Page 54 of Vows From Hell

Silence fell upon us. The sorrow and fury mixed together, my heart aching. There was nothing else I was able to say, because this was something that had to happen.

He either got annoyed by the constant staring, or he decided to own up to his decisions but, regardless, he finally turned to look at me.

He stroked my cheek, and I leaned into his touch, a warm sensation rushing through my body. My eyes closed of their accord.

I wanted to enjoy every single touch. This warmth soothed the ache in my chest, though it was bound to happen again. The emptiness he left within was something only he would heal.

Micah hugged me tightly. His body trembled as if he was afraid of letting go. I didn’t want to cry, but tears freely fell down my face as he stroked my hair.

He promised he’d be back.

He promised we’d have the rest of our lives together.

And I decided to believe him.

“I love you, Bambi. I love you more than words could ever express.”

That only made me cry harder.

I wept in his embrace, head buried in his chest. I was clutching onto his shirt with shaky hands, knowing that, for now, our time was up.

Micah stayed with me until I no longer had tears to cry. He rocked me in his arms until I fell asleep again, then brought me back to the room.

The next time I woke up, Micah was gone.

Leaving nothing but a trace of his scent to linger behind.

Instead of allowing myself to break apart completely, I swallowed the sorrow and decided to look forward to the next time we were going to see each other.

That was the only thing keeping me glued together.

Arlo returned later in the day. Apparently, Micah had entrusted my safety with Arlo for a while. I didn’t mind that, as I found Arlo to be adorable and caring.

Soon enough, I was ready to return home.

And I started counting the days.

EPILOGUE I

STORM

“What would you like to drink?” Arlo almost screamed over the loud music.

“I’m fine with whatever,” I shot back, and he left me with his wife, in the crowd of drunken people.

I didn’t think this was going to happen, but over the past year, Arlo and his wife, Blair, were my rocks. They never left me alone, they took me out, and made sure I was taken care of.

It was a hard year — mentally, at least. I’d been struggling since the day I left the home Micah had built for us, and hadn’t been back there since.

Arlo said it was best if I waited for Micah, then went back. It was far, and since him and his wife had businesses to take care of, they wouldn’t have been able to accompany me.

At times, it was peaceful. I enjoyed my time with Sierra, got to see my family, then wrote and published three books. I visited my family less frequently, just so they’d be prepared for the future.

Sierra, on the other hand, was difficult about it. I didn’t tell her exactly what I was going to do, or where I was headed. I only lied a bit and said I needed to get away from everything and everyone to restore my inner peace.

She wanted to tag along.

Sierra was my best friend, my soulmate.

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