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It’s better that I get some sleep, and I know there’s no shame in taking the medication that the doctor gave me for this very reason.

Light streams through the open curtains the same way it does every morning, and I force my groggy eyes open.

The worst part about taking the meds is how long it takes to wake up after having them, but it’s worth it to let my body and mind get the rest they need.

I blink a few times, allowing the familiar room to come into focus but frown when Kingston is nowhere to be seen.

After realizing the mornings are the hardest time for me, he’s made sure to always be around when I open my eyes each day, but maybe that’s another part of our change in routine.

Pushing up, I look for any sign of the man that has held my hand through the worst times in my life but come up empty.

Maybe he’s in the kitchen.

I roll out of bed and move into the bathroom, quickly splashing water on my face to wake myself up and brushing my teeth before padding through the penthouse.

It’s far larger than I thought it would be, but if there’s anything I’ve learned about Kingston since I arrived, it’s that he’s made a good life for himself since he left the Lombardis.

I pause when I find the kitchen empty, my brows dipping in confusion. As big as this place is, there aren’t that many places he could be.

Deciding he must be in his office, I head across the apartment but come up short when I notice the bag on the table along with an assortment of documents.

Maybe he’s going on a trip.

I change course and glance at the documents. He wouldn’t have left them out if he was worried about me seeing them.

Picking up the passport and driver’s license, my chest tightens when I find my face staring back at me.

He got me a new ID.

I guess that makes sense. I can’t hide out here forever.

I place them down and pick up the documents, flicking through them to figure out what they are, but it’s the moment I realize it’s a travel itinerary and tickets that makes my stomach knot.

Because it’s only my name on them.

The only things left on the table are an envelope and a folded piece of paper, and I reach for the latter first as my mind screams at me that it was right.

That feeling I had yesterday has never been wrong.

I unfold the piece of paper, my heart beating erratically as my blurring eyes move over the note, each word pushing me closer to the breakdown I thought I’d been able to avoid.

Chloe,

A friend of mine has a daughter who has recently lost her mother and needs someone to help her heal.

I thought you could help one another through this hard time.

There’s enough cash to get you through until John De Marco starts paying you, and board is included in your generous remuneration.

I’m sorry I couldn’t stay to take you to the airport yourself, but a car will be waiting for you two hours before your flight time to make sure you get to the airport in time.

All the best,

Kingston

Aviolent sob tears from my chest as my knees buckle beneath me, but I barely register the pain of my knees hitting the tiles.

Because the physical pain could never compare to how many times my poor beaten heart has been torn apart in just a few weeks.