Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 73568 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73568 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 294(@250wpm)___ 245(@300wpm)
I want to run and hide. It’s my only option.
“I have to go,” I say, my voice barely a whisper as I glance at the security entrance I’d just come through. “I’m leaving.”
Maeve tightens her grip on my arm. “Don’t do this. Don’t run. Just talk to him. There’s got to be some explanation.”
But I can’t stay here. I can’t face Lex, especially if he wants to end things, and I most certainly can’t face the world knowing that this is how it ends. Those reporters are waiting to make a fool of me and record my heart breaking.
The thought of looking into Lex’s eyes and seeing… what? Challenge? Indifference? Pity? I don’t even know anymore.
I suck in a deep breath and pull forth a level of fortitude I’d need for the coming hours. “I’m leaving,” I say, pulling away from Maeve sharply. “I can’t stay here.”
And then with tears welling in my eyes, I unlatch the diamond bracelet Lex gave me and push it into Maeve’s hands. “Give this to him for me. Tell him I’m sorry.”
She tries one last time to stop me, her voice pleading as she clutches the jewelry to her chest. “Please, Posey. Don’t do anything you’ll regret. Just talk to Lex.”
But I’m already gone. I’m already walking away, my chest tight, my vision blurred with tears I refuse to shed. I push through the paddock exit, elbowing my way through the throngs of people and finally I’m free of the track with the desert spread out before me.
For a moment, I’m lost and unsure of what to do and then it must be serendipity because a taxi pulls up and out pour some Matterhorn FI fans. I bolt that way, grab the back door and peer into the sedan. “Can you take me to Manama?”
“Yes,” the driver says and motions me inside. I give him the hotel address and he nods his understanding.
My phone buzzes inside my purse as the car pulls away, but I ignore it. I know it’s Maeve begging me to come back. I lean my head against the seat and close my eyes, formulating the plan in my mind.
I feel long bursts of buzzing coming from within my purse, but I’m not about to answer. Maeve is just going to have to deal with it all because I don’t have it in me.
It’s time to come up with a plan. I need to pack, check out of the hotel and head to the airport. I’ll grab the first flight to anywhere—doesn’t matter where it’s going. I just need to get as far away as possible.
That’s a good plan.
I grab my phone so I can book a flight and I’m shocked when I see it was Harley who called me. I bet she’s been hit by the reporters and now she knows the truth. The voicemail icon shows she left a message and I stare at it in horror. I can only imagine what she said. Probably something like, You are unbelievable. Absolutely deceitful. You preyed upon our generosity and you are sick, depraved and beyond redemption.
Truthfully, Harley wouldn’t say that, but she’d probably threaten me with legal action. I can’t bear to listen to it so I pull up my browser and get to work on booking my ticket out of here.
By the time I make it to the hotel, I’ve booked a flight on Emirates to New York, and I have just enough time to make it if I hurry.
“Can you take me to the airport?” I ask the driver, assuming he speaks English as many here do.
“Yes, of course,” he says.
“I’ll be fifteen minutes max. I promise a good tip.”
He nods politely and I scramble out of the back seat.
It takes only ten to stuff my clothes into my suitcase, swipe my toiletries into my carry-on and slide my laptop in my backpack. I spy one of Lex’s T-shirts at the foot of the bed. I wore it last night after…
Tears spring to my eyes and I resist the urge to take it, even as my hand rubs at the bare spot on my wrist where his bracelet had been.
Without a backward glance, I leave the hotel room and begin the process of putting the shambles of my heart back together. It all starts with distance, and I cannot wait to leave this place.
In the taxi, I sit quietly as we navigate out of the city to Bahrain International Airport. It’s weird, but my mind should be swirling with the horrors of the last hour. Instead, I relish the blessed numbness.
Actually, I feel a decided calm within me and I think that has everything to do with the fact that I’ll be flying out of this country, away from this lifestyle and back to my little cocoon in North Carolina. It makes me almost giddy with excitement and I vow to myself I’ll just forget this ever happened.