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Her eyebrow furrowed, “And what exactly do you plan on doing? Keep this a secret forever?”
“Look, Lisa, I’ve got a few other things on my plate right now that have nothing to do with Daniel.
I hope you can understand and just butt out.”
She looked at me and I could tell she was considering her next move.
“People are going to find out about you two. It’s too obvious. Just...be careful.”
I couldn’t believe it! Did Lisa actually care about me?
“Thanks for the warning. I’ve got some things I need to take care of if you don’t mind.”
I pushed past her out of the bathroom.
Chapter twenty-nine
Fight or Flight
Selena
Therewasonlyonething that I needed to do. I had to make sure that I left Marcus behind for good. He was a menace, no doubt, but I felt as though with enough anger and jealousy built up in him, he might actually be capable of immense harm to me and those I love. I felt like a caged animal with nowhere to go. If I stayed in Chicago, he would find me and, eventually, Daniel. I didn’t want to think of what could happen if the two of them ever met up. Marcus was a ticking time bomb, and the fact that he was stalking me made me realize that he was not going to let up any time soon. He was relentless.
I had to go to protect Daniel, but it was easier said than done.
The quicker I left, the better. The best thing for everyone was for me to leave- and go very far away so Marcus couldn’t find me. So why did it feel like I was making one of the biggest mistakes of my entire life?
I had lived my whole life selflessly. I had placed the needs of others above my own and made sure that everyone else was taken care of before considering myself. And then I became this new Selena. The one who threw caution to the wind and did what was best for her. And now here I was, trying to be selfless again. Denying myself the life I had built here just so the ones I loved could live safe and happy lives. Amelia and Claire had babies on the way. They had families to think of, and I knew that Marcus would hound them to get my attention.
I knew what I needed to do, but it didn’t mean that I had to like it.
The plan was set.
I stared down at the envelope that held my letter to Daniel. The rest I would message once I was far enough away. But with Daniel, I needed to rip the Band-Aid off now because I knew once I was far enough away, every fiber of my body would be pulling me back to Chicago, to him, and I couldn’t risk that.
I knew he would be at lunch, and I could drop it off and leave. But there was a part of me that was hoping that he would come in and find me so that he could stop me.
No, Selena. This is for him. To protect him.
I greeted his assistant and walked to his door with shaking hands. I entered his large office and took a few calming breaths. I crossed the floor, my stomach in my throat.
All the things we had talked about and all the short-lived happy moments played in my mind the closer I drew to his desk.
I could do forever with you, Abrams.
His words echoed in my mind. That morning when we woke up in the same bed at the lake house was one of the best moments of my life.
I placed the letter in his top drawer, knowing that at some point today, he would reach into it and find it. But by the time that happened, I would be on a plane to another state, ready to make the long journey to a country I had yet to decide on.
The sting behind my eyes intensified, and the lump in my throat got larger. I tried to blink away the tears, but one or two betrayed me and spilled over my cheeks. My eyes flicked up to the ceiling, trying to draw them back in.
“Forgive me, Daniel,” I whispered into the empty room and bolted out before anyone would see me.
After I had collected my stuff from the office and gone home, I quickly got to packing. My thoughts had been wandering to South Africa. Yes, that was where I was headed. I had never left the country before, and to think- the first time I was doing so was in order to escape my psycho ex.
Daniel had been to Cape Town before, and he had talked about taking me one day when we took the summer off to travel.
I laughed without humor in my voice. So many plans that would never come to fruition. They were all but wasted dreams.
