Page 100 of Left in the Dark

I’m sitting on the front porch with a steaming mug of coffee in my hands, staring out at the beauty of autumn. It’s been twenty-four hours since I had sex with the masked man, and my pussy is still tender from it.

Nostalgia fills me as I stare at the vibrant colors. I appreciate everything the masked man has done for me, including fucking me like an animal. But I let him come inside me, and it’s been weighing heavy on my mind.

I’m on the pill, so I’m not worried about being pregnant. Of course, there’s the fear of diseases, but that’s not what’s bothering me. It’s the fact that I allowed another man to come inside me that causes a long sigh to fall from my lips.

Memories of the past swirl inside my head as tears slide down my cheek. “Goodbye, Zayne,” I whisper, the sound being carried away by the breeze that has me pulling my blanket a little tighter around me.

Zayne is the only man who has ever come inside me… until last night.

I know I’m a fool for feeling this way. We’ve been over for fifteen years.

The pain of him kissing that woman inside his father’s bar was seared into my eyelids. I was haunted by it, getting no relief for months. My heart ached so fucking bad I nearly had Callie take me to the ER to ensure I wasn’t having a heart attack.

It took me years to get over him.

Judging by the pain inside my chest right now, I never did.

I just learned to live with the heartache.

“It’s time to move on. It’s silly holding onto the past.”

Maybe that’s the reason I’m here. Fate decided to bring me back, knowing tragedy was the only way I’d set foot in this town.

But if this is closure, why do I feel as depressed as I did the day I ran from Green Haven?

CHAPTER 66

Delaney

It’s Thursday, and I’m inside the bookstore again. I haven’t read all the books I bought, but I’m feeling lonely so here I am.

After spending money on groceries, I put the rest of the funds the masked man gave me into my bank account. I can only use a week of family sick leave, so I’m no longer earning my meager salary.

I shouldn’t be in here. It’s too tempting to spend money.

Biting my lip, I pull my phone from my back pocket and open my banking app. I brace myself for the dwindling amount in my checking account.

I blink a few times, staring at my phone in disbelief.

There has to be some mistake.

I look at the checking account balance again, reading the number slowly. I click on the account to look at the details, thinking they mistakenly deposited someone else’s money into my account.

How the hell was a $10,000 deposit made to my account yesterday?

A text pops up on my screen from MM, short for Michael Myers.

MM: You’re welcome.

ME: For?

MM: Don’t be obtuse, Delaney. I know you’re looking at the deposit I made to your account.

ME: Obtuse. Wow! You’re a scholar. And how the hell do you have access to my bank account?

MM: *Snorts aloud.* No, I’m just intelligent, like you. And I have my ways.

ME: *Rolls eyes.* Thank you for the money, but I don’t know how I’ll ever repay it.

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