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“I don’t care for you. I never will,” he whispered with flared nostrils; his actions were different to his words. “But that doesn’t mean I’ll allow you to get into that man’s car. I don’t trust him.” He seethed.
“You don’t need to trust him. My father does, and that’s enough for me.” I shoved him away from me as I pulled the front door open, revealing Chad’s armored vehicle.
“Anastacia!” Lorenzo screamed.
I practically ran down the steps, I felt his eyes on me the entire time as he continued to bellow my name, his anger apparent. I jumped in the car and slammed the door behind me, the tinted windows now blocking Lorenzo’s view.
That man shouldn’t be able to get under my skin like this. He was an arrogant son of a bitch. I didn’t understand what was going on in his mind, one minute he’d push me away and bark orders at me, and the next he acted as though he wanted to devour me.
“Everything okay?” Chad asked as I settled into my seat.
“Everything’s fine. Why do you ask?” I couldn’t bring myself to look at him. I kept my eyes trained on my seething fiancé who hadn’t moved from the steps, his phone pressed against his ear then, no doubt calling someone to follow us.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you run that fast,” he joked.
“Fuck off, I have!” I laughed but the laugh was fake.
“Ana?” His voice was a mere whisper, which only hurt my heart more.
“Please don’t. I’m fine,” I lied.
The engine roared into action as Chad sped down the driveway. I watched in the side view mirror as Lorenzo threw his phone onto the ground in an apparent rage, it soon dawned on me that the person he tried to call was me, and my phone was still on the vanity upstairs.
Shit.
“Where am I taking you?” Chad asked quietly as he turned on the radio.
“To see my grandmother.” I smiled as I relaxed a little.
“Do you need to stop anywhere first?” he questioned.
“Just the usual place, please.” I didn’t need to specify, he already knew. He had been accompanying me here for the past few years.
He soon realised I didn’t want to talk. He knew I preferred to sit in silence, my thoughts tainted by the man I ran away from. It didn’t take long before we pulled up outside our first destination, one I knew all too well.
“Do you want me to come inside?”
“It’s fine. You can wait for me here.”
I entered the old school flower shop situated on the main strip in town, an array of many flowers decorated the outside and the inside. There was something about this store I fell in love with as a child. I would visit weekly with my grandmother as we would collect her favourite flowers, pink lilies. I guessed, this was why I loved nature and all things floral. We would spend hours on end in the garden together tending to what my grandfather planted and spent his spare time on. My grandfather passed away far too soon, and it hit the family harder than we thought it would.
“Anastacia, my dear. I already have your order ready; they just need wrapping.” The owner, Marilyn, grinned as soon as she saw me.
“Thank you. You’re always so prepared.” I returned her smile, and for the first time since I left the house, it was genuine.
“Ana, you’ve been coming at the same time every single week since you were knee-high.” She giggled as she wrapped up the stunning pink lilies for me to take. “How is the lovely Evelina?” she asked.
“She’s good. I’m heading there to see her now.” I took the flowers she held out to me.
“Please send her my love. I miss her dearly.” Her smiled faded and was replaced with sadness almost instantly.
“Of course.” I squeezed her hand as I replied.
“Is there anything else, darling?” she asked.
“Can I actually have a single white rose, please?” I questioned.
“Of course. For Aleksander?” Her face brightened but only slightly.
