Chapter 12
Maya
Life as I know it is completely over.
Yesterday, I feared Graham wouldn’t let me leave the mansion. But when I completely lost my mind, cussing him out and screaming that I’d call the police, he opened the front door for me with a terrifying calmness.
And from that exact moment, I knew the trap had been sprung. Because a man like Graham doesn’t give in easily. When he wants something, he takes it without ever asking for permission, and he never, ever, lets it go.
Well, I’ve been “let go” from both my remaining jobs today.
They didn’t even bother to send me an email or call me first.
No.
I had to show up in my fucking uniform, ready to work, only to be told right then and there that there was no more work for me.
Graham is making sure I won’t have anywhere left to turn but him. He took my sister away first.
Granted, maybe Valeria needed some actual professional help with her mental health, but a fucking psychiatric institution?
Graham didn’t do that out of a single ounce of goodness in his black heart.
He wanted to leave me stranded with absolutely no one.
Broke.
Homeless.
He played this entire sick game perfectly so I’d have nothing left in this world but him.
So I’d crawl back to him on my knees. Well, I hope the bastard doesn’t hold his fucking breath.
I would rather beg for scraps on the street than go back to him.
Not because I’m not attracted to him. Or because I’m not drawn to him.
It’s because I refuse to give in to those feelings when a psychopath is involved.
I know I should be focusing more on Valeria, but I can’t save her if I’m drowning myself. Once I finally manage to get my head above water, I’m not going to leave her. But right now, I am going under.
I grab my phone and dial William—my childhood friend, the only person I have left, the one who scrambled to get me that office cleaning job in the first place.
We’ve had each other’s backs since we were kids. The moment I hear his familiar voice, the dam breaks. I start crying hysterically as I use my free hand to stuff my meager belongings into my bag.
There aren’t many things to pack anyway.
Without a single cent of incoming money, I can’t afford to stay in this motel for another night.
"Hey, hey—Maya, breathe. Just breathe for me," William commands. "We will figure this out, I promise."
I collapse back onto the sagging mattress.
"The cleaning job... they fired me, William. The restaurant too. Everything is gone. Why the fuck is this happening to me?"
I can hear him pacing on the other end of the line.
"Maya... listen to me. Word around the office is that some heavy-looking men called the higher-ups and threatened them. It was too much of a hassle for them, so they decided to let you go immediately."
He pauses.
"Maya, do you have any fucking idea who could do something like that?"
I run a hand through my hair, ripping at the strands.
Graham.
It’s all Graham.
"Fuck," I spit. "It’s my sister’s husband. It’s Graham."
"What the fuck?!" William screams back. "What do you mean he’s doing this?! Maya, what the hell is going on?"
"It’s a long story, William. A really sick, long story," I cry as I completely freak out. "I don’t have anywhere to go. I don’t know where the fuck I’m going to stay—"
William cuts me off instantly.
"What do you mean, where are you going to stay? Where the hell have you been staying this past week, Maya?"
I swallow hard, looking at the moldy ceiling.
"At some cheap motel downtown..."
"A motel?!" William roars. "Are you fucking insane? That’s it. I’m coming to get you right now. We’ve always had each other’s backs, Maya. Always. You are coming to stay with me."
"William, no, I don’t want to be a burden," I whisper, even though every fiber of my being is begging to be saved. "He’s dangerous. I don’t want to drag you into—"
"Shut the fuck up and send me your location right now," he hisses, leaving absolutely no room for argument.
For the first time in a long time, relief washes through my veins.
No.
Graham didn’t win.
He didn’t isolate me the way he wanted to.
I still have William.
I am not alone.
I just finish zipping my bag when a text flashes on my screen.
I’m downstairs.
I don’t waste a single second.
I grab my belongings and head down the stairs. The moment I step out into the humid air, I spot William standing by his car. I run straight into his arms and bury my face in his shoulder. I squeeze my eyes shut, fighting with everything I have left not to start crying all over again.
He holds me tight.
"I’ve got you," William mutters, pulling back to look at me before throwing my bag into the back seat. "Let’s get the fuck out of here."
We get into the car, and as he pulls away from the curb, the interrogation begins.
I start talking.
William’s jaw keeps dropping farther and farther open.
"Wait... stop," William says as he stops at a red light and turns to stare at me. "So... he threw your sister into a fucking mental institution just so you would be left completely isolated and vulnerable enough for him to trap you?"
I nod slowly, sniffing and wiping at a stray tear that slips down my cheek.
"He said... he said he did everything to have me."
"Maya, don’t you see what’s actually happening here?"
He presses his foot on the gas as the light turns green.
"Think about the timeline. He didn’t just stumble into an obsession with you after the wedding, Maya. He only married Valeria to get closer to you."
I shake my head.
"No... no way. That’s insane. I’m not interesting enough for a man like Graham to orchestrate a whole marriage just to get near me. It doesn’t make sense."
"Doesn’t it?" William counters. "He probably froze her cards to try to force you back. He keeps getting you fired. He’s a psychopath, Maya."
My head starts to spin out of control.
Because maybe... just maybe, William is completely right.
The pieces fit together.
It was never about Valeria.
It was always me.
I was the target from the very beginning.
By the time the spinning in my head slows, we reach his apartment building. William leads me up to his place, unlocking the door to a space that feels warm and clean. He walks me down the short hallway and opens the door to a spare bedroom.
"This is yours," he says. "You stay here for as long as you need, okay?"
For the first time in my entire miserable life, I feel safe.
The nightmare is paused.
Too bad it won’t last.
It never fucking does.