in on them." She tossed her long, wavy hair over her shoulder before fishing her cell phone out of the pocket of her hoodie. She ran her finger across the screen a few times before putting it to her ear. "Anise? Hey it's Sonya. Got any news?... Awesome, we'll be there in like fifteen minutes. I owe you." She put her phone back in her pocket and stood up. "Anise works at the hospital. Her mom's a nurse and got her a job there on weekends. I asked her to keep an eye out for Dev. She just got to work a half hour ago and found out that Dev's mom is still in ICU. She said Dev's likely in the waiting area on the fourth floor with his family."
    I threw my arms around Sonya. "You're the absolute best bestie in the whole world."
    "I know, I know, and I'm beautiful, intelligent, sweet—"
    "You can continue that on the way." I didn't mind her long list—she deserved it—but I wasn't going to waste time standing there when I could be with Dev.
    When we got off the elevator on the fourth floor, my eyes immediately found Brian. He looked exhausted, and I felt awful for him. He'd been through enough with losing Darren and having Dev taken from them.
    He put his arms out to me like I was family. "It's so good to see you."
    "How is she?" I asked as I wrapped my arms around him.
    "She's better, but still not stable." He pulled me closer and whispered quickly. "The two guys on the couch over there follow Dev everywhere. They say they're friends from the military, but he doesn't act very friendly toward them. They watch his every move." He pulled back and spoke louder. "Dev's just there." He pointed to Dev, who was walking down the hallway toward us.
    My heart skipped a beat. He looked incredible. The white polo he was wearing made his tan skin glow. His arms seemed to stretch the short sleeves of his shirt, and he looked broader and more muscular than when I'd seen him last. But it was seeing his sharp nose and strong jaw that made me a little weak in the knees. I missed him so much.
    "Son," he said loudly, "Evie just stopped by to check on me and your mom. Come and be polite while I go check with the nurses."
    I watched Dev look at the two guys who were now walking in his direction. He seemed very tentative as he walked forward with his back to them. Brian patted me on the arm and walked down the hallway. When Dev finally looked up at me, my heart stopped entirely. The warmth in his big blue eyes and smile on his face forced me to bite my lip to hold back the ridiculous happiness I felt. When he was only a few steps from me, I launched myself into his arms and clung to him tightly.
    His hold on me was so intense that I was barely able to breathe. But breathing is so highly overrated when compared to the feeling of being in Dev's arms. I buried my face in his neck, showering him with little kisses.
    "Oh Evie," he breathed. My name on his lips was so overwhelming that a tear escaped my eye and started falling down my cheek. His voice was so soft and in such pain. "Please forgive me, baby."
    I only had a second to be confused before he grabbed my upper arms and roughly shoved me away from him. His eyes were totally different—hard and dark. I barely recognized them.
    "Stop. Just stop