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Only this time, we didn’t know why.
Chapter Seven
Sadie
The sunlight barely filtered in through the sheer curtains. It was too early yet to be woken by the light outside, but I promised Melanie I’d be at the shop at my regular shift. Boy, how quickly things had changed in the last twenty-four hours.
I certainly never thought I’d wake up at my ex-boyfriend’s home.
I’d never spent a night at Zack’s in one of his guest rooms. Usually, I’d wake up cuddled in his arms, taking in the beautiful view of the forest outside his window. But I’d made the decision that led to the guest room, and with everything going on, it was the right decision, even after consuming too much wine last night.
No matter how much I tried to make sense of what was happening in my life all over again, I couldn’t. There was no intelligent or logical reason that Carmella would reach out to me. She’d only hurt herself.
Yet, she did.
But I also awoke with such an unusual sensation of sleeping amazingly well, which made no sense. A weightlessness danced around me as I stretched toward the ceiling. I pushed the cold sheets from my skin and took a deep breath. The calmness and peace were a gift this morning, but I knew they wouldn’t last.
I stood slowly and savored the blissful moment surrounding me. Maybe it was merely being in Zack’s house again. But as each minute ticked by, the memory from last night awoke the familiar creeping sensation that managed to haunt my every thought as reality set in.
I was in hiding, an actual person in hiding. I wasn’t drawn into some maze of a metaphorical demon of the past. No, I was physically hiding from someone who never offered thinly veiled threats.
So, Zack had to be why I had such a blissful sleep. Or maybe my body and soul had finally reached an exhaustion that no longer allowed me to feel.
Maybe this wasn’t bliss, but numbness.
My feet hit the cold wooden floor as I went to the bathroom. The cool morning air was still thick in the room. I turned on the hot water in the shower and brushed my teeth while trying to get Zack out of my head.
Usually, our mornings would be filled with something physical that always left me wanting more of him while I was at the coffee shop or while he was heading to some client in another state. But that was just it. So often, I was alone. I’d only get to remember his touch from the morning, and that would have to be enough for weeks.
When we first started dating, I didn’t think that would be a problem. I liked my independence and having time to myself.
Or at least I had.
But as each month ticked by, I realized that my life and my needs had severely changed since my incident. And suddenly, being left alone to stir in my own thoughts quietly didn’t always lead to great things. The first few months, I wanted to believe it would change, and the last few months, I realized it might be my new normal.
And I needed a partner who was closer.
As I stepped into the steaming shower, I let the water drip down my body as I reminded myself to quit focusing on the past and what led to the breakup. There were a million reasons that got me to where I was now, and I couldn’t keep second-guessing.
I quickly rinsed my hair and dried off before sitting at the vanity with a towel wrapped around my body and wet hair dangling along my shoulders. Running a quick brush through it, I spun it into a bun, dabbed some lipstick on, and mentally promised myself that today would be a good day.
I glanced at my phone and saw a message from the prosecutor, and my heart dropped. So much for the good day omen.
I pulled on a cream sweater and jeans when voices drifted up from below. I couldn’t hear anything, but I knew there was a woman’s voice, and my heart dropped.
I took a deep breath, reminding myself that Zack was single. I had made him that way.
But I couldn’t help myself and opened the door, slowly making my way down the hall to hear the voices more clearly.
I noted a sense of urgency, which only made me more curious.
My mind raced with different scenarios. Was it someone he could have dated before? Should I stay upstairs? Or should I be extra loud as I come down the stairs?
No. I was a big girl.Anyone who’s down there must be a friend of his, so she’s a friend of mine.
With that last thought, I made my way down the hall and skipped down the stairs as the voices became clearer.
Elena.
