CHAPTER THREE

I made my way through the trees and spotted a two-storey motel under construction. Relief flooded through me as I ran towards it. It wasn’t dusk yet, so John should still be at work. I just hoped I had found the right site.

I ran up to the first worker I saw. “Is John here?” I managed between heavy breaths.The worker looked at me curiously. “Yes, ma’am. He’s upstairs working on the balcony. Would you like me to get him?”

“No time.”

Without waiting for a response, I sprinted towards the building. “John!” I yelled.

Standing on the balcony above, tools in hand, he looked down at me. Worry immediately crossed his face.

“What happened, my love? I’ll be down in one minute.”

I shook my head and hurried inside. Finding the staircase, I raced up the steps and burst through the first open doorway. Emerging onto the balcony, I nearly collided with him.

“Hey, slow down. What’s wrong?” John asked, taking hold of my arms.

His eyes settled on my cheek.

“Where did this bruise come from?”

His thumb brushed softly against the mark.

“My father…” I gasped. “He’s trying…”

“Take a deep breath,” John said gently. “I can only help if I know what you’re saying.”

I forced myself to breathe.

“My father is trying to force me to marry Thomas. He hit me and locked me away when I refused. If it wasn’t for Lisa, I’d still be trapped in my old room.”

My voice cracked as I fought back tears.

John’s expression shifted from anger to worry, then guilt.

“I’m so sorry, my beautiful Annah. This is all happening because of—”

I covered his mouth before he could finish.

“No. We are meant to be together. It isn’t your fault my father has become a lunatic.”

I took his hands in mine.

Suddenly, I heard my name being shouted in the distance.

My blood ran cold.

“It’s my father. He’s come to take me away.”

Fear tightened around my chest.

“Let’s elope, John. Say you’ll be mine forever and run away with me.”

Shock flashed across his face. Then uncertainty.

A tear slipped down his cheek.

“What about your sister? What about your family?”

“We’ll figure that out later. Please, just say yes.”

I poured my entire heart into those words. If he refused, I would never marry another man. Not in this life.

John smiled softly. His mouth open slightly, about to respond.

My alarm exploded beside my ear.I groaned and reached for my phone.The dream shattered instantly.Beside me, my twenty-six-year-old husband, Adam, snored loudly.

A look of disgust crossed my face before I could stop it.

I sat up and rubbed the sleep from my eyes.

“Another miserable day on Earth.”

Dragging myself from bed, I shuffled into the kitchen and switched on the kettle.

“Thank God it’s Friday.”

While the water heated, I pulled on my Beans Café uniform and headed back to the kitchen. Riley was spending the weekend with his dad, which meant I might actually have time to clean, play some video games, or catch up on a few episodes of Rising Moons.

“That’s wishful thinking.”

I rolled my eyes while stirring my coffee.

Free time was rare. Most days I felt exhausted. At least coffee and cigarettes existed. Without them, I wasn’t sure I’d stay sane.

Coffee in hand, I stepped onto the veranda and settled into a chair.

It was only 5:10 a.m.

I didn’t need to wake Riley until six.

The morning air was cool and still as I smoked a Champion Red and mentally organised my day.

Sweep through.

Mop.

Clean Riley’s playroom.

If I didn’t get something done before work, I’d feel overwhelmed all day.

At 5:30, I finished my coffee, stubbed out my cigarette, and headed inside.

After getting Riley ready and dropping him off at his father’s house, I arrived at work at 7:15 a.m. With fifteen minutes to spare, I lit another cigarette and stood out the back of the café.

My thoughts drifted back to Riley.

He had been unusually unsettled that morning.

After getting him dressed, I had been brushing my dull brown hair into a ponytail when he suddenly burst into tears and wrapped himself around my leg.

“What’s the matter, little angel?” I had asked, picking him up.

He buried his face in my shoulder while I rubbed circles across his back.

Looking into the mirror, I noticed the dark bags beneath my eyes and the freckle that dominated one side of my face.

I quickly looked away.

By drop-off time, Riley’s distress had only worsened. He cried, screamed, and clung to me when I tried handing him over to his father.

I hated leaving him.

But the court order gave me little choice.

Maybe he just wanted some extra mummy time.

The thought eased some of my unease.

Riley had the purest heart of anyone I’d ever met. With his bright blue eyes and short blond hair, he was beautiful. His smile could melt the heart of a serial killer.

I smiled at the thought, finished my cigarette, and headed inside.

“Good morning, sunshine. You seem bright-eyed this morning.”

Rachel’s voice dripped with sarcasm.

“Mm-hmm. Good morning to you too, Boss.”

I wandered over to the display fridge to check what needed restocking.

Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Rachel studying me while warming milk jugs.

“You seem a little less okay than usual today. Is everything alright?”

“Riley was really unsettled this morning.”

“I would be too if I had to go to that thing’s house once a fortnight.”

She deliberately emphasised the word thing.

I glanced over to see her shaking her head, her long rose-coloured braid swishing dramatically behind her.

I rolled my eyes.

This wasn’t the first time Rachel had made comments about my ex-boyfriend. She knew everything about how he’d treated me and the court battle that followed.

Rachel and I had known each other for years. I had been her first employee when she opened Beans Café, and over time we’d become close friends.

We were complete opposites.

Rachel was a glass-half-full kind of woman.

I was firmly on the glass-half-empty side.

Maybe opposites really did attract.

“BRB,” I said, heading towards the large fridge out the back.

Rachel responded with a distracted hum as she continued preparing for the morning rush.