Chapter 5
My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing. Jayson. Over and over again.
Calls. Messages. Voicemails. His name flashed on my screen like a warning I didn’t need. But ignored it, just like I’d ignored every red flag, every sign that screamed he was never truly mine. I sat quietly in the backseat of the cab, my hands trembling as I clutched my purse. I’d left th bar hours ago, not bothering to go home. There was nothing there for me anymore. I’d alread arranged for my luggage to be packed and sent to the airport.
I was leaving. For good.
The cab pulled up to the terminal. I paid the driver, my fingers cold as ice despite the warm nigh air. My phone buzzed again just as I stepped inside the airport–another call from Jayson. silenced it without even glancing.
The airport was buzzing with life. I found an empty seat near my gate, staring blankly at the glowing screen ahead.
That’s when I saw it.
“BREAKING NEWS: Jayson Gray and Fiona Romano Announce Their Engagement.”
My heart stopped.
The photo flashed across the screen–Jayson and Fiona standing side by side, their smiles bright, perfect, and painfully familiar. His arm wrapped around her waist like it belonged there Her hand resting on his chest, an engagement ring glinting like it was mocking me.
A sharp pain gripped my chest, and before I could stop it, a tear slid down my cheek.
I wiped it away quickly, glancing around to see if anyone noticed. No one did. Because why would they? To them, it was just another love story. To me, it was the final nail in the coffin.
I pulled out my phone, my fingers moving before I could think. I dialed my mother. She answere on the second ring.
“Kylie? Where are you? Jayson’s been looking for you all day,” she said, her voice filled wit warmth and concern.
I closed my eyes, steadying my breath. “I’m leaving.”
There was a pause. “Leaving? Wait, is it today? You didn’t tell us.”
“I’m going away. I don’t want anyone to know where I’m going. Especially not Jayson.”
Silence. Then, softly, “Is everything okay with you and Jayson?”
“No,” I whispered. “I’ve been hurt, Mom. By Jayson.” My voice broke, and I swallowed the lump ir my throat. “I just need to forget. I need peace. We’re step–siblings now. It was wrong from the start, Mom. It was wrong to love him.”
She sighed heavily. “Oh, god. I’m so sorry, Kylie… I didn’t know. But are you sure about this? W
can still talk about this and-”
“Yes.” My voice was firm this time, cutting her. “Please, just respect my decision. I’ll see you three years when I come back.”
I hung up before she could respond.
ir
Chapter
3/3 13 39
7:34 pm
Back at the house, Jayson paced the length of his room, his jaw clenched in frustration.
Kylie wasn’t answering. His texts remained unread. Where the hell was she?
A sharp knock on his door made him snap. “What?!”
One of his men stepped inside, hesitation in his eyes. “Sir… we have an update on the investigation.”
Jayson stiffened. “What investigation?”
The man cleared his throat. “The one regarding your mother’s death.”
Jayson’s stomach twisted. He had spent years believing the truth was simple. His mother had learned the devastating truth–that his father had cheated on her with Kylie’s mother. The betrayal had broken her. And in her despair, she had lost control of her car and crashed.
That was the story he had built his revenge upon. But the report in the man’s hand said otherwise.
Jayson snatched it, flipping through the pages. His pulse pounded as he skimmed the words. The further he read, the colder he felt.
Photos. Records. Evidence.
His mother… hadn’t been the victim. She had been the one cheating.
The night of the accident, she hadn’t been in despair. She had been running away–with her lover. She was leaving them. Leaving him.
His hands trembled as he gripped the edge of the desk. “No…”
The truth was suffocating. Everything he thought he knew was a lie.
His mother wasn’t the victim. She had destroyed their family. And he… he had taken out his rage on Kylie. He had hurt the one person who had loved him.
His stomach turned violently as his father’s footsteps echoed from behind. “Tell me this isn’t true,” Jayson demanded.
His father let out a slow breath. “It is.”
Jayson’s world spun.
His father ran a hand down his face, guilt heavy in his features. “I tried to protect you from the truth. You loved her too much. I thought if you blamed someone else, it would be easier to live
with.”
Jayson swallowed hard, his pulse thundering in his ears. He had spent years punishing Kylie for something she had no part in.
He had broken her.
But then, his eyes lightened. Kylie didn’t know what he did, including the kidnapping and what he said to his friend in Italian. He still had a chance to make it up. He swore he would love her right!
His hands fumbled for his phone and there he had found the last message from Kylie. His eyes widened in shock as she used Italian to say: Ho capito tutto. (I understood everything.)
Oh, no.
He immediately called her but all he could hear was a beep tone. Dread gripped him. The number that had always been within reach… was now disconnected.
7:34 pm
My phone wouldn’t stop buzzing.
