Total pages in book: 122
Estimated words: 112884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 564(@200wpm)___ 452(@250wpm)___ 376(@300wpm)
“Lexi,” I hear softly and then look over to see my mother standing there. She’s wearing jeans and a white top, a baseball hat on her head. “Lexi.” She brings her hand to her mouth and I can see she’s shaking.
“Why don’t we get her in the living room where there is more space and talk?” My uncle Matthew puts his arm around her shoulders. My mother nods as my father carries me into the living room. I almost turn around and tell them to take off their shoes, but I just shake my head as he guides me to the living room and sets me on the couch. My mother and Matthew sit in front of us. “Okay, talk,” Matthew demands and I can see his jaw is tight as he looks around and then back at me.
“Matthew,” my father warns tightly.
“Lexi,” my mother urges, “we need to get you out of that dress and get your clothes packed.” She stands up. “Then we are taking you away from here and the hold he has on you.”
She holds out her hand. “Come and choose what you want to take with you.” I put my hand in hers and we slowly walk to the bedroom.
“Mom,” I say softly as she unzips the dress, “I should have been stronger, like you.”
“My beautiful girl.” She puts one hand to her stomach and I see that she’s about to completely lose it. “You are not strong like me. You are stronger than me. Picking up that phone and making that phone call you are in a category of your own. Don’t you dare,” she snaps and grabs ahold of my face. “Don’t you dare let him have one more fucking minute of you.” Her tears roll down her face. “Now, my beautiful girl”—she smiles—“let’s get you packed.”
I nod my head and look at her. “Do you think I’ll be okay without him?”
“I think you’ll thrive without him,” she assures me, going over and grabbing one of my suitcases. “I think he’s the one who isn’t going to be okay without you.”
“But he’s a doctor,” I retort and I giggle at the stupidity of it as she laughs with me. “He told me so many things, Mom,” I say as I slip on a pair of yoga pants. “He made me believe so many things.”
“Viktor!” my mother shouts his name as I slip a T-shirt over myself and he comes jogging into the room.
“I need those boxes we just hang the clothes in,” she says, then looks at my uncle Matthew. “I need you to pack her office.”
“It’s four thirty in the morning,” my father replies. “Where do you want me to get those types of things?”
“Don’t you know people?” she snaps, looking over her shoulder as she pulls open one of my closet doors.
“In Arizona?” He shakes his head.
“I can call someone,” Matthew offers, and just like that I giggle again.
“You’re the best, Uncle Matthew,” I declare, feeling like I haven’t in a while. Most likely in shock, but I’ll take this feeling.
“We’ll get you out of here,” he assures me and I can see him swallow.
By ten thirty, I’m walking out of my house with my hand in my father’s. The emergency movers my uncle got are pulling out of the driveway with all of my clothes in it, along with all my office stuff. I left everything else, not wanting to take anything.
“Where is he?” Dad finally asks me once I’m sitting on the private plane and the doors close.
“At his apartment in the city,” I tell him, looking out of the window.
“I need a drink,” my mother announces from beside me and the phone rings from my purse.
“Put it on speaker,” Uncle Matthew urges once I pull it out and see it’s him.
I close my eyes before I press the connect button and place it on speaker. “Hello.”
“Morning,” he greets, “how did you sleep?”
“I didn’t,” I answer him honestly.
“Well, that’s because you had a lot to think about. I hate fighting with you, Lexi, but you left me no choice.” I hang my head and feel my mother put her hand in mine. “Don’t you think you could have acted better?”
I hear hissing and look over to see Uncle Matthew holding on to the armrests with his head back as he looks up at the ceiling of the plane. “I don’t,” I finally reply.
“I can see that you are upset. You have to admit, Lexi, you have no one to blame for this besides yourself.”
I close my eyes. “I’m leaving you, Trent.”
He laughs as if I just told him the funniest joke he’s ever heard. “Yeah, right.” I wait for him to get over his stint of laughter. “What’s gotten into you?”
“Nothing has gotten into me,” I refute. “I finally saw what was right in front of my face.”