Savage Cinderella

Chapter 32 Hearts are Breakable

Chapter 32

Hearts are Breakable

With plans made for the week after Labor Day, Friday afternoon came and Brinn and Justin had agreed that he would pick her up after work. They would travel to Cody's house on the way out of Atlanta and they would find a way to stuff all of their supplies into the BMW's trunk.

Brinn had a better idea. She had just gotten her license and her parents—who were struggling to let go of their hold on her—reluctantly agreed to let her take the Ford Escape Hybrid they had recently purchased. Her father told her she could drive it once she passed her driving test and she had held him to the promise.

Her parents seemed distant from each other despite their common goal of spoiling their only child, returned as if from the grave. She’d asked her mother why they never had more children, and her response made Brinn that much sadder for the pain her abduction had caused her parents. Though her mother didn’t say so outright, Brinn could see that her guilt over losing her daughter that day in the park somehow made her feel unworthy of having another child. Brinn stumbled upon her mother and father more than once, arguing quietly about what was best for her, only to have them stop short, pretending they weren’t. The awkward silence that followed left her feeling that she was at the center of their discourse. A few days away from the situation seemed like a good idea.

Brinn wanted to surprise Justin by picking him up at work. He would see that taking the truck was a much better idea for packing all of their supplies for the weekend. He would also see that she was no longer the naïve, sheltered girl she was when he’d found her. She pulled into the parking lot and parked next to his BMW.

Taking the stairs to the twelfth floor office, Brinn felt light and happy. The trial date had been set, she had a driver’s license, a boyfriend, and the freedom and sense of belonging she’d always longed for. There was still a lot she had to overcome. The trial was not going to be easy, but she was beginning to believe that she had found a place in the world.

Twice a week therapy appointments with Dr. Carlson, a sweet older lady who specialized in post-traumatic stress disorder were going as well as Brinn could have expected. It was a relief to find out that her nightmares and symptoms of anxiety and nervous tension were to be expected under the circumstances and perfectly normal. There was hope that, in time, things would get better.

With her confusion over her feelings for Justin and the way her body betrayed her at every turn, Dr. Carlson had suggested she wait until after the trial before pursuing a relationship. Justin said he understood Brinn’s need to withdraw, but the tension growing between them left her feeling an unnatural detachment from him. She missed how it felt to have his arms around her, holding her against his solid frame, making her feel safe and loved. She wanted him to kiss her again—the way he had before—but she struggled with the warring sensations of desire and fear that battled for control within her.

Brinn reached the landing in the stairwell that had a large red number twelve painted on the door and wall, out of breath, but anxious to see Justin. She opened the door into the bustling atmosphere of the cubicled magazine office. She had been there several times with Justin while he was writing her story and had met his coworkers, who were all friendly and excited to see her whenever she visited. She asked Stephanie, the fair-haired receptionist at the front desk, where she might find Justin, and was directed to the editor's office.

She’d met Charlene a few times. Justin’s boss was a pretty and outgoing young woman who was pleasant enough, but Brinn felt awkward and shy around her. She was uncomfortable with the way Charlene was always touching him and standing so close. It left an unpleasant feeling in Brinn's stomach.

As she approached Charlene's office, she saw the door opened a crack, and noticed the odd feeling had returned. She knocked once lightly and then pushed the door open. A jolt of hot anger took over her whole body when she saw Justin and Charlene in an embrace. Their lips were locked together in a kiss, Charlene’s fingers entwined in Justin’s hair as he let out a groan.

Brinn stood frozen for half a heart beat and then she turned and bolted. She heard Justin far behind her, calling out for her to wait, but her heart thundered in her ears. She bypassed the elevator, and ran down the stairs. She jumped from the third and fourth step of each floor, nearly sprouting wings in her effort to flee from the heartbreaking scene. She didn’t want to hear anything he had to say.

By the time she reached her vehicle and sped out of the parking lot, Justin was just coming out the front of the building. She saw him run after her truck, but she didn't slow down. Tears blurred her vision as she forced herself to concentrate on the road.

How could he do this to her? She felt like someone had stabbed her in the heart. A bone-deep ache, mixed with a pain and fury she had never imagined she could feel, poured from her body like molten lava. She sobbed and cried and screamed, but didn't stop driving. What had she been thinking? She should never have come down from her mountain. She should never have trusted him.

Her cell phone rang several times until finally she shut it off and stuffed it in the glove compartment. She didn't want to talk to Justin. There was nothing he could say to explain why he was kissing that woman. Mopping her face and wiping her nose with her sleeve, Brinn saw the scene over and over in her mind.

Charlene had red, luxurious curls, and bright green eyes that glowed like fiery emeralds when she looked at Justin. Now, she understood why. The woman was obviously in love with him. But why did he kiss her? Did he love her?  Maybe it was like Phillip had told Abby. "Men have needs," he'd said, just before breaking off the engagement. The idea that Justin wanted the kind of relationship Brinn might never be able to give him made the hot tears stream faster.

Charlene had a worldliness about her. Justin would like that. He had travelled and seen places Brinn would never see. And Charlene dressed like a model in a magazine. She wore short skirts and high heels and tops that made her large breasts squish together like she'd stuffed her bra with two ripe grapefruit. Brinn fumed, remembering Charlene's body pressed against Justin's. How could he not want such a woman? She was everything that Brinn would never be: sexy, self-confident, in control, and not burdened with an ugly past that made her afraid of intimate contact. The thought of Justin holding that woman the way he’d held her caused Brinn to swerve. The SUV slid toward the edge of the road and then back on just before it nearly careened into a ditch. 

She regained control, gripped the wheel tight, and screamed her pain. Shuddering breaths escaped through sobs until her tears stung and dried on her cheeks. She watched the mountains in the distance growing closer. A combined sense of comfort and dread filled her chest. She would be alone there, but there was no one to hurt her, no one to lie to her, and no one to break her heart. And maybe if she was gone, her parents would stop arguing.

Brinn, exhausted but fueled by her raging emotions, blindly followed the GPS coordinates that her father had programmed into her truck. They would take her to Abby's farm at the eastern edge of the Chattahoochee National Forest. She would park there, commiserate with Abby about what rats men were, say good-bye to her friend, and head into the hills alone. She needed time to think by herself. She needed to get away from Justin—from this foreign world determined to keep her out.

A crushing sadness bigger than she'd ever felt before permeated her soul as she drove along the stretch of highway leading out of the city. In all the years that she’d lived in the mountains, she had never felt as alone as in that moment. She couldn't think about how worried her parents would be or even if Justin would care that she was gone. They would all be better off without her.

Brinn was so distracted by the whirlwind of thoughts and feelings that she didn't notice the pickup truck that followed her every turn not far behind.