Total pages in book: 67
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62811 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 314(@200wpm)___ 251(@250wpm)___ 209(@300wpm)
Talon and I go inside. In a way, leaving here is a bit bittersweet. This apartment was my first taste of freedom after branching out on my own in an effort to get away from Garrett. I remember being so proud of myself for getting an apartment and for managing it as long as I have. It’s not the greatest place, but it’s made me the stronger person that I was forced to become in order to survive in it.
“You okay?” Talon’s hand appears on my arm, concerned eyes watching me.
“Yeah, I’m good,” I say with a small smile. I glance around the sparsely decorated apartment. “I just need to grab my clothes, toiletries, and important things, then we can go. I’m not going to take any of the furniture.”
“Good.” Talon cast a disapproving glance toward the sagging couch. “You deserve better things that’ll be comfortable.”
He helps me pack the little things I choose to take with me before we head back out the door. I take one look around the living room and sigh.
“On to better adventures,” I murmur to myself before stepping out of the apartment and leaving for good.
“What do you think?” Talon asks when we get to the new apartment. Even though it’s empty, it’s already leaps better than the last one. It’s so bright, from the large floor-to-ceiling windows that gives a beautiful view of the city. I move over to the window and look down. Everything looks so different when you’re so high up. Cars look like toys from up here, and the moving people on the sidewalk below look as if they’re a part of an ant colony. I know for a fact that I wouldn’t have been able to qualify for a place like this, even if I had the money, so now I’m glad that they offered it to me instead of making me jump through hoops for it.
“It’s great,” I say with a smile. “Thank you so much, Talon. This truly means a lot.”
“Sure,” he says with a half shrug. His phone rings, interrupting whatever he’s about to say. Looking at his phone screen, he frowns and looks up at me. “I have to take this really quick. Feel free to look around; I’ll be back.”
I nod and watch him step outside of the front door before I turn my attention back to the apartment that’s now mine. I move from room to room, admiring the state-of-the-art kitchen, the beautifully large bathroom, and a bedroom that’s almost bigger than my entire old apartment. I can’t stop the smile that spreads across my lips, but it quickly falls again. This all feels too good to be true. Every time something good happens in my life, it’s only a matter of time before the other shoe drops and brings chaos back into my life.
I clutch the strap of the bag with the money in it and release a deep breath. Unlike the other times, I now have money and resources to leave if I need to. If I manage it well enough, this money should last me a good while, at least long enough for me to figure out what I want to do. The front door opens, and Talon walks in with an apologetic look on his face.
“I hate to do this, but I have to run and handle something. Will you be okay by yourself for a little while?”
“Um, yeah. I should be good,” I say.
“I’ll try to come back as soon as I can, or I’ll send Tristan if I can’t make it,” he explains. “Call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks,” I say, waving as he disappears once again.
I settle down on the floor in the middle of the living room and open the duffle bag. I pull out stack after stack of money and just stare at it. Before, this money represented a new start, a ticket to the freedom that I’ve been chasing for a long while. But I no longer feel good when I look at it. It’s not what I had to do for it, but with whom. The money suddenly feels so wrong.
Shame grips my lungs in a vise grip as tears spring to my eyes. At the time, I thought all of this would be worth it. I thought I was making the necessary sacrifice in order to change my life. I pull my knees to my chest as regret overwhelms me.
I wish I never stepped foot in Purgatory. I wish I had never sold my virginity. I wish it wasn’t Tristan and Talon who’d bought it.
I sigh into the silence as tears stream down my face. Too bad I can’t wish myself into another reality.
TALON
After a couple of days, I stop by Cleo’s apartment to check on her. She hasn’t reached out for anything, so I’m not sure if she’s gotten furniture or anything that she needs. My mind immediately starts thinking of the worst things that could’ve possibly happened, especially after Tristan told me about what happened at the hotel room we’d gotten for her. I assume she’d call me if she were in some kind of trouble, but what if she skipped town instead?