Chapter 41

Aleck

I opened the envelope and read the letter.

***“I’m sorry I left you this way, but it was the only way. I didn’t want out and never did. I would always do and give anything to be with you both, so no, that is not the reason I left. I love you, Aleck; I have since I was eighteen and never stopped. When you said you loved me and I realized we could be together, I was so happy, the happiest I have ever been, but they won’t stop. This was the only way to protect you and Dean. This isn’t about me; it’s about the two of you. I can’t be selfish and watch everything you have be destroyed, and with what they had, it would have ruined you. Please don’t do anything crazy and take care of Dean. Don’t look for me, please. I’ll be fine, I promise. I’ll be safe. You and Dean will be safe. We won’t be happy, but at least we’ll be alive and safe. I won’t ever come back. I’m sorry. I love you, Aleck. Goodbye.”***

I couldn’t control my anger; I tossed the sphere into the wall. “That fucker scared her so badly that she ran. I don’t… Dean… I can’t do this without her.”

“I don’t want to be without her either, but what does this person have that scared her so badly? Yesterday she went to the bank; that means she made a withdrawal. How long ago did she know she had to leave?”

“I don’t know. She said not to look for her. I’ll have Diego look quietly. I’m going back to the other apartment; I can’t be in this house without her,” I said, looking at him.

“I’ll ask Hilda to pack up. Aleck, can we not tell the others about this? I mean, why exactly she left? Can we just say that she said she didn’t want to be with us anymore and leave it at that? At this point, I don’t want to trust anyone besides you,” he said, looking at me.

“Okay,” I said, understanding what he meant.
“Fuck, what do we tell Mom and Dad?” I asked him.
“We’ll visit them in person and tell them everything,” he said.

By two that afternoon, Mallory, Andrew, Chris, and Nella were back, and we told them she was gone. They wanted to know what happened, but we stuck to the same thing: She wanted out; she didn’t want to be with us anymore.

Mallory tried calling her, and we heard the phone ringing in the living room. I was hopeful for a second until I saw Hilda walking towards us with the phone in her hand. I took it from her and checked it. It was a new phone. I checked the calls and saw she received two calls from a private number; it had to be the fucker that was stalking her. I just turned it off and pocketed it.

“Even if she doesn’t want to be in a relationship with you guys, why would she leave her phone? Why didn’t she tell us, tell me anything?” Mallory asked.

“At this point, I don’t know, Mal. We have never forced her to do anything she never wanted to do, not back then and not now. If she wants to leave and cut us out of her life, then we’ll accept it,” Dean said, looking at them.
“You’re seriously not going to try and find her?” Chris asked.

“No, we won’t. She did the same thing before, after college, and when we met her, it was three, almost four years later, when Mal got everyone together on the island,” I said.
“So, what do we do now?” Nella asked.

“Now we go back to our normal lives. Not sure how normal it can be after she decides to disappear, and Macy and Rea are both dead,” I said.
“Are you two going to be okay?” Andrew asked.
“Maybe, maybe not. We’re heading back to the apartment. If you guys want, you can stay here,” Dean said, looking at them.

Layla

I was sitting behind the wheel of a Toyota on my way to Texas. Other drivers wouldn’t think much after seeing me. I had the windows down and the radio on; I looked like any other commuter. I knew I wouldn’t be able to leave without them seeing. So, after I told Marcella I was going to take a nap, I went up to the room and changed into jeans and a T-shirt. I grabbed the backpack I bought yesterday from under the bed. I sat and wrote two letters, one for each of them. I put the credit cards and jewelry they gave me into the envelope and left it on the bed. I couldn’t take my phone or laptop, or they’ll have Mac and Diego look for me.

I know they will look for me, but this time I don’t intend for anyone to find me. After I left the letters, I headed up to Dean’s room. He had a video of us from this room, which meant he could see me. I locked the door and stood in the room and began speaking out loud.

“Hey, fuckface, if you really want me to disappear, then you need to help me. This place is covered in cameras, and there are security details all over. How am I supposed to leave without anyone seeing?”

My phone started ringing in my hands, and I saw it was a private number; this person really was watching. I answered.

***STALKER: You learn very quickly. You will have a very short period to leave. The cameras will be taken care of. Leave the phone and laptop. Don’t ever show up again. If you do, I will kill you. At eleven-thirty precisely, you will leave via the back. No one will see you. Go back downstairs, then use the room you were in while you were sick. When you hear your phone ring, go out through the window and walk straight to the wall opposite. Walk along the wall all the way to the big tree at the back of the property, and there will be a ladder. Use it to get over the wall, then you’re gone.***

***LAYLA: Okay.***

He ended the call, and I sat there looking at my watch. When I heard the phone ring, I grabbed my backpack and climbed out the window. No one was around. I walked straight to the wall on the opposite side and continued walking. When I got to the back, a ladder was there, just like they said. I turned and looked at the house one last time before climbing the ladder and going over the fence. I made it over and saw an envelope was there.

I opened it, and a note was in it. All it said was to disappear and never return. I crumpled the note up and began walking in the other direction to town. When I got to the first bus stop, it was almost one. They would know by now that I was missing. I stopped at Central Station first and took the money I left there. I made a withdrawal of one million yesterday, and Marcella and Deigo didn’t even suspect anything. Then I went to the store we visited yesterday and showed the girl the receipt and got the stuff I bought.

I knew I had about four hours before they started looking for me. I took a cab, went back to the bank, and made another withdrawal of one million. The bank manager was kind; he remembered me from yesterday. Thankfully, it didn’t take long, and I was out of there in half an hour. I was walking around with two million dollars. I only hoped I didn’t get into trouble.

I went to a salon and had my hair cut and colored. I found a motel and took a room; I changed into the outfit I bought. I wore black contact lenses and used concealer to cover my tattoos. When I left the motel, I made sure to avoid the cameras, using the back entrance. I found a used car place and bought a car; I paid the man the asking price and paid a few more thousand for his silence. I told him I was running from my abusive husband, and he assured me that he would remain silent.

He asked if my husband was wealthy, and I said yes. He said he would sell me the car and register it in his name that way; even if anyone checked, it wouldn’t be under my name. I thanked him and left after we sorted the details out. My first stop was Virginia. After a quick bite and restroom stop and refill at the service station, I continued. I drove nonstop, stopping once more to refuel before I got to Tennessee. I was a good couple of hours in.

When I hit Arkansas, I was wiped out. I took a room at the motel and got some sleep. I woke up at noon the next day. After some food and refueling, I left. It took me almost twenty-eight hours to get to Texas, but I was finally here. I stopped at a small café and had a bite. Then I went to the internet café. I needed a new name; I had enough money to make it possible.