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In the madness of rushing out of the house, I realized I didn't grab my phone. Whatever, the only person other than Julian I even talked to is Avery, and I'm not ready to tell her about this yet. I sure as fuck have no desire to talk to Julian. I don't want to talk to anyone.
Avery told me countless times that she didn't like Julian because she always felt like he was being dishonest. She genuinely believes the person he is putting out to the world is someone completely different from his true self. We just had this conversation again yesterday. Have her instincts been right all along? I can't tell her about this mess until I have time to decide what I want to do.
He's never lied to me that Iknow of, but they always say that people closest to you, who are on the outside looking in, have a clearer representation of your relationship dynamics. They aren't clouded by emotions and heartstrings. People from the outside can see through the bullshit sometimes. Maybe I should have taken her opinion more seriously.
I just don't understand why he would feel like he needs to lie now. I've always told him from the start that I'd rather he be upfront with me than dishonest and let me find out about it down the line. Lying has always been a hard line that I drew in the sand. If people are capable of that, then they're capable of worse. I don't have the space for that kind of person in my life, not with Rogue and my father still out there. This whole situation is a major red flag. What else could he be lying about? Fuck, our whole relationship could be a farce for all I know.
As if that wasn't bad enough, the fact that he tried to gaslight me just blows my mind. I know that he told me several times he was going to Atlanta, not Nashville. Every time someone mentions that city, I’m ravaged by all of the terrible memories that surround it.
Nashville is the closest major city to Rogue. It was where my mother would take me as a kid when we had our days off the compound. It's where Maxton and I planned on catching the bus to get out of town and start our new lives together. I've spent countless days in that city, discovering its history. One of my favorite memories was a day out with Maxton and our mothers at the Opry House. The performances we saw werea once-in-a-lifetime kind of thing for me. I would definitely remember if he told me about Nashville.
Was I wrong to let Julian in? I spent so long keeping everyone at a distance to protect myself, and here I am, feeling stupid as fuck for giving him my trust. It takes so much time for me to feel comfortable enough to open up to someone, and I did that for him.
One lie is enough for an immediate shut-down response from me. Where do I even go from here? How do I process this information? Most people would be able to take some time, come together to find a solution, and maybe work things out and be stronger for it in the end, but I don't know if I want that now. I should just let things be over.
Before I realize where my absent mind has taken me, my car is pulling into the parking lot of Braxton Falls Park. I need a break, my own personal off switch, and this is the only place outside of Avery's where I feel safe right now. There are only two other cars here, thankfully. With any luck, whoever was in those cars would be walking the other trails, and I could have the waterfall to myself.
I park in the spot closest to the trail and take the short, familiar walk back to the falls. Just a few days ago, I was leaving here the happiest girl in the world, full of hope. Julian had proposed. I thought everything was falling into place, that we would live out our lives together. I knew things were too good to be true.
I walk over to the picnic table by the falls and flop down on the bench to stare out at the roaring water. The water seemslower today, causing more white caps to form on the flowing river. I watch as the water whooshes in circles around the rocks, crashing up against them and then splashing back down, mesmerizing me. Glancing back up at the waterfall, I take a deep breath, letting the smell of the water and earth float around and ground me.
I think back to the engagement just a few days ago. The last time I saw the bench I was sitting on, it was covered in white cloth and candles. Julian was kneeling right next to the spot, giving me the promise of forever. That day feels a bit like a lie now, too. My thoughts aren't my own at this moment. They belong to my insecurities and the disappointment I've faced in the past.
Did he cheat on me? Does he have a whole other family out there somewhere that he was keeping from me? Maybe his hypothetical girlfriend or wife or whatever is sick or pregnant or something that involves going back and forth to doctors' visits, so he has to keep flying out to be there to support her. She probably thinks he is on some business trip when he’s here with me.
I laugh to myself. I have a pretty amazing ability to go from zero to one hundred when I encounter the slightest problem. Am I even allowed to be upset with him about this? I've been lying about such a huge part of my life. A lie by omission is still a lie, and this one involves my entire childhood and potential future adulthood.
I close my eyes and take a few more deep breaths, refocusing on the rushing sound of the falls to let it clear my thoughts. I don't know how long I sit like this, but the anger in me begins to recede.
This all has to be some sort of misunderstanding. I'll just go home, talk to Julian, and we can figure it out from there. We can get back together. If his lie proves to be fact, I’m gone so fast. Avery will get an immediate phone call to fill her in on all the details, and we can book our bus ticket out of here to move on to the next stop of our lives. Tonight, I will end all doubts.
I hear a rustling noise in the tree line to my left and look over my shoulder. It's the middle of the day, so it's not unusual for there to be someone else in this area of the park. When I don't see anyone right away, I'm not alarmed.
I glance back at the falls again and stand up to walk over to the edge of the water. I hear another loud shuffle behind me, and this time, when I turn around, a man is standing near the table I was just sitting at. He’s tall and has most of his face covered up by the hoodie-hat combo he is currently wearing. I watch him for a moment to see what he’s going to do next as he takes a seat on the bench. Okay, what the fuck, weirdo.
Turning back to the falls, I feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. My body is uncomfortable with this man being so close to me, so I decide it's a good time to leave. I've done what I needed to do here anyway. A few moments after I started walking back to my car, I peered over my shoulder and found that the man had stood up and was looking right in my direction. I’m not close enough tomake out any details of his face.
My body's alarm bells start to ring. There’s something off about him. He's just standing there, staring at me. Could he be with Rogue? I'm not taking the chance. I move quickly to my car, looking behind me every few seconds to see if he's advanced. He's keeping a steady pace behind me at a respectable distance. A normal person would not see an issue with this. We’re in a public park in the middle of the day, but my instincts are telling me to proceed with caution. My heart is racing. Keep your shit together, Callie, and get to the car. You're so close.
I see my car and hope springs in my chest. The man is still a good distance behind me, and by the time he catches up, I’ll already be on my way out of the parking lot. I’m safe, and I can go home.
I pull the driver's side door open and slide into the front seat as fast as possible, clicking the locks for good measure. Something shuffles behind me, and I bring my eyes up to the rearview mirror to check it out. Out of nowhere, a body sits up in the backseat. My eyes go wide. Someone else is locked in the car with me. Fuck, you know better than this! Always check the back seat. I stumble around a bit, and just as I am about to make my move for the knife in my center console, the person leans forward, wrapping one arm around my chest. I pull up my arm and grab at their hand to pull the leather glove off of me just as they swing their other arm around theother side of my seat and jab something into my arm. Looking down, I realize they injected me with something.
Panic really begins to set in as the world around me starts to fade away. I try to fight it, but the darkness surrounds my vision as I attempt to push their arms off of me. My body feels heavy. My mind is telling my arms to move, but they don’t respond. Finally, the drug wins, and everything goes black.
Chapter 8
Kyler
Isee her speed out of the driveway, almost like she’s running from something. I don't know what went down in the house because I don't like watching the feeds when she's intimate with him. The last thing I saw was the two of them in the kitchen before I shut them off. Everything was fine.
What set you off, little wanderer? I see the furrow in her brow as she whips the car onto the street, driving away from the house. She’s clearly upset. This does something to me. For some reason, I don't like the idea of her being upset. I want to pull her into my arms and hold her until she smiles.
I follow behind her car at a safe distance as she takes a few turns. I already know where we are headed. She's upset, and there's one place I know she loves going to when she needs to decompress. After our latest chat with Gabriel, Seb told us to move forward with any opportunity to take her. It looks like today might be the day. She hasn't been doing much outside the house on her own lately. She only works maybe one shift a week at the bar now. When she leaves the house, she's with the blonde girl or her boyfriend. I can't stand him. He smiles at her,but his face falls into a scowl as soon as she turns away. There is clearly some sort of front he doesn't want her to see.
After watching her over the last few weeks, I feel strangely protective of my little wanderer. Realizing this may be the opportunity we’ve been waiting for, I pick up my phone and call Sebastian. He answers almost immediately.
"Hey man, is everything ok? I'm just finishing up my meeting in town," he says into the phone.
