Chapter 43 #2
Maybe Matt said it to get under her skin. Perhaps he said that because there’s some truth to it.
The more she looks, the more she feels the urge to see Kayley in person.
The one who came before me.
She needs to see Kayley herself. Needs to know what Max once loved. Needs to understand what she is up against.
So, she creates a plan in her head and books a spa appointment near Kayley’s home. She had studied her posts until she knew her routine well enough to predict her movements.
She knows where Kayley will be.
And she intends to be there.
On the morning of the appointment, she reads the address aloud to Mason, her acting chauffeur, as if it means nothing. While he types it into the GPS, she studies him, waiting for a twitch of recognition, a shift of breath, anything.
Nothing comes. His face stays smooth and distant, as unreadable as his boss.
Once Mason has dropped her off and she watches the car disappear, Lila enters the spa and speaks to the receptionist, asking to move her appointment.
She lets a few minutes pass, drifting around the lobby as if she has nowhere else to be.
Then she slides through the glass doors and vanishes into the street.
Dressed in a sleek black outfit with yoga pants and a matching black baseball cap, she hopes she passes as nothing more than a woman out for fresh air. She moves toward the address she traveled to New Jersey for, holding her phone low, the map’s faint glow brushing against her palm.
The route is straightforward. Straight ahead. Then around the corner. Just past that stands the small apartment building where Kayley lives. And beside it, the dog park where she lets her Pomeranian roam, blissfully unaware of her surroundings—hopefully.
The apartment complex comes into view. The dog park is within reach.
Then a strong hand clamps around her arm and yanks her back so sharply she almost loses her balance.
A familiar deep voice burns hot against her ear. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
She freezes. She had been so nervous, so focused on the map, that she never heard him approach. It feels like he appeared out of nowhere.
His grip locks around her arm, unrelenting.
“You’re hurting me! I was just curious!” she protests, twisting against his hold. But Max does not let go.
“Wait, I want to see her,” she blurts out, desperation swelling in her throat as he pulls her away from the direction of the dog park.
She was so close she thought she might’ve heard her little dog, too.
Dang it!
His face is carved with anger as he steers her toward the spot where Sergei has parked the Maybach. He pushes her inside without saying a word.
The drive home is suffocating. They sit in heavy silence, Lila pressed against the door, Max staring straight ahead.
Her thoughts churn. She cannot tell what stings more, the humiliation of being caught and missing her chance to see Kayley, or the unnerving truth that Max had arrived too quickly, almost as if he already knew where to find her.
He’s been here before, she thinks bitterly.
When they finally arrive at the apartment, Lila storms into their bedroom and throws herself face down on the bed. Anger burns through her, pulsing in her clenched fists. She stays like that until she hears the door open behind her.
The mattress dips under his weight as he sits beside her. He does not touch her. He simply waits.
Lila pushes herself upright and slides off the bed immediately. She stands in front of him, her eyes blazing. “Mason told you where I was going, didn’t he?”
Max looks up at her, his expression unreadable. “He confirmed it when I asked. But I also have your location tracked, Lila.”
There is a brief pause before he adds, more quietly, “He has become very loyal to you.” His eyes darken with something she cannot name. “Maybe too loyal.”
“Oh.” The word slips out softly. Oddly, the idea of him tracking her doesn’t frighten her. If anything, it feels validating, like he cares in the same warped way she does. It gives her a twisted sense of comfort. Lila understands this kind of love language all too well.
She feigns nonchalance, her tone casual as she continues, “She’s really pretty, you know.”
Max remains silent, his gaze steady and unwavering as he looks back at her.
“Like, really pretty,” Lila presses, scanning his face for the smallest reaction. “She models. Did you know?”
He shrugs, his expression still unfazed.
“Some might say she’s even prettier than me,” she says, her voice dripping with venom.
“Lila, that’s not true,” Max replies, his tone firm but calm, cutting through the charged atmosphere.
Lila, indignant, folds her arms, her head turning to the side. “You sure showed up fast. It’s almost like you knew exactly where I was going.”
“I had a feeling something was off when I was told you had an appointment for a spa day in Jersey,” he replies with a sigh, sounding exhausted.
“It has really great reviews,” Lila says defensively, but he only rolls his eyes.
“… Do you still love her?”
“No, Lila,” Max says, his voice softening as he reaches out for her, but she quickly steps back.
“That was five years ago, and it barely meant anything. I wasn’t in love with her.
I was in love with the idea of being in love.
We were both high all the time, too. We dated for less than a year, broke up, and then I went overseas for three. It’s been a long time.”
“But you kept tabs on her, didn’t you?” she asks, still not satisfied with his explanation.
“Not really. I went to see her once after I came back to New York—to apologize. Being with me had held her back from getting sober. We’ve both moved on.
In the years after the breakup, I was more focused on the hurt my family caused than anything else.
Eventually, she just faded from my mind.
I stopped thinking about her long before I met you, if that’s what you’re worried about. ”
Despite his earnest tone, Lila’s stomach twists uncomfortably. His words, meant to reassure her, ignite a new fear. What if one day she becomes a distant memory, too? Forgotten. Just like Kayley.
Suddenly, she steps forward and reaches for him, gripping his jaw, her sharp nails digging into his skin. “You belong to me now,” she whispers, her eyes locking onto his. “So you can’t think about anyone else.”
Max doesn’t flinch. “Of course.”
“And you can’t ever forget about me,” she adds, her voice hollow. “Even if I leave you, you promised you would always come for me.”
“I will,” Max promises without hesitation. He reaches up and grasps her wrist tightly, pulling her onto his lap and enveloping her in a firm embrace.
Reassured at last, Lila melts against his chest, pressing her face into the crook of his neck. “I want access to your location at all times, too,” she murmurs, her voice softening as she nuzzles into him.
“That’s fine.” He smiles and kisses her forehead.
“We only need each other,” she murmurs, sinking deeper into his arms. “Just you and me, right?”
“Just us,” Max echoes, tightening his hold on her.
In that moment, the world outside fades, leaving only the two of them in their fragile bubble of trust and desire.