Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 61169 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 61169 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 306(@200wpm)___ 245(@250wpm)___ 204(@300wpm)
“Yeah?”
His groggy, tired voice on the other end has my skin prickling, my heart bursting and tears rushing to the surface.
That voice ... I love that voice.
God, I need that voice.
“Hello?”
I hold my breath.
I should hang up.
I should just hang up and leave.
“Willow.”
Husky, masculine, gorgeous.
I want him. I need him.
God dammit.
“You didn’t come for me,” I whisper into the phone. “You let me go and you didn’t come for me.”
Silence.
“I’ve been calling your phone every day. Every fuckin’ day. Where are you?”
“Italy,” I slur.
More silence.
“What the fuck are you doing in Italy? Jesus, Willow.”
“You don’t get to be angry at me, Jagger. You left me for her.”
“I didn’t leave you, I haven’t even fuckin’ had the chance to speak to you.”
“Is she with you?”
He doesn’t answer, and it feels as though my heart explodes into a thousand tiny pieces. The pain is something I could never explain, even if I tried.
“It’s complicated, if you gave me a chance to talk to you ...”
I laugh, bitterly, and my voice cracks right at the end. “You don’t need to talk to me, you’ve just given me the answer I need. You’ve given me everything in that one moment of silence. If you loved me, you’d be with me. It’s really that simple.”
“It’s not that fuckin’ simple,” he growls.
“Oh, but it is. I met someone tonight, Jagger. A man. A gorgeous man who took me out. Does that hurt your heart? Does that give you a pain unlike anything you’ve ever felt?”
He doesn’t say anything.
“Of course it doesn’t. That’s how I know that I’m right.”
“You’re drunk. You need to come home.”
“Home,” I snort. “I don’t have a home. Enjoy your wife, Jagger.”
“Willow,” he barks, “do not hang ...”
I hang up the phone and then the tears fall.
They fall hard and fast, and before I know it, I’m sobbing. Curled up on the bed, knees tucked to my chest, sobbing so loudly I’m certain the people in the next room can hear me, but I don’t care. The pain is too much to bear. The knowledge that she’s probably lying in his bed right now, tucked into his arm, kissing his lips, is enough to send me into a spiral I can’t get out of.
My sobs eventually fade into broken hiccups, and sleep slowly creeps in.
I’ve lost him.
I have lost him.
There is no coming back from this.
It’s over for me.
2
“I’m home!” I cry, stepping through the front door.
Silence. Well, that’s a nice welcome home party. I walk into the kitchen of my apartment, and it looks as though no one has been here for a few weeks. I drop my bags and make my way down the hall. I peer into Ava’s room—empty. My heart thumps. Did something happen while I was away? I should have called her, I know that, but I also needed time.
Surely she understands.
I’ve only been gone three weeks, what the hell happened in that time? I open the door to my room and stop in my tracks. My bed is exactly the same as I left it, it hasn’t even been made. There are no new sheets, my laundry sits on the ground, and it’s as if I died and nobody has come in here.
Did I upset Ava that much?
Did I do this much damage?
I’m a horrible friend. Horrible.
She deserves better.
I can only pray she understands. It broke me when I found out about Sharleen. While I didn’t blame Jagger, I still couldn’t move past the fact that our little love fest had been so horribly upended. How could I possibly compete with her? I could see the bond they shared, I could see the way he held her in his arms. I just can’t live up to that.
I dig through my drawers until I find my phone. I plant my bottom on the bed and stare at it. I haven’t turned this on for weeks. I left my apartment with nothing but a bag for my trip, and I’m glad for that. I know when I turn it on I’ll be bombarded with messages and news that I’ll either want to hear, or I won’t. I close my eyes, taking another one of those deep breaths, and then I turn it on. A moment later, the messages start flowing in. Ava didn’t know I didn’t take my phone, but I told her I would be safe and she didn’t need to worry; that doesn’t mean she didn’t, though.
A - Willow, I don’t know if you’ll get this or not. I hope you’re okay. Please let me know when you’re coming home. I love you.
A – Babe, seriously, I’m starting to think you’ve been abducted. Call me x
A – Jagger just said you’re in Italy, girl, what are you doing in Italy? I swear, you better come home. I’m glad you’re okay, though x