Chapter 2 A Strange Man

[Raelyn’s POV]

I stare at Becky in disbelief while Daniel doesn’t say anything, and when I shift my gaze to him, he just gives me a look that screams, “I’m sorry.”

“Do you think I should leave too?” I ask him, my voice shaking from the emotions I’m trying to keep in. “After everything that we’ve been through, this is how things are going to end?”

It was ridiculous that he couldn’t even say a damn word to me while Becky happily did what she could to get rid of me.

“Alright.”

It’s all I can say as tears prick at my eyes, threatening to come out while I swear to myself that I won’t let this cheating couple see me crying.

I need to get out of here. I think, turning and staring down the hall toward the exit. I need a moment to breathe.

With this single thought in mind, I begin to move, all the while ignoring the huff of satisfaction that I hear coming from Becky. When I reach the stairs, I take them two at a time, and like an idiot, when I reach the bottom floor, I look up in hopes of seeing Daniel there attempting to stop me.

“Idiot,” I growl, swiping at the tears that are beginning to fall. “You’re such a fucking idiot.”

Alright. I’ll leave. I’ll leave this place that was full of memories for me and start over fresh without a lying, cheating man who would abandon me while I worked to try to make our life easier to live. I would also forget the friend that I told everything to and pretend that she didn’t mean the world to me. But was it really that easy?

Was it really that easy to just forget and move on? How many nights did I watch my mother sob because she missed the relationship she once had with my father? How many times did I watch Becky cry when her boyfriends left her? After watching the way they suffered even days, weeks, and months after their breakups, I still took a chance, and this is what I got for that.

“I need a drink.” I huff, storming out of the house and then the driveway. “Now.”

Hopping in my car, I give the place one last look while all the good times I spent with Daniel come rushing to me, and when it becomes unbearable and I feel like I’m going to hyperventilate, I rev my car to life and peel out into the street.

As I drive, I let the tears freely fall down my face while Talula does everything she can to comfort me. But it’s no good. I’m hurting, and with Becky and Daniel gone, I didn’t have anybody to even turn to to comfort me.

“Stop it.” I hiss, turning onto the highway and picking up speed. “You can’t play this poor me act. It isn’t going to change anything.”

That was right. Playing the victim wouldn’t do anything. It wouldn’t make what I saw disappear, and it wouldn’t fix things between me and Daniel. I knew that better than anybody. The best thing to do was forget about things and move on with my life like nothing happened, even if it killed me.

Settling on this, I pull into the first bar that I come across and then park.

Letting out a breath, I pull down my visor and examine my face, hating how puffy and red my eyes are and how my mascara and eyeliner are running.

“Ugh.” I hiss, beginning to wipe away the mess. “Look what you’ve reduced yourself to.”

Grumbling in annoyance, I pull my makeup out of my purse and work to hide the signs of sorrow that are on my face, and once I have, I look toward the bar in front of me.

“I just have to find someone better than him.” I tell myself, deciding right then and there that I would get back at Daniel by finding someone to sleep with too. “He isn’t the only one that can find a new partner. Tonight, I’m going to find the hottest man in this bar and make him mine.”

Placing a smile on my face, I climb out of my car and head inside, where the scent of booze and cigarettes hits me. It’s disgusting and not something that I enjoy on a normal day, but tonight, I would endure so that I could find someone to sleep with. And when I went to collect my things the following day, I would make sure to let that man’s scent linger on me to drive Daniel crazy.

And then what?

As this thought hits, I feel a wave of annoyance hit me because deep down I knew that there was a good chance that even if Daniel smelled another man on me, he wouldn’t give two shits. Honestly, I bet he would be happy that I moved on so that he wouldn’t have to feel so guilty.

No. I hiss inwardly, not allowing myself to wallow in self-pity. Even if he doesn’t care, you shouldn’t care either. You’re a grown woman, and you can do whatever you need to to try to forget the pain that he and Becky put you through.

All my life I played it safe and by the rules, and for what? To turn around and get hurt when I actually tried to make a life with somebody. It was pointless to let my guard down and to hope.

Shaking my head in disgust at myself for falling so low, I move toward the bar and take a seat.

“What’ll it be?” The bartender asks, eyeing me like he can see right through me.

“The strongest thing you have to offer.” I respond, resting my head in my hands while he works to make me some concoction that I can only hope will help me forget everything.

“Don’t you know that’s dangerous?”

The voice is low and dangerous, and it sends shivers through me as I turn to find a handsome man dressed in a suit sitting beside me. A smile plays on his lush lips while his dark, stormy gaze takes me in through thick lashes.

I guess “handsome” was a horrible way to describe him because he was probably one of the sexiest men I had ever seen, with his large body and his chiseled jaw with a sprinkling of five o’clock shadow peppering it.

“How so?” I ask, wanting to brush back the bit of dark hair that has escaped his slicked-back do. “I’m only having a drink.”

Suddenly, I’m feeling bold as this man takes me in with a hunger that I’m used to seeing. It makes me want to push a little to see what exactly he will say to me.

“Don’t you know that predators lurk in places like this?” He asks, leaning closer so that the delicious scent of mint and aftershave attacks me. “They’re always on the lookout for a beautiful woman who is suffering.”

“I’m not afraid of those predators.” I smirk, flashing my canines that I’ve slightly extended. “Instead, those predators should be afraid of me.”

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