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“—she is basically asking for it. Did you see what she was wearing? And she’s supposed to be an example for our kids. No thank you!”
With a sob, I skip to the next station, my heart hammering and body shaking. Fear and pain fill my soul, blotting out the music that never comes.
“She’s a wannabe, nothing more. She hasn’t made any good music in months—”
Skip.
“I’m just saying, a girl like her fucked her way to the top—”
Skip.
“If it weren’t for her boyfriend, no one would care about her—”
I smash my fist into the radio, silencing it, then look at the rock on my finger. At least they have that wrong. It’s fiancé, not boyfriend, and as I park in the underground garage, I practically sprint into the elevator that will take me up to his penthouse in the city—one of his many homes. He’s not expecting me, but I need him. I flew overnight to get here and feel the safety I only find in his arms.
When the doors to the elevator open, I rush inside, not even bothering to kick off my heels or drop my bag or even remove my coat. I ignore the stunning view and familiar sights, heading straight down the corridor to the bedroom.
He’ll be sleeping, but I can wake him.
At the door, I almost giggle before silencing myself, wanting to surprise him, but something cuts through the silence. I freeze, unable to place it for a moment, and then the sound comes again, a familiar one.
My mind screams at me to back away, to run, but instead, I open the door and get my first look at what’s making the noise. I stare at their joined bodies with sweat glistening on their perfect skin, and everything in me aches.
The final blade of betrayal has sunken in, but this one goes right into my heart and something snaps within me, breaking permanently.
I slowly shut the door. They don’t even hear me, their moans increasing as I wander through the apartment I once thought was a sanctuary but now feels like a cold prison. I stop before the empty island he never uses, since he doesn’t cook, realizing it’s all for show, just like our relationship.
Before I know it, I have the ring from my finger curled into my palm.
I stare down at the rock and know with certainty it was another game, another publicity play.
He never loved me, not like I deserve to be loved.
None of them do, and enough is enough.
A person can only take so much before they break, and I refuse to give them the satisfaction of letting them see that.
They want my life, but they can’t have it.
Not anymore, no one can.
Clarity curves a smile onto my trembling lips, and I know that’s the right move.
I want to scream and cause a scene, but that’s exactly what they are expecting.
Never again.
Opening my fist, I let the ring clatter to the island, where it sparkles under the lights, and then I step back into the darkness, seeking sanctuary in it.
The clank of the ring is the final nail in the coffin as I turn and leave, heading out to my car and driving away from the city.
Away from it all.
I don’t look back, not once, as I abandon everything I worked so hard for, and for the first time in a year, a truly grinning from ear to ear.
I didn’t cause a scene, nor did I spread rumors or start a fight. I just disappeared and let the rumors swirl. I didn’t act on my anger, jealousy, or pain, I simply left his life like I had joined it—quietly and all too quickly.
TWO
