Page 5 of Love Me

No, I won’t believe that. He wouldn’t do that to me.

On unsteady feet, I stumble outside.

Rain pelts down my skin, freezing my insides, but I don’t return to the car. Instead, I run to Kaden’s house and pound on his door. There must be a logical explanation for this. I refuse to believe differently.

He opens it, revealing his face set in an unsettling mask of impenetrability.

“Kaden?” With my gaze, I beg him to make me understand.

“I made my choice.”

A plethora of emotions strangle my neck with their unyielding tentacles. Any second now, my lungs will seize, and I won’t be able to breathe. That would be more merciful than facing his betrayal.

“Why?”

A bout of anger jolts me from my comatose state, and I slam my fists on his chest. He grabs them, and for a moment, I believe he will wrap me in his arms, and I’ll wake from this nightmare.

“Don’t come back,” he says, then pushes me out the door before closing it in front of me.

A cry leaves my mouth, piercing the heavy silence. Paralyzed by shock and disbelief, I couldn’t move if I wanted to. I don’t know how long I remain there, shivering in the pouring rain before a car stops behind me.

Our childhood friend and heiress of the Voss family, Abigail, steps out while her driver holds an umbrella for her. Her blond hair is tied in a low ponytail. Always so put together. I wish I could be more like her.

“Abi, do you know what’s happening here?”

She takes my hand and squeezes it, but no warmth seeps through the coldness owning every fiber of my being.

A small smile grazes her lips. “You’re free. You should be happy about that.”

I watch her go inside Kaden’s place and close the door, leaving me on the outside. That shakes me out of my stupor, and I walk away. With the very air I breathe carrying a note of finality, despair tears me apart. I trudge toward my house, feeling dead, empty, and confused.

When I arrive, Kaden’s father, Felix—the right hand of the matriarch—is standing in front of my door. He heads the financial sector, which is comprised of various companies that involve money management and credit unions. He is the most influential among the elders of the Family.

“I’m here to take you away.”

“But this is my home.” My voice is lifeless, devoid of emotion. I sound like a broken record. “Where am I going?”

“Far away from here.”

Unaware of my own movements, I find my feet carrying me upstairs, functioning on autopilot and misery. I grab the picture of my parents and pat the necklace hanging around my neck, a reminder of the vow he shattered not even a few days later.

Kaden’s not here to say goodbye, to say it’s a ruse. He’s not coming.

***

The drive to the airport passes in a blur. I didn’t even say goodbye to our other two friends, Bailey and Blake. Still, the Family’s private plane traverses the Atlantic and descends seven hours later at Heathrow Airport.

Before we disembark, Uncle Felix turns to me and says, “You never say no to the Family.”

Heaviness weighs me down. I thought Kaden was my family.

The weather in London hits me with its moodiness. I wrap my coat around me, gripping it tightly. Gray clouds swirl above my head, and flashes of lightning split the sky, fitting my inner world perfectly. On the tarmac, a black town car waits to bring me even farther from my old life and everything and everyone I knew and loved. The knowledge would be jarring if I weren’t numb with sorrow.

We leave the airport and the city behind, and before too long, the driver parks in front of two large iron gates with a gargoyle resting on each brick column. A security guard opens the gate, and we drive down a long cobblestone path.

On the right side, large, faded statues and acres of green land span as far as my eyes can see. A blanket of lush, perfectly mowed grass surrounds a garden with a fountain in the middle. On the left is a Victorian castle. The old stone building towers over the landscape, looking like it came straight from a horror movie. This place gives me the creeps.

“Where are we?” I ask Uncle Felix.

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