Total pages in book: 36
Estimated words: 34380 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34380 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
All I can do is pray I’ve done enough. If I didn’t, I’m sure there will be someone hot on my trail already.
Xavier is dead.
I repeat it to myself time and time again, but it doesn’t sound right.
***
I wake up with a start. My hand wraps around the silver cross around my neck as I slowly realize I’m still in the cab I took earlier. The driver glances at me in the rearview mirror, and I quickly arrange my hair, pretending nothing’s wrong. The guy hasn’t said anything about my unusual attire after I shoved some money in his hands. I’m sure he doesn’t have many passengers in silk nighties, though, which is a problem. He’ll remember this, and if someone comes looking, he’ll tell them where he took me.
I need to change rides.
“Stop the car.”
“What?” With his brows furrowed, the guy glances at me in the mirror. “Right here? But we’re on the bridge.”
He’s right. There’s nothing here for miles but water, and cars speeding by. There’s no sidewalk, either. But from the way he’s drinking me in, I know it’s better to get off now.
“Right here,” I reply, unbuckling my seatbelt. Hesitatingly, the man stops the car, which is followed by angry honking from the drivers behind him. I get out, but not before shoving more money in his arms and telling him to keep his mouth shut about this.
Getting out on the road, I know I look insane. I’m still wearing the robe, pink silk, which is now dirtied with Xavier’s blood. I shrug off the robe, hoping the nightie beneath can pass as a dress. I wish I wasn’t barefoot. The asphalt is hot beneath the soles of my feet, burning me.
I can feel the stares of the drivers on me as I walk to the fence separating me from the ocean. Luckily, the cab driver took off. I throw my robe into the sea, but then my eyes stop at the ring on my finger.
I forgot about it, but now that I’m seeing it again and being reminded of Xavier’s undying affection for me, my eyes burn with tears. No matter how hard I try to blink them away, they keep going. Regret sinks into my bones, making me weary. I need to keep going, keep moving. And I can’t risk taking anything with me. Especially not the ring. Even though I could sell it for a lot of money, it would be too easy to trace me with it.
I take the ring off my finger, weighing it in my palm. It’s as heavy as the guilt I feel weighing me down.
Kissing the black stone, I hurl the ring as far as I can into the ocean. It barely makes a splash as it sinks beneath the azure waves.
Now it’s gone. My past has been erased and I’m finally free. I let out a deep breath, hoping it will console me. But the tears are still coming. The painful realization of what I’ve done sinks in.
Xavier Gunn is dead, and I’m the one who killed him.
He was my guardian.
My godfather.
And I think... he was also the love of my life.
Teeth digging into my bottom lip, I try to swallow the sobs threatening to rip themselves from my trembling lips. I can’t believe this is real. That he’s gone, by my hand. It’s all my fault.
I feel alone right now. Alone and scared. And the worst part about it is I don’t know if I’ve done the right thing despite years of believing Xavier deserved to die.
Yes, I’m free.
But do I really want to be rid of my brutal captor?
TO BE CONTINUED