Page 73 of Shifted

"I will. I'll keep you posted." She ended the call swiftly, and I felt sick to my stomach. I don't know what the hell he could've done, but if it's been a few days. That was not a good sign at all, and a man like that could’ve made a few enemies in this world.

My phone buzzed again, and it was a text from Bella.

Bella (9:22 a.m.): He’s at the gym- sorry about this.

I felt relief rush through me, even though I hated him. That doesn't mean I didn't care about him or what happened to him. Of course, he was at the gym. Blowing off his family was his usual activity. Bella used to get so frustrated growing up because her brother would never hang out with her and Maria. He always went off with his friends or girls.

She blamed it on her father. She didn't really know him, but she used to say, “I bet he's just like Dad. He ignored us. Look where that got him.” I knew she had deep-rooted issues. She was mixed between Dad and her brother, but Maria treated her like a queen. No matter what, Maria always put her daughter first. So, I led by example.

Joely always comes first.

?

A few years ago

"I never knew I was in love with a sociopath?" He turned to me, confused, as I stared at his phone. The screen was bright, and the background image of me half-awake in the morning burned my eyes. This dude was crazy.

"Excuse me?"

"Who the fuck has their phone on light mode?" I steal his phone, and within an instant, he tries to grab it back from me. "What are you worried I'll find all your other girlfriends on here?" I got up from the couch, running away with his phone teasingly.

"Hope!" He shouted as I ran. I felt like a child giggling with his phone in my hands as I ran towards the loft. But as I felt his phone buzz, I looked to see the notification, and my heart dropped. The text displayed on his phone screen was a woman named Mikki.

I can't wait for you to move out here so I can see more of you! - Mikki

My eyes were fixated on the text, analyzing it. A swarm of scary thoughts filled me. I knew I shouldn't have snooped, but his life was planned out in his calendar. So when I clicked on it, I felt the bile rise in my throat, the burning sensation in my chest, and the wetness that pooled in my eyes.

Looking over to the corner, I could see the cardboard boxes stowed away. It was evident he was trying to hide them from me, which made it worse. He was keeping this from me, and the mark on his calendar left me shaky.

ONASIS ENTERPRISES OPENING MOVE

"Hope." I watched as his feet stood before me, and I felt his body hover over me.

"Were you going to tell me?" I hear him sigh.

"Yes, of course I was-"

"When? Because this is next fucking week?" His dream was coming true in a different state, and he had hidden it from me.

"I was planning to tell you at dinner," his voice breaks as he speaks. My eyes remained glued to the ground. I didn't want to see his face. I was fragile, and if I looked at his face, The glass that built me up would immediately shatter, taking my heart down with it.

"How long?" my brittle voice hurts as I ask him the question I honestly don’t know if I want the answer to.

"How long?" He questions.

"Have you known? Have you lied about us?" As I looked up to see his face, I felt the first crack in my heart. Now I knew he was truly keeping this from me. The failure of our future had been on his mind, along with his plans just to leave. Maybe he wasn’t going to tell me, just like my parents.

"I found out a few months ago I never lied-"

"Months?!" my heart dips, and the burning sensation in my eyes gives as I allow the tears to flow out. I’d been betrayed many times in my life. But for some reason, this feels the worst.

"Months, you've known you were leaving me for months? Didn't you even think about asking me to come with you?" the hope in my voice is almost cruel. As if now, for some pathetic reason, he’d ask me to go with him. What’s worse is that I honestly would. I’d find a school wherever he went, just to be with him.

"I could never ask for you to give up all you accomplished," he reasons. But it felt like some big excuse because he wasn’t where I was. He didn’t share the goals that I had for our future; he saw them end and me no longer being a part of them. A secret he’d been keeping for so long while I believed I’d marry him and live this great life he promised me.

Consideration was good and bad. It was bad when others ignored it, and sometimes it was bad when others didn't ignore it. He considered my future, but what was clear was that he didn't consider me in his future.

"So what was this goodbye?" He stepped towards me, and I pushed his arms away from me. I felt his tight arms wrap around me, trapping me in place. My heart felt like it was tearing itself to shreds in this moment. Because Mister Perfect turned out to be the biggest villain of them all, and out of everyone who has ever hurt me, he was the worst. But I still love him, and that’s what hurts even more.

---