Page 205 of Don't Leave Me

I immediately shot up, nervous. Jack was going to know that I was with Michael – if I wasn’t with Billie, or Emily, then I was definitely with Michael, and he was going to go into a rage.

“Be careful, Emily,” I immediately shouted out. “Tell Emily to come here,” I said more quietly, this time to Michael.

Michael nodded. “Yeah, it’s probably a good idea to come here. We’re at the Double Tree in downtown Jersey City. Don’t tell Adam that, though.”

He nodded again. “Let us know when you’re on the way.” He hung up.

I sat on the bed on my knees, my body still shaking, my guilt weighing on my chest heavily. Michael sat on the edge of the bed, his back to me, visibly tense.

“I’m so sorry for all of this, Michael,” I whispered. “I hate who I am right now.”

“To be honest, Hana,” Michael started, his voice soft. “It’s what I expected. You went through a lot with him, and you’re very confused right now. I understand” he said, turning to look at me.

I really didn’t deserve him. He was so understanding and wonderful and kind – and he still wanted to be with me after all of this. I knew my self-loathing wasn’t helping me, or the fact that I told myself over and over that I didn’t deserve him, that he was too good for me. I knew I needed serious help, but that had to wait. I had to make sure everyone I loved was okay, and that included Jack.

“Come here, my love,” he patted to the space on the edge of the bed beside him.

I did as he said and scooted down next to him, my naked body pressed against his as he wrapped his arm around me, comforting me.

“You seem to get things better when you say them out loud,” Michael observed. “About what Jack did to you.”

I sighed. How did he know me so well?

“Yes,” I nodded.

“I know this is hard to talk about, Hana, but the more you say out loud the more you’ll realize that he was doing very bad things to you. You don’t have to talk right now. I know it’s all still very raw,” He was rubbing his hand up and down my shoulder.

“I didn’t write you that letter,” I blurted out. “I was still tied up when he wrote that from my phone,” I explained, looking up at him.

Michael nodded as he stared down at me, his grey eyes wide.

“Not once while I was with him did I evernotwant to be with you. He just gave me no choice,” I went on, tears welling in my eyes. “And when you came to the loft that one day, begging for me to come back,” I could feel my face bunch up, getting ready for an ugly cry. “I could barely keep it together. I felt like I died that day, seeing your face so hurt. Jack had a gun in his waistband, otherwise I would have ran into your arms right then and there,” I cried out.

“I know, my love. It’s okay, I know,” Michael assured me, holding me tighter.

I stopped crying suddenly. “That was the day he tied me up on the bed, my hands and feet bound. It’s because I yelled at him after he told me I gave you a bad performance. He said there was no way he would have believed me. He hit me with a belt, twice, and I wept as he fucked me,” I explained, staring off in front of me, feeling the pain so easily on my ass.

I could feel Michael tense up. We both jumped when Michael’s phone buzzed violently on the bed beside him: it was Emily. Michael answered immediately and put her on speaker.

“Jack is here right now; he and Adam showed up just a minute ago. He’s adamant that he talks to Hana. I told him that I talked to her and now he won’t budge – he’s asking how she called me, from what number – what the fuck do I do?” Emily’s voice was frantic and hushed, like she was hidden in a room trying to not let anyone hear her.

I immediately answered. “Tell him I’ll call him on his phone. Tell him you have a training thing for your new job and that you have to go, but I will call him right now. Okay? Just leave,” I instructed, my need to protect my cousin greater than anything I’d felt all day.

I had no idea if Jack would turn against his best friend, just from Emily being there and being connected to me, so I needed her to get out of there right away.

“Okay. I’m going to put the phone in my pocket but keep you guys on the line. He’s so angry,” Emily’s voice was shaking. “Hold on.”

We could hear the phone being muffled into her pocket and then a door creaking open, her heeled boots hard on the wood floor beneath her. My heart raced as I simultaneously held my breath.

“So, Jack, Hana is gonna call you right now. But babe, I need to go…I have training at the venue and I’m gonna be late,” Emily stated sternly, sounding her usual bossy self.

“How is she going to call me? Where is she?” I could hear Jack demand angrily.

“Dude, I don’t know where she’s at. But she’s gonna call you, and that’s all I know,” Emily responded with annoyance and we could hear another door creak open.

“It’s fine, just let her go to work. Text me, alright, babe?” I heard Adam’s tense voice.

Thank God Adam is there.

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