25. Chapter Twenty-Five
Chapter Twenty-Five
M addie
I strip my clothes off the hangers in the closet and toss them in the open suitcase on the bed. Half of them spill over the edge and the rest lie haphazardly in the suitcase.
Ignoring the mess, I go for another set. My hands shake as I toss them in the suitcase.
Slips of clothes still hang in the closet, but I don’t care. I’ll find where to fit them later. I just need to know I’ve gotten my bags packed and ready to go.
A bitter tear catches in my throat. I swallow it down and force my shaking hands to keep working.
I stuff the clothes in the suitcase and punch down, then I throw the lid over it and drag it so the edges of the zipper line up.
I pull the zip, but halfway through, it gets stuck. I lean over the lid, eyeing the spot.
It’s caught on a dress.
Shit .
I tug on it but it stays stuck.
“No. Fuck.” I try to pull out the offending fabric, but then it rips.
The sound is loud in the silence. I stare at the torn dress and tears start to roll down my face.
“No!” a sob rips from my throat.
Why did he have to lie?
I fall back on my haunches, burying my face in my hands. Warm tears slip between my fingers and my shoulders tremble.
With every expression of hurt, my heart breaks all the more. Why am I so fucking hurt?
It’s just a little white lie, right? Whether he said so or not, I’d have stayed. Just the salary would have convinced me.
Yet, here I am—the utter fool. I wasn’t even needed. Just there to be mocked. Everyone surely knew Chance didn’t need me. I was just there on his fucking whim.
A fresh sob coughs up my throat. I drop onto my ass and place my head on my knees. It hurts so badly to be used that way.
But why does the thought of leaving hurt worse?
I’ll be without the island, the colors, the cool air on a warm day, the sweet fragrance all around me, and him .
How can I feel so hurt, but miss him so damn much?
I don’t want to be mad at him. I’d like to spend the last moments of my time on Magic Island in his arms, not here, mad and broken.
I shake my head and wipe my eyes. I can’t think like this.
He deceived me and made me fall for him. Thoughts of him shouldn’t control my emotions.
I pull myself up and head for the back door. It’s late evening and the sun hangs low in the sky. Though nearly dark, the air is still warm and it prickles along my skin.
I breathe in deeply before heading off. I’m not sure where I’m going, but I need to walk, get out of my head.
I’m drawn toward the hotel resort. It’s a beacon in a sea of low buildings.
A few people stream by me as I follow the trail that leads to the hotel. I finally break into the garden.
There’s a live band playing cool jazz music and bright-eyed folks dance to the rhythm. It’s similar to the party Nat and I attended when we showed up at Magic Island for the first time.
My heart clenches. That was the first day I met Chance. He helped me in the elevator, and I cradled his jacket like it was a warm hug. I never imagined I’d have anything with the man.
And now… I see him everywhere I go.
I shut my eyes and whoosh out a breath, trying to get lost in the music. It doesn’t work. All I can think about is him, and leaving.
I don’t want to go.
I try to shake off the thought by walking some more. I shouldn’t want to stay, there’s nothing for me here. Even the job I have and would have begged to retain is a sham.
And the man who could grant me that is a liar.
If someone told me the person who was my knight in shining armor would become this deceptive, I wouldn’t have believed them. He seemed good through and through.
You never know people, right?
I wipe the tear that dances down my cheek and stare at the night sky. It’s filled with stars like the night that Chance brought me to see the gardens.
My gaze drops to the path that leads away from the main courtyard. It tempts me, lures me.
I remind myself I’m not seeking a connection to Chance, just a reminder of happier, more innocent times. Before I fell for a deceiver.
I break away from the party and take the lit-up path. It’s ethereal walking down it.
Every step reminds me of those moments with Chance beside me. And now there’s no one, just the sounds of the night to keep me company.
I zero in on the chirping crickets and the gentle sway of the tree branches, letting it soothe me.
The sounds of the party fade, as does the sunshine. Darkness swallows everything by the time I make it to the inner garden, but the fountain bubbles with light shining from within.
Warmth threads through my heart as a flicker of hope threads through me. If I can still find little things beautiful, then I’m not completely broken. Just bent.
A sad smile ticks up my lip. Tears come down, but they don’t break my heart. I wipe both cheeks, glad there’s no one here to see it.
It’s just me, and the memories.
I’d miss this hidden garden, the island, and my friends. Julia and Baxter’s faces flash through my head.
A laugh bubbles up my throat. Julia’s always pumped for everything and Baxter always found a way to push Chance’s buttons.
And Chance always played right into it.
Despite how he reacts, I doubt he minds Baxter too much.
I could have sworn I caught him smiling once when Baxter was acting up. And then the day we played tennis at his house. He had been a different person then, much like the person that took me to the beach.
He was free and laughed easily. And happy.
Knowing now what I do about his mom, it makes sense how he held back. How he resisted being anything but serious.
My heart squeezes for him. The only thing I can hope for is that this period has impacted him positively. And it’d remain so.
Even if I won’t be here to see how it turns out.
I force a smile, despite the sad lump that grows in my throat. Soon enough, I’ll be up and away from here, and everything that has happened would be history.
Leaves crunch behind me.
My heart leaps into my throat. Someone’s here. Maybe it’s him. Just the way I was drawn here, maybe he is too.
I turn around. My eyes catch on the blond highlights in brown hair and my heart plummets. “T-Todd?”
He steps forward. “I’m here, babe.”
I frown at the smug look in his eyes. “What are you doing here?”
My gaze snaps left and right. It’s only us. But how’s that possible? I asked him to leave when he showed up at the office. I wasn’t interested and I wanted nothing from him. He agreed to leave, but here he is. How?
“Came to see you, babe.” His eyes squint, head tilted. “Isn’t that obvious?”
“Last you told me was that you’re leaving Magic Island.”
“Well, I decided not to. Not without you anyway.”
“Excuse me?”
Todd draws nearer. I’m too shocked to move and the moment he stops before me, his heavy cologne claws up my throat. I only keep from gagging because his fingers run down my cheek.
“Are you… crying?”
I slap his hand away. “It’s none of your business.”
He chuckles. “You don’t know how much of my business you are, Maddie. But you’ll learn soon.” His eyes roam my face. “What happened? Did your boyfriend break your heart?”
“How do you know about him? And he’s not my boyfriend.” My brows pull together. “Doesn’t matter.” I shake my head. “It means nothing to you. Just leave!”
“No.” He catches the tail of my hair between his fingers and rubs it. “Not without you.”
A sick feeling fills my stomach. That’s the second time he’s saying that.
“I’m not leaving,” I bite back. I won’t give him the satisfaction of knowing Chance and I fell out.
“Then I’ll have to force you, won’t I?” His eyes flash in the dark.
Fear molds around my heart. Todd was the boyfriend I had just because things aligned that way. I’d grown to love him, but that faded as time passed—as I realized he was nothing but a user. I did all the work, funding his life, and he was content to half-ass everything.
Then he cheated on me and I couldn’t hold us together anymore.
In all that time, he’d never terrified me like he was doing right now.
“I’m not going anywhere with you,” my voice cracks.
“You don’t understand, do you?” he snaps, pressing close to my face so his breath fans my skin. “Your former bosses contacted me and asked me to bring you back. You’ve gone rogue. They’ve tried to reach you through emails, but you’re not answering.”
“They fired me,” I protest.
“Well, good news for you. They want you back.”
“I’m not going back to work for them. You can tell them that.” I fold my arms across my chest to hide the shivers pouring through me.
“You cheeky little thing,” he sneers. “You are coming with me. You think a simple no would make me leave?” He chuckles wickedly. “You’ve always been stupid.”
“Why are you doing this, Todd?”
“Money, babe.” He rubs a finger down my cheek.
I can’t help my reaction. I lean away from his touch and his eyes darken.
“I need the money. You’re not there to complete your part of the rent, so…” He curves his fingers into a fist. “I’m going to get it somehow. Quite interesting that the person who took my comfort from me would be giving it back, isn’t it?”
“You’re selling me out? You bastard! You were the one who cheated. You fucking broke us up!”
He rolls his eyes. “So fucking dramatic. Just because you found out that one time!”
“There were more,” I whisper, touching a hand to my chest.
“What do you think?” He glances at his watch. “I’m done playing catch up. Time to go.”
He wraps a hand around my arm. “Let’s go.”
“No.” I tug but fail to dislodge him. “I’m not going.”
His fingers dig into my arm, painfully. “Fucking move.”
“Todd!” I yell. “You’re hurting me.”
“And I’ll do worse if you don’t cooperate.”
“No.” I dig my heels into the ground.
He yanks.
My shoulder hurts in its socket but there’s no way I’m willingly going with him.
He raises a brow, his eyes darkening with the realization. “Fine, we’ll do it the hard way then.”
He whistles.
What is he…
Dark figures pour out of the press of trees around us.
Fear clamps down tight on my heart. It’s them. I’m not sure where to go so I pull closer to Todd, still looking around at the men closing in.
Todd smirks.
“You are with them.” My mouth drops open.
This entire time… my stalkers have been from my former job and my ex.
I have to escape. But the men surround me now. If I go forward, it’s Todd and behind me, it’s them.
I’m trapped.