Page 174 of Don't Leave Me

It had been two days since I heard anything, and I could tell that Michael was ready to give up. For someone so handsome, powerful, and confident on the outside, he had little to no confidence in himself. He was convinced that Hana really was sick of him, that he was too “normal” and stable for her, and he was too self-loathing to investigate any further. He didn’t want to push any boundaries, if that’s what she really wanted. He really believed that she had made the whole thing up to make herself look better. But I didn’t. Not until Valentine’s Day, anyway.

I sat at home trying to distract myself from my loneliness that Valentine’s Day had forced upon me. I was all too aware that I was single and living alone and this corporate, made up love day was doing its best making me feel lonely. I had to stay off the internet - everyone was posting lovey dovey pictures of themselves and their significant other, declaring their love to one another. Instead, I started to binge watch a new show on Netflix about a serial killer on death row.Seems fitting, I thought to myself.

As the narrator described the seventh victim and as I lost myself in the fucked up world of this murderer, my phone buzzed on the coffee table:Hana Miller has posted a new photo. Ever since she had posted that photo of herself and Jack, declaring their love, I was eager to see if she was going to post anything else and turned on notifications for her account. I was being a good detective, because no one else was.

I quickly picked my phone up and opened the notification. My heart dropped immediately. It was a photo of Hana and Jack, standing lovingly together in what seemed to be a professional photo in front of what seemed to be a courthouse.How did Hana look so content when she was being held captive?My eyes went down to the caption and I swear my heart stopped beating for a few seconds.Jack + Hana Maynor. 2/14/23. I didn’t want to believe it. They got fucking married? This had to be some sort of joke. I felt myself shaking, bile rising up from my stomach.She told me she was being held against her will. She told me he was threatening her and everyone she loved. And now they are married. What the fuck kind of sick joke were they playing? Or was it all real? Did Hana really lie about it all? The picture was so convincing - she had her arms around him, and Jack had that smug smile on his face, taunting me. I was seething with anger as I typed into the comment box:what the fuck?????I couldn’t stop staring at the photo.Who took this? Where is this? It’s not in the city. Does Emily know about this? I need to call Emily.

I immediately dialed Emily’s number; I could hear my heart thumping in my chest as I listened to the ringing.

“Hey,” Emily answered, her tone flat; she wasn’t happy to hear from me.

“Emily, did you know about this?” I asked immediately - she had to know what I was talking about.

I heard her sigh heavily, annoyed. “About what?”

“About the picture that Hana just posted of her and Jack! Did they get fucking married?” I demanded an answer.

There was a pause for a few seconds.

“Emily!” I nearly shouted.

“Hold the fuck on, Billie!” Emily answered angrily.

“For what? What is going on?”

I could hear the desperation in my voice.

Emily sighed. “Yes. They got married. I took that photo. What else do you need?” She sounded like a stubborn teenager.

I burst into tears. My whole world, everything that I knew, was crumbling around me. Hana was lying and I had to accept that. She told me to back off, that she wanted to be with Jack, and I needed to come to terms with that. I had to let my best friend go - I had no idea who she was anymore. This was something that could never be forgiven or forgotten.

“Is she happy?” I finally asked after a few minutes of crying. I was surprised that Emily stayed on the line.

“Of course she is. She just married the love of her life. Why are you so upset about this?” Her tone was kind and understanding now.

Do I tell her? Why not?Hana isn’t my best friend anymore. She’s not in danger like I thought she was. Maybe then she’ll understand why I’ve been freaking out about this all.

“The other night when I went to dinner with Hana and Jack, Hana told me something…”

* * *

HANA.

Jack and I packed our things early the next morning. Jack wanted to go rent a car and go shop at the mall for warmer clothes and for the books I wanted. Of course, I was the only one that had a valid driver’s license - almost no one living in the city had a license to drive, but growing up in Connecticut, I absolutely needed one and kept it valid ever since - so I was the one who had to drive. Another test of loyalty.

We rented an SUV (for the snow, Jack figured) with no problems whatsoever – we even used Jack’s credit card. I guess he wasn’t worried about people trying to track us now. He had me where he wanted me: as his loyal wife. We walked effortlessly through the mall, buying hundreds of dollars worth of clothes and shoes, then walked across the street to a boutique bookstore that I noticed on the way in. I found five mystery thrillers;these should distract me from reality for a bit. Jack picked up three horror novels. Of course.

And then we were on our way up north towards Lake George. Jack explained that he rented a house through AirBnB for two nights in Lake Luzerne, which was about 10 miles before Lake George. It took us about an hour to get to the snowy mountain town, the usual beautiful greenery all covered in white but the roads clear with little traffic. We had finally arrived at our destination – a cute little cabin surrounded by trees right on the edge of the icy lake. Snow covered the ground an inch or so, but the entrance was shoveled and ready for our arrival. I stopped the car and Jack turned to me excitedly.

“Let’s go check it out,” he smiled at me, getting out of the car quickly.

I sat for a second in the driver’s seat, the keys still in the ignition, Jack shutting the car door behind him.I could leave right now. I could speed away and this would all be over.Then I saw Jack walking behind the car about to retrieve our bags from the back. And I opened my door and got out, the fleeting thought now gone.

We walked into the house and the warm air quickly hit my cheeks, warming them from the frosty outside breeze. I looked around the place and instantly felt secure and cozy – the modern décor was inviting with just a touch of rustic cabin. The kitchen to the left held two wine glasses and a bottle of red with a note on a small chalkboard that said, “Welcome!” The ceiling was slanted with wood paneling and the fireplace sat in front of a cozy sofa with a lounge chair and behind that, a small dining table. Parallel to the entrance were two french double doors leading to the back, an instant view of the lake. I noticed an enclosed porch with a cozy couch and hammock with another nice view of the lake.

“This is gorgeous, Jack,” I observed, slowly walking around and noticing small decorations, eyeing a teal hutch that held a few books.

“Isn’t it? Let’s have a look at our bed,” Jack held onto me, guiding me down a hallway.

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