Page 1 of Behind the Mask

Olivia’s Prologue

His baby-blue eyes bore into mine. "Don't do this to me, Liv."

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I shook my head. “I have to go," my heart constricted as the words left my chapped lips.

He grabbed my hand, pulling me against his firm chest. His gaze hardened. "If you leave, I'm done. I've waited for you, loved you, cherished you, and if you go I'm not going to wait around.” He paused. I knew this was killing him. “Is that what you want?" Each syllable dropped from his lips like a vicious warning.

My breath caught as he kneaded his hands in my hair and tilted my head back slightly. His lips hovered over mine. "Can you live knowing that my heart will belong tosomeone else?"

I whimpered before he pressed his lips against mine. The kiss was intense. It was strong and fierce as if he was determined to keep me here. His tongue demanded entrance, and once I succumbed, he dominated me. My back hit the car door as he pressed his hardened dick against my abdomen.

I would miss him. I would miss the way he held me, and the way he made me feel like I was the only one in the world for him. But Ihadto leave. I wasn't safe, and my family wasn’t either.

I couldn't risk it. I couldn't riskhim. It was a sacrifice Ihadto make.

I knew from the very beginning that he would become famous and leave this pitiful town behind. The more talented he had become, the more his light grew and mine faded. I knew it was only a matter of time before he left me behind.

One of his biggest dreams was for us to get married and grow old together, but I was damaged. I’d kept a nasty secret that I knew he couldn’t forgive me for, so my only choice was to leave and shatter my own heart.

Tears fell from my eyes as the kiss intensified. Memories of our time together raced through my mind. I’d give anything for it to be different, for me to stay. I would do anything to get rid of the heart-wrenching fear that surfaced every time I was alone. It killed me knowing that I wouldn't be able to tussle his soft blonde hair with my fingertips or be able to kiss his lips with every last breath I had.

I moaned into his mouth, indulging in his kiss, and in his touch for the last time. My hands threaded into his hair, drawing him closer. The salt from my tears meshed with our mouths. He owned me solely and completely, and no one else could ever claim me like he had.

From the time we were in diapers, I knew he was my weakness. I never knew how agonizing it would be to walk away from him. A sob escaped my throat as I pushed him back. I ran, my sneakers smacking against the pavement at each grueling step. I never turned back.

I left home that night, not knowing what ramifications would await.

Chapter One

Olivia

My hands curled tight around the steering wheel as I passed the sign that saidten miles left to Galena. It was a small town where everyone knew everyone, and it was almost impossible to keep secrets. The people were nosy, and I couldn’t risk being exposed. That’s partly why I left. I knew my decision had hurt my parents, and I knewit had hurthim.

I pursed my lips. It didn’t matter anymore. He wasn’t here, anyway. I watched the news. He had been drafted as a first-round pick to the Texas Rangers baseball team. He was a million miles away, and he took what was left of my heart along with him.

As I drove through town, leaves fell from the trees. The sun was setting behind the old buildings, and the fall colors mixed in with the grass. While familiar places blurred past, feelings of nostalgia slammed into me.

I pulled into the gravel driveway that wound up to a white house that held so many memories. Some happy and some devastating. My knuckles turned pale as I glanced at the golden, two-story house in the rearview mirror. The house looked hollow and vacant, a far cry from what it used to be. My heart thumped hard in my chest. I took a shaky breath and opened the door. I had just grabbed my bags from the back seat when Mom came barreling out the door.

"Olivia!"She hurried to me and gathered me in her arms. Tears soaked my shirt as I rubbed her back. "It's beentoolong! I can't believe you’ve finally come back to us." She pulled away, with unshed tears in her pale blue eyes. She reached for the bag in my hand, and I let her take it into the house.

I sighed and glanced at the house that harbored memories of him. Axel's family had moved a few years ago. Mom told me that when he was drafted, he moved them to Texas along with him. I remembered the pain in her voice when she told me the news.

“Honey, I have something I need to tell you.”

My heart lurched at her words. Something was wrong. Her voice was small, and fragile. “What’s wrong, Mom? Did something happen to Dad? Why do you sound so devastated?”

She sighed through the phone, and I heard a hiccuped sob come through the speaker. “They left!”

My eyebrows scrunched together. “Who…who left?”

“My best friend…” she whispered in a defeated voice and instantly a lightbulb went off.

The room spun around me as I sat down in the chair behind me. “Are you sure?”

“Yes! He left and then decided to take them along with him! He came back and moved them down there this weekend. The house is empty…they’re gone.”

My bottom lip trembled. This was all my fault. I left him, and he in turn couldn’t stand being there anymore so he left and took them with him.

---