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He laughed so loudly, I had to hold the phone receiver away from my ear. “You, warning me?” he said. “Good one, Jo. Good one. I’m afraid you’re mistaken though. So let me clear things up for you. I’m coming for you, darling. I will find you. And you will never get away from me again, you hear me? In fact, I might even forgive you for this little stunt. But once I get my hands on you, you won’t leave me again, Joanna. Never again.”
Tears strolled down my cheeks. “Zander, you’re crazy,” I said in a whisper. “You are insane. You need help.”
“No,” he said. “I just need you, my love.”
“Too bad, because like I said, I’m done with you. You pathetic asshole!” And with that, I slammed the phone down even though my body trembled from head to toe. I gripped the sides of my chair, trying to force myself to stop shaking.
Okay…So he found a phone number, I thought to myself. That doesn’t mean he knows where I am. How could he? He can’t find my physical location. He can’t find me. He doesn’t know where I am. He doesn’t know where Tobias lives. I never told him…
And I packed all my things. I didn’t leave anything in his apartment to tell him where I was going. So he’s just bluffing.
He can’t find me. He can’t find me. He can’t find me. I chanted those words over and over in my head, hoping that if I repeated them enough, I would start to believe them. But I had no such luck. The good mood I’d previously been in felt so far away, like a distant memory.
I suddenly realized I couldn’t be with Anderson anymore—not while I had Zander to worry about. I knew how crazy Zander could be, not to mention jea
lous.
If he found out about Anderson…
I shuddered, not even wanting to think about it.
I stared down at the half-full cup of coffee on my desk, no longer wanting it. With the way I couldn’t stop trembling, more caffeine was the last thing I needed. Besides, I needed something stronger than coffee, like a shot of whiskey. Not knowing where they kept the booze in the office, I decided to get water instead.
I grabbed my coffee mug and headed to the break room, where I went straight to the sink to toss the remainder of my coffee down the drain.
“Good morning, Joanna!”
I nearly jumped out of my skin, not realizing someone else was in the room. When I turned around, I spotted a woman around my age I’d seen plenty of times around the office, instantly recognizable by her bright green eyes.
“Hi…Libby, right?” I said.
She smiled warmly and nodded. Her smile quickly faltered though, getting replaced with a look of concern. “How’s it going?” she asked. “Everything all right?”
I tried to nod, but treacherous tears began to form in my eyes against my will. I turned to face the wall, trying to take deep and steady breaths, and hoping Libby hadn’t notice my tears. But once they began falling down my cheeks, I knew hiding them was pointless.
I jumped again, feeling Libby’s hand lightly touch my shoulder.
“Joanna, what’s wrong?” she asked in a gentle voice.
I sniffed louder than I meant to, and hastily wiped my eyes. Once again, I tried to force a smile onto my face, but my cheeks wobbled in protest, my jaw muscles refusing to function. “It’s nothing, really,” I said, shaking my head.
Libby simply stared at me.
“My ex…” the words left my mouth before I could stop them.
“Ahh,” Libby said. “I’ve certainly been there before. Come on, sit down.” She guided me toward the table at the center of the room and pulled out a chair for me.
With a sigh, I took a seat and rested my head in my hands. “I don’t know why I’m letting him stress me out like this, especially at work,” I said. “It’s so unprofessional. The last thing I need is for my brother to find out.”
“I just saw your brother not long ago,” Libby said. “He’s running around here like a chicken with its head chopped off. So he’s pretty busy. I don’t think you have to worry about running into him too soon.”
“That’s good to know,” I said, rubbing my eyes.
“Well, if you want to talk about it, I’m here. I know you haven’t known me for long, but I can always sympathize with a woman going through man-trouble. My ex was a complete jerk too, so I feel your pain.”
“Mine is more than just a jerk,” I said. “He’s completely deranged.”
“What happened?” Libby said, leaning in and taking my hand.
