Page 44 of Runaway Girl
Hear me, love. This is for you. All of this is for you. Everything I do is for you.
“To the world, she’s known as Runaway Girl. When all I want is for her torunback to me. Don’t walk, baby, sprint full-speed, run as fast as you can—because I fucking swear, I’ll catch you this time!”
Cut.Time was up.
Chapter 26
ALICIA
“Quiet! Quiet! My show’s about to start!” Alexis screamed over my parents, who were bickering in the kitchen.
My family came to the city to celebrate my promotion, then decided to stay the rest of the weekend.
I hadn’t realised how much I missed them until my apartment was filled with constant teasing and off-tune singing.
I sat in the corner of the couch, my nephew snuggled in my lap as I buried my nose in his hair. Austin wasn’t one to keep still for long, but I was a master negotiator and bargained with chips and chocolate—he was currently stuffing his face.
Alexis side-eyed me, fiddling with the remote. “Did you have to give him junk food so late? He’s going to have a sugar high before bed.”
I poked out my tongue, which Austin immediately copied. “Leave my boy alone,” I said, cuddling him closer.
Alexis huffed when our parents walked in, my mum shaking her head as Dad followed behind like a lost puppy.
Harriot Thorne was currently giving her husband a lecture on clean eating after he was caught sneaking a thick slice of cake. After his stroke, Mum had taken it upon herself to be his main carer and primary supporter. Which also meant she was the boss.
Sure, she was overprotective and manic at times, but Dad was making a remarkable recovery, surrounded by those who loved and cared for him.
Defeated, he collapsed on the couch beside me, grumbling under his breath. Incognito, I pulled a spare candy bar from behind the cushion and slipped it under his arm.
His face lit up before he gave a cheeky wink, sliding the gift into his pants pocket.
That’s when Alexis gave a sharp gasp, turning up the volume on the TV. Before I could ask,hisvoice rang through the room as if he were right there with us.
“I was fourteen years old when I realised my mother didn’t love me…”
Ever since we had parted ways the night before, I had been ruminating on the meaning behind his goodbye.
I never would have guessed that he was referring to a live national television interview.
My eyes were glued to the screen, cataloguing each expressive feature, trying to distinguish if it was truly real.
Ethan was breathtakingly open and raw as he relayed his traumatic past to the world. I couldn’t help but be proud of him.
Despite the public domain, I knew he was doing it forme.
Everything seemed to fade into the background as my attention was solely placed on him, soaking in every sentence, absorbing each revelation.
My heart ached for the little boy he described, and for the man who lost his self-worth chasing after a delusion.
Ethan was resolving all my unanswered questions, providing reasons for why he reacted the way he did. But also gave resolutions on how he wanted to change and the actions he was initiating to make that happen.
There were no excuses, just the bare truth, his vulnerability both brave and awe-inspiring.
Then, I swear my useless organ of a heart nearly gave out when he mentioned Runaway Girl.
That dreaded video, his explanations, the hurtful words he replaced with meaningful ones. They had me unravelling.
“Now, I’m speaking directly to you, love.”
