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It was nice to have someone talk to me about normal things, to get my mind off of everything else.
And as we continued talking, I found myself easing into the conversation, forgetting for a moment about the message from Marcus.
But the nagging feeling lingered, like a shadow waiting to rear its ugly head.
After a while, Candy excused herself.
I saw her off, waving from the doorway, but as I closed it behind her, I felt that weight pressing down on me again.
The silence in the house seemed louder now, more deafening.
I sat down on the couch again, my thoughts swirling.
I really hated how even a single text from Marcus could still have such a powerful effect on me, despite all these years.
It was like a switch he could flip, triggering feelings I thought I’d buried long ago.
No matter how hard I tried to move on, his presence—his words—still had the ability to make me second-guess myself, to unravel the progress I’d worked so hard to make.
It wasn’t just frustrating; it was infuriating.
I had Cole now, I reminded myself. The phone buzzed again. This time, I didn’t bother looking at it. I had enough.
I turned off the phone and set it aside, burying my face in my hands for a moment.
I needed a plan. I couldn’t allow Marcus to affect me like this anymore.
But at that moment, I wasn’t sure what my next move should be. Would I reach out to Cole? Could I talk to him about this?
My mind raced, torn between a desperate need to share everything with him and the fear that he might overreact.
He was so overprotective sometimes.
Just look at how he hired a bodyguard without telling me. I’d told myself I wasn’t going to let Marcus affect me like this.
But as much as I hated to admit it, I felt like I was teetering on the edge.
After that tense conversation during the drive to the lake house, I assumed Cole had already told Aden his services were no longer needed but what what if—no.
Cole’s involvement wasn’t necessary. In the first place, this was ridiculous.
One stupid text shouldn’t send me into a panic.
Still, the unease lingered, tightening my chest like an invisible hand.
Then, a soft knock at the door broke my train of thought.
My heart skipped, the breath in my lungs freezing as panic coursed through me.
Maybe Candy forgot something? I was halfway to the door when a sudden chill rushed over me, and I stopped.
What if it wasn’t Candy?
What if Marcus somehow tracked me down, found out where I was? What if he was standing outside right now?
My pulse thundered in my ears. I ran to my bedroom and took my gun out of the safe.
I stood there, unmoving, clutching my gun as a cold sweat started to bead on my forehead.