Chapter 5

ESSENCE

“Did you forget your promise?” I asked, staring at Alex like he was a walking disappointment. “You said it would be just the two of us.”

“I know,” he said, holding my arms like I was the unreasonable one. “But try to be flexible. Even your son wants to come.”

Right.

My son wants to come.

The same son who told me to leave my own house.

Without another word, I turned, walked back into my room, and slammed the door behind me. My bed barely creaked as I sank into it and stared at nothing.

“I should’ve known,” I muttered. “It was too good to be true.”

I bent down to unstrap the silver death traps pretending to be shoes. They dug into my fingers as I yanked at the buckles.

Of course, Alex picked these shoes. They were his favorite. Mine too—if I’d lost all feeling in my feet.

That’s when he came barging into the room.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he snapped. “You know the world doesn’t revolve around you, right?”

I scoffed loudly. “You’re the liar full of broken promises, and I’m the problem?”

His jaw clenched. “You know what? If you won’t go, fine. We’ll leave without you.”

He turned and stormed out.

I sat there, blinking at the closed door, tears stinging the corners of my eyes.

Then I heard Remi’s voice drifting from the living room.

“I think Alex should take her with him,” she said sweetly, like she was doing me a favor.

I rolled my eyes so hard they almost stuck. And just like that, Alex was back.

“Come on,” he said. “We’ll go. Just the two of us.”

I stared at him and he smiled. It wasn’t the smile I fell in love with years ago. This one felt… wrong. Forced.

But I said yes anyway.

Because I was desperate.

Because I wanted to believe.

Ten minutes later, I was following him outside.

“We’re taking my car,” he said.

Fine.

But when I tried to open the passenger door, it was locked.

I knocked like a polite delivery driver. My husband didn’t even flinch. After the third knock, the lock clicked. Generous of him, really.

I slid into the seat, pretending this wasn’t humiliating.

My stomach growled.

I hadn’t eaten lunch or dinner. I didn’t want to feel bloated, or worse, belch in front of Alex.

God forbid he finds another reason to call me disgusting.

Twenty minutes later, we were walking up Lovers’ Hill.

I watched couples holding hands, smiling, kissing.

It stung. Because I remembered how tightly Alex had held my hand the first time we were here.

Like he never wanted to let me go.

For a second, I let myself believe....the atmosphere was sweet, the memories soft. Even my feet, screaming inside those shoes, couldn’t ruin it.

We reached the top and I saw the board where we’d written our love story.

I pointed.

“Look,” I said, smiling. “It’s still....”

His phone rang and he answered instantly.

“Remi? Are you alright?”

I froze.

“I’ll be right there!” Alex barked.

And before I could say anything, he was running down the hill. Like he was saving his one true love.

Only it wasn’t me.

“Alex!” I shouted, but he didn’t look back.

I moved to follow him, but tripped. Two guys caught me before my face connected with the ground.

“Hey… watch your step,” one of them said.

“Thanks,” I muttered. I looked up again and Alex was gone.

And then it started raining.

Because of course it did.

Everyone scrambled for cover at the Lovers’ Restaurant.

Only couples were allowed in the restaurant. I could be dying of pneumonia, but as long as I wasn’t holding someone’s hand, I didn’t qualify for shelter.

I sighed, took off the shoes, and held them in one hand.

My feet throbbed, but I didn’t care, I was already soaked. What was a cold compared to this? I started down the hill and rain mixed with the tears on my face.

I wasn’t sure which burned more.

“Do you need company?” a male voice asked.

I turned and saw the two guys from earlier. They both had umbrellas, but they weren’t using them. Something about the way they looked at me made my stomach flip.

It didn't help that everyone else had disappeared, possibly to find shelter. It was just three of us in the now quiet and lonely road.

I took a step back, then turned and ran.

They ran too. After me, and caught up quickly.

The rain was cold, but their fingers were colder as they grabbed me.

I struggled, but they were too strong. Their breath was warm and sour on my neck.

“Where do you think you’re going?” one whispered. “Aren’t you here to have fun?”

“Let’s go somewhere private,” the other added.

“Please,” I begged. “I’m married. My husband is here. He’s looking for me.”

“Is that so?”

“Call him and if he shows up, we'll let you go.”

My heart pounded as I fumbled for my phone in my bag.

I called Alex and he answered after one ring.

“What do you want?” he snapped.

“Please,” I cried. “Come get me. There are two men...”

“Why are you so selfish?” he cut me off. “Remi is cold and she needs me. What’s the worst that could happen to you?

It’s not like you’re beautiful or anything.”

And he hung up. I stared at the phone, shaking.

I tried calling again but he rejected it. One of the men yanked the phone from my hand.

“That’s enough, darling,” he sneered. “It’s time to go.”

He pulled hard, but I swung my shoe and caught him in the face.

He cursed.

I shoved the other one and ran.

Barefoot. Soaked. Terrified.

I ran as fast as my feet could carry me, but they weren't fast enough. I could hear the voices of the men and their footsteps behind me, as though they were hunting a prey.

I turned into a corner, and before I knew it, my face slammed into a hard chest.

For a second, I was too dazed by the impact of my face against the solid chest to react. It was a warm, unmovable wall of muscle, dressed in expensive black fabric and smelling faintly of rain and something sinfully masculine.

I took a shaky step back, trying to regain what little composure I had left, and made an awkward move to sidestep him. But before I could take another step, his hand shot out and wrapped around my wrist, holding me firmly in place.

Not rough. Not painful. Just… steady.

I looked up, and my breath hitched the second our eyes met.

It was him.