Page 78 of Adam & Eve

Frowning, I shook my head. Leave it to my own mind to be toying with me.

Just leave. Think about the rest later.

I hesitated for a minute longer, and then I took one step out of the room. When nothing terrible

happened, I took another step. Before I knew it, I was up the stairs and cautiously peeking out of the

door. The coast was clear. I walked down a long hallway that led to another set of stairs. I followed

those down to the front door which was opened.

It was hard for me to believe he was letting me go. My instincts urged me to put the money

down and just run from it, but I hefted the heavy bag over my shoulder. I wasn’t stupid. I hated the life

I’d been living two and a half weeks earlier. To change that I would need money. Hell, I had earned

the money.

I kept my eyes forward. I walked through the eerily quiet house, not wanting to see any parts

of what I knew would be impressive. I sped walked out of the front door only stopping to give myself

a second to breathe in the fresh air, before hurrying down the steps. A yellow cab waited for me in

the circular driveway. The driver got out and reached for my bag, but I waved him off. He headed

back to the driver’s side.

I wanted to hop in the cab and ask the driver to speed off, but I couldn’t help myself. I turned,

feeling the heat of his eyes on me. Adam stood at the door, looking older than he had just a few hours

before. His expression was somber. He didn’t break eye contact, and I got a glimpse of something

fleeting in them that gave me chills in the hot Florida sun.

Just leave before he changes his mind, I thought.

I went against my better judgement. I made my way back toward him. With every step I took,

his face relaxed a bit. His eyes perked up more. I stopped cold in my tracks. If I gave him any false

hope, I knew I would end up right back in that room until he broke me. I didn’t know how it happened,

but I could read Adam better than any other person I’d ever known. Instinctively, I knew he was

letting me go while hoping I would willingly stay.

He was hopeless but could have saved himself a lot of hurt by simply believing me when I’d

told him the truth the night before. Love and happily ever after endings weren’t options for people

like us.

“Will—” I started, but my voice cracked.

I was choked up with some weird emotion that I could not and did not want to explain. It made

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