Page 31 of Alpha-Ex Wedding Ruse
I turned to see his bright, innocent face, and my heart shattered all over again. How was I supposed to protect him from this nightmare?
“In a minute, sweetheart,” I managed to say, my voice surprisingly steady. “Let me just make a quick phone call first.”
I waited until he’d gone back upstairs before I pulled out my phone with trembling fingers. There was only one option left—we had to run. We had to disappear before Blaze or his boss came back.
The phone rang twice before my realtor, Marcus, picked up.
“Leila? This is unexpected. How are you?”
“I need to break my lease,” I said without preamble. “Immediately.”
There was a pause. “Break your lease? May I ask why?”
“It’s complicated. I just need to move. Tonight, if possible.”
Yeah, I was desperate. Blaze’s threats still lingered in the house like a toxic air freshener—except this version smelled, tasted, and felt like death.
“Leila…” Marcus’s voice was gentle but firm. “You know I can’t advise that. You’re already three months behind on rent. If you break your lease now, you’ll forfeit your security deposit, plus you’ll owe penalties that could run into the thousands.”
My chest tightened. “How much?”
“About fifteen hundred for penalties. Plus the three months you’re already behind—that’s another four thousand five hundred. And then there’s the cost of moving, deposits for a new place…”
The numbers swirled in my head, making me dizzy. I was already drowning in debt, and now he was telling me it would cost over thousands of dollars just to leave.
If I had thousands of dollars, I would have paid Blaze off!
“Leila, what’s going on? Are you in some kind of trouble?”
Even if I told him about the debt, about Blaze, about the impossible choice I was facing—what could he do? He was a realtor, not a miracle worker.
“I’ll figure it out,” I said instead. “Thanks for the information.”
I hung up before he could respond and sank onto the couch whereBlaze had been sitting just minutes ago. The cushions still held the impression of his body, and I shuddered.
I felt my eyes burn with unshed tears.
“Mom?” Ollie’s voice came from the stairs. “Are you okay? You look sad.”
I quickly wiped my eyes and forced a smile. “I’m fine, baby. Just thinking about work stuff. You ready for those cookies?”
His face lit up, and for a moment, all the fear and anger faded away. This was why I fought. This was why I’d find a way to get that money, even if it killed me.
Because losing him wasn’t an option.
Chapter Eight
Luca’s POV
I dreadedthe weekly family dinners at my father’s Upper East Side mansion. They were always cold, formal, and laced with carefully measured criticisms he lined up like weapons.
But tonight, I barely heard them. My mind was somewhere else entirely.
Despite what I told myself, curiosity clawed at me like a caged animal.
I wanted to know everything about her to fill in the gaps from the last five years.
Where had she been? How did she end up in event planning?
