Page 33 of Unmasking Secrets
Max: Where are you?
Max: Just checking in, let me know if you’re okay.
Max: I’ve been posting on your socials for you.
Max: The agency is going nuts. You okay?
Eric: Max is going crazy with worry. Please check in and let us know you’re okay.
Max: Miss you girl. Please respond back with proof of life.
I’m normally glued to my phone. I didn’t even realize it was out of battery until I attempted to turn it on. The phone has been buzzing nonstop since I plugged it back in. The number of missed calls and messages is outlandish. I don’t even want to open my social media apps to see what all I’ve missed.
For now, it can all wait.
I send a quick message to Max.
Me: I’m fine. Phone died. Going back offline, I promise to reach out in a few days. I just need a little more time.
I holdthe power button down on the side until it powers off, place it on the bedside table, then roll over. It’s bright outside, but the room is nice and cool. I pull the cover over my head and curl up against the pillow.
It smells like him.
The days feel like they’ve been running together since I opened up to Archie. It was the first of a few conversations with him, and while it made me feel better, it also drained me. It felt like I was reliving those moments in my mind. I’m not sure how many nights passed where I opened up to him before ending the night in tears.
Then he would hold me for the rest of the night.
He was my comfort. My safety blanket.
His arms were a better haven than my home had ever been.
I’ve been waking up in the morning and thinking I’m ready to start the day, but when I noticed Archie was already up and out of the room, I just felt stuck. I’d glance around and think about getting up, but it’s like the energy is gone.
What’s the point?
My body grows tired even now as I sink further into the mattress. It feels like a struggle to move, to breathe, to feel.
I don’t know how to get out of this darkness that threatens to swallow me up again. I can’t ask for help. They’ve all already helped too much. The club helped me get my divorce and were not keeping me safely tucked away in this room.
I’m existing.
My thoughts return to Archie. He thinks he’s too good for me—that’s the farthest thing from the truth. I have demons he doesn’t know about now, and I want to keep it that way. It was hard to open up to him about my failed marriage and everything that happened.
It was all my fault.
Always my fault.
I’m worthless.
I let the darkness wrap me up again, because what’s the point?
CHAPTER NINETEEN
ARCHIE
Iclose my laptop and scratch the back of my head. After these last few days, I’m mentally exhausted and on edge. The past week, since we arrived at the clubhouse, has been a messy blur. Sure, the first few days felt like a weird family reunion. It was all surface level. It wasn’t until these past few nights, when Tabitha opened up to me, that I realized how much she’s kept bottled up.
She needs rest and a chance to take her mind off of things. It’s no wonder she hasn’t been leaving our room lately. Until we can permanently put an end to her ex—by whatever means necessary—I don’t think she’s going to be able to truly relax.
