AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Before I was ambushed by a frenzied mob.
Before I learned of Oscar’s betrayal.
Before my world crumbled.
Fingers shaking, I lifted the phone to my ear.
“Layana?”My voice came out as a croak, my throat constricted.
“I’m here.” Her voice was equally as tight.
She’d heard everything.
A blathering bubble escaped my throat. My chest heaved. If I said even a fraction of what I was thinking or feeling, if I spoke at all, I wouldn’t make it out of the building. The glue holding my shattered pieces together was wet and so fragile that if I exhaled wrong, those pieces would scatter across the floor.
“I’m right here,” she repeated. “Give me an address and I’ll come get you.”
I gave her the name of the coffee shop, then hung up the phone. I had to get out of here or I risked Oscar stepping out into the hall and seeing me. I couldn’t handle the thought of him seeing me so utterly devastated.
I put my phone in my pocket, opened the window, and stepped onto a balcony.
Hot summer air filled my lungs. The sun dried the tears threatening to run down my cheeks. I forced one foot in front of the other and began to climb down the ladder.
I focused on the rough feel of the metal rungs in my fists, the blood-like scent of the iron, the teeniest tiniest bit of control I was managing to maintain.
At the bottom of the ladder, no camera crews waited to ambush me. I knew that wouldn’t last long if anyone spotted me making my escape. I hurried back toward the coffeeshop and hid out behind the corner of the building as I waited for Layana.
Every second was a twisted mess of fear and heartache.
Fortunately, it didn’t take long for my car to fly up to the curb. I would forever be glad she had my extra key.
I ran for it, sank into the passenger seat, and closed my eyes as a small blanket of relief enveloped me.
Layana buckled me in and started driving.
“He lied to me,” I whispered.
I could feel the weight of Layana’s attention, but I couldn’t look at her. I couldn’t handle the pity or anger or whatever she was feeling. My own emotional turmoil was already too much. So I kept my eyes closed.
“You tell me where you want to go, and that’s what we’ll do,” she said softly.
“I want to take a portal to a different reality,” I said.
“Hmm.”
“A time machine to travel back before I auditioned forWhat the What?,before I bludgeoned a billionaire and screwed up my life.”
“Unfortunately, I’m not sure where to find either of those.”
“Fine. Then I need copious amounts of alcohol,” I said. “Stat.”
“That, we can do.”
Layana drove me to Pour Decisions, which was probably the only bar to open before noon on a Tuesday. The fastest way to dull the pain was with shots, so I did just that. But Layana didn’t drink with me because she was a responsible driver, and the whole dulling-the-pain part of my plan didn’t seem to be working. Instead, the alcohol loosened my tear ducts and my lips.
“I was so stupid pretending it was different than dating, you know? Thathecould be different. All men with money care about is themselves and having all the shiny things,” I said, possibly slurring my words. “Forced proximity made me drop my guard. And his stupid pretty eyes. And the way he made me smile and feel safe,when the last thing I should do was feel safe.”
Layana side-eyed some dudes in suits who entered the bar, but who cared about some random dudes. Not me. My heart was irrevocably broken. I’d never so much as look at another man again.
