Into the Sunset by S.L. Sterling

Author:S.L. Sterling [Sterling, S.L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-05-10T00:00:00+00:00

I'd been home for twenty minutes. I stood in the bathroom, looking in the mirror at my tear-stained cheeks. I ran a cloth under the warm water and wiped my face. I thought I had gotten away with running away and leaving that hellish life with Kendrick behind. I'd hoped that I would have just faded into the enormous sea of people and that he would never find me. I had been so wrong and should have known better. He would always find me, just as he had promised so many times when I would threaten of leaving before. Perhaps I should have spoken to Hunter Malone about a restraining order or and divorce as well so I could have started proceedings while Kendrick had been gone. That way the documents would have been waiting for him upon his arrival back home. Only now it was too late.

A sharp knock on the door caused me to jump. I glanced at my reflection in the mirror. My eyes were still red and puffy, which would definitely give it away that I'd been crying. I dabbed my eyes with the now cold cloth I held in my hand, gave my face a final wipe, and threw the cloth on the edge of the sink.

I opened the door and came face-to-face with a stack of tiles being held by a pair of hands.

"Just me." Ben chuckled.

I stepped off to the side, trying to hide my face while Ben brought in the tile samples. I shut the door behind him and took a deep breath before I turned around. Ben had always been observant, and I knew he would notice instantly. I hadn't even made eye contact when I turned around and his deep voice floated through the apartment. "Jess, are you all right?"

I didn't answer him immediately. My eyes floated to the lot of tile samples that he'd placed on the couch. "I love the color choices you picked. Honestly, they couldn't be more perfect." I smiled, fighting the lump in my throat. I didn't have to say anything. He already knew something was wrong, and the instant we made eye contact I crumbled. Burying my face in my hands, I turned away from Ben and began to cry.

It was a matter of seconds before I felt his familiar, long-lost touch. His strong hands softly but firmly gripping my shoulders were as soothing as they'd been all those years ago. He slowly turned me and pulled me against him. I didn't fight him. Instead, I rested my head against his chest and wrapped my arms around his waist. His natural scent invaded my nose, comforting me, just like it used to do when we were younger. He said nothing. We just stood like that for a while, his arms around me, his chin on top of my head, until the tears finally stopped.

"Care to tell me what is going on?" he asked as I stepped away.

I blew out a breath and wiped the remains of my tears from my cheeks.

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