Page 57 of The Billionaire's Runaway Bride

I should’ve known better. And now my life is all coming apart and falling to pieces. Just when I wake up and think I’m having the best day of my life, with many more to come, he has to show up. Like a bad omen of what will follow. Jeremy might not be here at the bed-and-breakfast right now, yelling at me and trying to get me to come back home and marry him. But he’ll be back again. Now that he knows where I am, he won’t give up.

I feel sick to my stomach as I consider what lengths he must have gone to in order to find me. I was so careful, throwing away my old phone and cards. I was off the grid here, not telling anyone where I was. Even in that one phone call I had with Aubrey, I was careful not to give her any incriminating details. She wouldn’t have told him where I was anyway, but I was cautious to not even put her in that position.

For Jeremy to find me, he had to have been very determined and dedicated in a scary, stalker way. He won’t give up. If I don’t go with him now, he’ll follow me no matter where I try to hide next.

A life on the run isn’t for me. I’m not that strong.

Despite Caleb’s promise that he’ll have my back, I can’t help but feel so hopeless, that nowhere will be safe. I hate how much I am ready to give in to my ex, but it seems like the only possible option. It makes the most sense to surrender instead of eking out a life on the run and constantly looking over my shoulder.

Giving in to Jeremy feels like accepting a prison sentence, and it will be nothing like the sweet surrender I gave to Caleb when he finally won me over. I will always treasure and hold these memories of the past couple of weeks near and dear to my heart. I found peace here. And I bet if I were to stay here for a while longer, I would finally find myself too. I would figure out who I am, what I stand for and aspire to be, what I want to do. Dreams could happen here. If they were too farfetched and unreachable, I would have the support and freedom to at least try to go after them, whatever they may be. A family. A job. Children. Any hobbies or interests of my picking. That’s what I will sacrifice if I go back to Jeremy and my parents.

But what else can I do? I’m stuck with nowhere to run but back home.

Marian was speaking the truth when she reminded me that I always have a voice. That’s true, but my parents will always be louder and stronger with the weight of their reputations to back up their arguments. Jeremy is quicker and meaner, never giving me a chance to speak up. All three of them are too strong together. They are locked in a united force against me that ensures they will always get what they want.

I’m reeling. Panicked and frantic to the point that I flinch at the sound on my door. Someone is knocking for entrance to the cottage. As soon as we got back to the property and I broke down at the truck, I ran in here and locked the door. I can’t imagine Caleb having the patience to knock so gently. It must be Marian. I pause my pacing and go to the window. It is her, waiting there with a frown, and I let her in then lock the door once more. I wouldn’t put it past Jeremy to barge in here.

“Lauren,” she says quickly as she rushes to me and wraps me in a tight hug. “Oh, honey.”

I step back and shake my head. I see in her eyes that she is troubled, but more than that, I look deeper and get the sense that she’s hoping to talk some sense into me.

I wasn’t completely forthcoming about all the details of my past and how Jeremy and my parents manipulated me. I told her enough. That day when I showed up as a sobbing mess in that hideous dress, I shared enough details to paint the picture of a desperate woman in need of a place to hide. She accepted it all, too. I don’t know what Caleb could’ve told her outside of that. Many more details remain to be shared, but I struggle to get the words out with the shock of knowing Jeremy is back in my life, invading and intruding on my time here.

“Caleb was just telling me,” she says. “Jeremy has come to Breckenridge.”

I nod, fighting back a new wave of tears that burn my eyes. “It was inevitable. If he didn’t find me today, he would have tomorrow. Or the day after.”

Her brows creases and she opens her mouth to speak, but I shake my head again.

“Jeremy will always hang over my future.”

Until he controls it all.

“No. That cannot be true, honey.”

“Marian.” I drew in a steadying breath. “You don’t understand. He will follow me to the ends of the earth to get what he wants. He’s tracked me from California to here. He won’t give up until he gets what he thinks is his. And he’s convinced it has to be me.”

“Your heart?” she guesses weakly. “He wants your love?”

I laugh. It sounds like a bitter bark of anger. “Love?” She’s hilarious, trying to assume that wonderful feeling could be an attribute of my ex. “Love has never mattered to him.” That’s not accurate either. “He loves himself. He loves his ability to sleep around and do what he wants. All Jeremy wants me for is my money. My parents’ money.”

She gets flustered, shaking her head and pacing in this cozy space she’s given me. “That can’t be true, Lauren. I can’t speak from firsthand knowledge, but that’s not how a parent behaves. No real parent could allow their child to be treated like this.”

“They treat me the same!” I think back to my mother’s criticism. “Even worse.”

“I can’t believe it.”

“I’m not making this up,” I insist. “My parents have never fought for what I want or need. They feel that they know best, that they know how to mold and control me for what they want. All they want is to keep me in a position where I am controlled no matter the cost. Love has never entered into any fraction of what motivates them.”

She whips around with a stern look. “What about Caleb?”

I sigh. “What about him?”

“What about your feelings for him?”

She still doesn’t get it. My feelings don’t matter. My feelings are pointless. They’re not valid when it comes to what Jeremy and my parents want. “I…”

“You care for him, don’t you?”

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