Page 59 of This Life of Mine

“I locked the Ring footage last night,” I continue. “I didn’t want anyone seeing it out of context. But I can show it to you now.”

Chapter nineteen

Lina

Val’s jaw tightens, bracing for what she’s about to see. Kay and Donna drift closer without a word. Joey straightens instinctively, as though some part of him already knows he isn’t going to like what comes next.

I play the video. Silence fills the air, except for the tiny audio coming from my phone.

The front of the bakery fills the screen—the shaking camera, the distorted view of the parking lot as the motion sensor struggles to keep up.

Cole’s already there, pacing with wild eyes, his fists slamming against the glass until the frame shudders.

Next, I’m on the screen. Standing steady and strong. Unaware of what’s going to come next.

Kay inhales sharply, and Donna starts biting her nails, anxiety written all over her face.

They watch us arguing. Then…Cole lunges. I don’t have time to move before he slams me back against the car, the impactloud enough that the sound crackles through the speakers. The camera even seems to jolt as I hit metal.

“Oh my God,” Kay whispers.

Joey mutters something under his breath—furious.

On the video, I react on instinct. They see my knee come up hard, catching him in the leg because of my heels. He stumbles back, swearing, and I run. Only a few steps—but it’s enough to prove I wasn’t frozen. I was fighting.

“Go,” Donna breathes. “Go.” Her anxiety is driving her to bounce on her toes.

But Cole recovers fast. He grabs me by the hair, yanking me back so violently the image blurs.

Kay lets out a small, broken sound as he drags me down, my body hitting the pavement with a sickening thud.

“That fucking asshole,” Val says sharply. “He just—“

The camera catches the chaos in jagged pieces—his hands grabbing, my body trying to twist free, the sheer violence of it undeniable now that it’s visible.

Donna swears. “He’s trying to overpower you.” Now she’s cracking her knuckles. Anger seeping through her.

On the screen, I drive the heel of my palm up into his nose, snapping his head back. The moment he comes back down, I slam my forehead into his face.

The crack echoes through the room.

Joey flinches. “Holy shit.”

Cole staggers, furious now, completely unhinged. He’s shouting—insults, threats, my name twisted into something ugly—but I don’t stop moving. I scramble, shove every ounce of survival I have coming out in flashes.

Kay’s eyes glisten. “Fuck yeah! Our girl’s a fighter.” Even sweet Kay, usually the most emotional among us, lets her fiery side loose.

“Yeah, she is,” Val says, voice tight. She stares at me in disbelief. Like she’s only now realizing the depth of my past.

My chest constricts, but I don’t turn away. I already lived this once. I can watch this and not allow it to affect me.

Next, Alex shows up. The shift is immediate. Cole has no time to process the situation before he’s airborne—lifted clean off his feet and thrown aside like dead weight.

Donna lets out a low, reverent whistle. “Well. Damn.”

Kay’s eyes are wide. “Did he—“

“Yep,” Val says flatly. “He did.”