Page 141 of All I Ask
He says I’ll come back, we’ll be together and everything will be fine, but he can’t know that.
I have to walk away without regrets, and leaving Derek will be my greatest one.
Slowly shifting so as not to wake him, I check my phone. I have an hour before I need to leave for the airport.
My eyes find his perfect face, he smiles in his sleep and I can’t help but hope he’s dreaming of me. I lean over, kiss his lips, as a tear falls. “I love you,” I whisper softly, but pray he hears me somewhere deep in his mind.
I get up, get dressed, and head downstairs. I call for the car service the gallery has set up and now ask them to come here instead of to my house.
Then, I walk around again, admiring all the things he’s done, and when I reach the painting room, a silent sob breaks free from my chest. We didn’t get enough time together. I never got to sit in here and paint like I’ve dreamed of. This gift was everything because it meant he believes in me. I want to rush back to the bedroom, wrap my arms and legs around him, and not leave. I feel like I just got him.
I watch as the car pulls up, wipe away my tears and head out. When I reach the door, I close my eyes, hoping he can feel my love.
As I head to the car, my heart feels like it’s being ripped from my chest.
One step closer.
“Good morning, Miss Berkeley,” the driver says with a smile.
“Good morning.”
He takes my bag, placing it in the trunk and then opens my door.
I stare at the bedroom window, hesitating because I want more time. These last few days went too fast. Last night felt like I blinked and it was over.
I hesitate, waiting, praying he doesn’t wake up because if he comes after me, I don’t think I’ll go, but at the same time hoping he does so I can stay.
“Did you forget something inside?”
How do I answer that?
“I didn’t forget anything, I’m just leaving something behind.”
The driver seems to understand my words. “I see. Do you need a few minutes?”
I shake my head. “No, if I don’t go now…”
He gives me a sad smile and I get in.
My eyes don’t move from that window. “Please wake up. Tell me to stay,” I whisper.
There’s no movement in the house and then the driver gets in the car. My heart is breaking and I think about how upset he’ll be that I left like this. I wonder if he’ll understand that if I didn’t, I’d still be wrapped in his arms. The car begins to move and the tears continue to fall as I drive away, leaving my heart in the house on Destiny Lane.
***
“So you’re through security?” Chastity asks as I’m wandering through the airport.
“I just got through.”
“Are you okay?”
My daughter, always worried about me. “Not really.”
She sighs. “I didn’t think so. Everly told me about what her dad had planned with the house.”
Everly told her? Well, that’s new. “You and Everly talk?”
“I guess we kind of became friends when we plotted to take you and Derek down.”
