14. Tori
TORI
A fter spending afternoon by the lake with Cole, everything felt lighter.
For the first time in so long, I felt like I could actually breathe—like I was free from the weight of the past.
But that sense of calm was quickly shattered as soon as I stepped inside my apartment.
The silence that had greeted me when I walked in now seemed oppressive.
I kicked off my shoes, letting the quiet swallow me, and moved toward the kitchen.
But before I could even get there, my phone buzzed on the counter. The message flashed across the screen. Marcus.
I froze, staring at the number, my heart skipping a beat.
I hadn’t heard from him since he confronted me at the boutique. I thought he was gone for good.
My stomach twisted into knots. I didn’t even need to open the message to know what it would say.
It would be a manipulation, a guilt trip, maybe even an ultimatum.
It’s what he always did.
I closed my eyes and tried to ignore it. But it was like a magnet, pulling me closer, urging me to open the message. I reluctantly picked up the phone.
Marcus: Samantha called me. I hope you’re happy with him, Tori. But it’s not too late to come back. You know where to find me.
I sucked in a breath, the words ringing in my head.
It wasn’t just the message—it was the reminder of how easy it had been for Marcus to control me.
To make me feel like I owed him everything. Even after all this time, he still believed he had that power over me.
I closed the phone with shaking hands, my stomach churning.
What was I supposed to do? Ignore it? Call him back and tell him to never contact me again?
I sat down on the edge of the couch, staring at the phone, a rush of conflicting emotions swirling inside me. Fear. Guilt. Anger.
After all these years, why couldn’t he just leave me alone?
Why couldn’t he let me make my own choices without thinking I still belonged to him?
I was still caught in that whirlwind of thoughts when my phone buzzed again. A second message from Marcus.
Marcus: I know you think you’ve found something better, Tori, but he’s not the one who has your back. You’ll learn that soon enough. Everyone leaves. You can’t run from me forever.
My hands trembled as I read the words. The familiar, cold wave of fear washed over me, but this time, it didn’t feel as suffocating.
His words were cruel, calculating.
It was clear he was trying to break me, to make me doubt myself, to convince me that leaving him was a mistake. But why now?
What really hurt the most was how much I’d let him affect me in the past.
I wasn’t the same person I had been when we were together.
I had moved on, I reminded myself. I’d built a life for myself. I didn’t him anymore.
But I couldn’t help but feel a pang of doubt. What if he was right?
What if Cole left once he really got to know me—and all the flaws I came with?
A soft knock on the door interrupted my thoughts.I stood up quickly, still trying to steady my breathing, and opened it.
To my surprise, it wasn’t Cole standing on the other side—it was Candy. A glance at my watch showed me how late it was.
Candy had probably closed the boutique and come right here. I let her in.
“Everything okay at the store, Candy?” I asked.
“Hey, Tori. Yeah, no problem with the store. I just thought I’d check in on you,” she said. “You okay?”
I forced a smile. “Yeah, just fine. Thanks for watching the store. Cole and I had a great time.”
Candy’s eyes narrowed a little, and she studied me for a moment. “Looks like you could use some company, though.”
I didn’t have the energy to argue with her.
“Yeah, I guess I could use a little distraction,” I said quietly, walking back to the couch.
Candy followed me, but before she could settle in, I glanced at the phone one more time.
The text from Marcus still lingered in my mind, but I was trying so hard not to let it consume me.
"So, I have some ideas for the boutique’s next seasonal display," Candy began.
I realized she probably sensed something was up but decided to bring up work to distract me. She really was a good friend.
I nodded. "I have some ideas as well. Let’s brainstorm together," I said.
It was nice to have someone talk to me about normal things, to get my mind off of everything else.
And as we continued talking, I found myself easing into the conversation, forgetting for a moment about the message from Marcus.
But the nagging feeling lingered, like a shadow waiting to rear its ugly head.
After a while, Candy excused herself.
I saw her off, waving from the doorway, but as I closed it behind her, I felt that weight pressing down on me again.
The silence in the house seemed louder now, more deafening.
I sat down on the couch again, my thoughts swirling.
I really hated how even a single text from Marcus could still have such a powerful effect on me, despite all these years.
It was like a switch he could flip, triggering feelings I thought I’d buried long ago.
No matter how hard I tried to move on, his presence—his words—still had the ability to make me second-guess myself, to unravel the progress I’d worked so hard to make.
It wasn’t just frustrating; it was infuriating.
I had Cole now, I reminded myself. The phone buzzed again. This time, I didn’t bother looking at it. I had enough.
I turned off the phone and set it aside, burying my face in my hands for a moment.
I needed a plan. I couldn’t allow Marcus to affect me like this anymore.
But at that moment, I wasn’t sure what my next move should be. Would I reach out to Cole? Could I talk to him about this?
My mind raced, torn between a desperate need to share everything with him and the fear that he might overreact.
He was so overprotective sometimes.
Just look at how he hired a bodyguard without telling me. I’d told myself I wasn’t going to let Marcus affect me like this.
But as much as I hated to admit it, I felt like I was teetering on the edge.
After that tense conversation during the drive to the lake house, I assumed Cole had already told Aden his services were no longer needed but what what if—no.
Cole’s involvement wasn’t necessary. In the first place, this was ridiculous.
One stupid text shouldn’t send me into a panic.
Still, the unease lingered, tightening my chest like an invisible hand.
Then, a soft knock at the door broke my train of thought.
My heart skipped, the breath in my lungs freezing as panic coursed through me.
Maybe Candy forgot something? I was halfway to the door when a sudden chill rushed over me, and I stopped.
What if it wasn’t Candy?
What if Marcus somehow tracked me down, found out where I was? What if he was standing outside right now?
My pulse thundered in my ears. I ran to my bedroom and took my gun out of the safe.
I stood there, unmoving, clutching my gun as a cold sweat started to bead on my forehead.
A knot of dread curled in my stomach, my hand hovering over the door handle.
I swallowed hard, the lump in my throat suffocating.
I wasn’t sure how long I stood there, frozen in place, heart pounding like a drum.
Then I took a breath, forced myself to focus, and looked through the peephole.
Nothing.
A jolt of confusion shot through me, mixed with a strange sense of relief. Had I imagined it?
I waited a few more moments, my gaze flicking from the door to the silence around me.
Slowly, I opened the door, feeling more foolish with each passing second.
It felt like I’d let my imagination get the best of me, like I was becoming paranoid for no reason. I tucked my gun away.
But as I stepped forward, my foot brushed against something soft.
Instantly, my heart rate spiked again, and I jerked back, instinctively pulling away.
I looked down, breath catching in my throat as my gaze locked onto the bouquet at my feet.
Black roses.
Marcus’ favorite flowers.
My stomach dropped, nausea swirling up from deep within.
They were dark, almost too dark, with deep violet tips that gave them an eerie, almost sinister look.
My hands trembled as I reached down, wincing when the thorns pricked my fingers.
There was no note attached, but there didn’t need to be. Marcus’ message was clear—he wasn’t done with me.