“No,” I sniff, wiping my eyes.“No, I don’t want you to.”
Silence.
“The past ten days...it was amazing.More than I ever dreamed.But it’s over.I need you to let me go.Let me get on with my life.”
“Jess.Fuck that.Come on.I know you’re upset.Forget all of that.I want to be there for you.All of us will talk about this another time.”
When you think I am okay enough to reject me?
“No,” I reply.
“Jess.”
God, he’s making it so hard.
We never even got the chance to make love one last night.To say goodbye as we should have.
The pull to run back into his arms, to curl up in his bed is almost impossible to resist.All it would do is delay the inevitable.
“You’ve always belonged to Jayden.I just borrowed you for a short time.Thank you.Thank you for letting me have these few days.”
I sob, letting the tears flow.
I hear Liam growl.
“I fucking told you I love you, Jess.Do you think I said that to fill the silence?To blow smoke up your sexy ass?Tell me where you are!”
“I love you, too,” I whisper, then hang up.
––––––––
IT TAKES ME almosttwo hours to pull myself together and get to the police station.I sobbed my heart out after hanging up the phone, then had another shower and finished setting up my new home.
Nothing feels right.
My body aches.
My heart feels like it’s been torn apart.
My phone is silent, like everyone is sick of my shit.I kind of get it; I’m sick of it, too.
When I walk into the station, nausea curdles inside my tummy.The officers are patient, trained in how to treat a victim, but it’s still horrible revisiting it step by step.
I’m advised I have to file a different report in Texas, as the first offense happened there.
As I’m about to finish up, Sarah and Melanie message saying we’re having a party tonight.About thirty people are coming and giving me a list of things to buy.
Great.
It’s the last thing I feel like.
I just stare at the wall, wondering how I will ever feel normal again.I don’t know how to do that.
Or where I belong.
Yes, you do.
In Liam’s arms.
