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I thought he’d never hurt me. In fact, I knew it… like I knew I’d take my next breath. And yet, here I am… hurt and alone.
That just goes to show, I didn’t know Hunter Bennett at all.
The bus stops outside my apartment, but it’s only once I’m inside that it hits me…
There’s nothing here for me… in every sense of the word. Most of my clothes, my toiletries, my heart, my life, they’re all at Hunter’s place.
I make it to the bed that’s supposed to be a couch and sit down.
A sob leaves my lips, and I cover my mouth with my hand, stifling it. Once I start down the road of crying again, I know I won’t be able to stop. Crying won’t help. Instead, I get up and go over to the closet, checking what’s still here. There are no work clothes… but that’s okay. I don’t have a job anymore. There are a couple of pairs of jeans, and a few tops, which I guess are going to have to suffice, because there’s no way I’ll go crawling back to Hunter… even for the things that are rightfully mine. I’ll just have to make do, for now.
I turn around again, facing my tiny apartment, and it registers that I don’t have to make do. I don’t even have to stay here. It might be admitting defeat, but there’s always another option.
I can go home.
The moment the thought crosses my mind, the decision is made, and I grab a bag from the bottom of my closet, throwing in my remaining clothes. The books that are still here – the ones I didn’t take to Hunter’s – and all the rest of my things will have to wait for now. For today, I just need to get out of here. I need to be somewhere I’m loved.
The bus pulls up in Falmouth at just after five in the afternoon, and I climb down, thanking the driver. He gives me an understanding smile, like he knows my life is over… although I’m not sure how. Maybe it’s the shroud of sadness I’m wearing, or the tears that are still pooling in my eyes.
I’ve spent the journey counting. I didn’t want to think, for fear I’d break down and publicly humiliate myself, so I counted… everything, from red cars, to trees, to street signs. It was a distraction, nothing more. The pain in my chest is just as intense as it was when I closed the door on my apartment, and I’m just as confused, too. I still don’t understand what’s happened… or why.
My parents’ house isn’t far, and I make it there in less than ten minutes, standing outside for a moment or two, and wondering how it came to this.
Because you fell in love.
Except love isn’t supposed to end like this.
Love isn’t supposed to end at all.
It’s eternal.
The door opens, my mom appearing.
“Livia?”
The sight of her is too much, and the tears fall… not in a steady trickle, but in a torrent. Great sobs wrack through me and I fall to my knees.
“Oh, my God…” I hear my mom’s footsteps at the same time as her voice, and then her arms come around me, lifting me to my feet, her eyes locking onto mine. “What’s happened, Livia?”
She looks scared and I shake my head, trying to reassure her, although it doesn’t seem to work. I nod toward the house and she guides me inside, where Dad’s waiting, standing in the hall, his face a picture of concern, too.
“Livia?” He tries to reach out to me, and I drop my bag, running to him. I hear his stick fall to the floor, and then I feel him bring both arms around me. That will have been a tremendous effort for him, and I lean against him, feeling safe at last. He rocks me for a while, like I’m a child again, and I take a deep breath. This feels good. It feels better than good.
“Can you tell us what’s wrong?” Mom asks from behind me and I turn, taking a breath, knowing how disappointed they’re going to be.
“I’ve been fired.”
I feel Dad stiffen and I look up at him. He’s frowning, like he’s more confused than disappointed. I can’t blame him for that. I’m confused, too, and I was there when it happened.
“What on earth for?” Mom says.
“I—I don’t really know. My boss said something about my name, but…”
“He fired you because of your name?”
“I’m not sure. It all happened after a man came to the office to see Hunter’s father…”
“Who’s H—Hunter?” Dad asks, stammering.
