The Runaway Girl and The Billionaire

Chapter 1: New Phase

 Awakened by her own gasps, Lana Reign struggled to catch her breath as her manicured fingernails dug into the cotton sheets. The new king size bed was larger than what she was used to, but was one of the few splurges she'd afforded herself to kick start her new life.

Everything was new, and as her heart rate began to settle, she glanced around the room that still felt foreign.

Reaching to the nightstand, she tapped the screen on her smartphone to see it was four o'clock in the morning, four hours before she was to begin her shift at the bakery. Her nerves were already buzzing, the uncomfortable feeling of new beginnings swirling in her belly.

Glancing at the brown cardboard boxes that littered her bedroom, Lana was pushing the horrible thoughts that woke her deep into her subconscious.

The darkness always seemed to follow, casting a shower over every day, but this time was going to be different.

Taguig was the fourth city she had moved to since leaving her husband Danny two years ago. Things had gotten too bad for any other option, she had to leave so that's what she did. Unfortunately, Danny didn't give up easily, making normalcy a thing of the past for her.

Suddenly, she flipped the covers across her body, revealing her bare legs in the coolness of the apartment. The stark furniture made the night wind even chillier than usual. On the balls of her feet, she crept across the room, peeking through the white wooden blinds onto the bare street below.

She'd thought she heard a strange sound, but upon further inspection decided she was just being paranoid as usual. It was still surreal, to finally have her own place after so many months of hopping from one short term rental to the next, constantly looking over her shoulder.

Hoping to avoid the disappointment of failure, Lana had been sure to set no expectations for this new stint. When she landed a job, effectively restarting her life, she thought this might be the fresh start she needed. Satisfied with the safety of her new condo, and sure she wouldn't be able to fall back to sleep, she ruffled through a box that sat half opened in the middle of the room.

It was filled with pictures, many torn in half to remove the memory of Danny. Her husband had turned out to be someone she would have never married had she known. It was all like a bad dream now, one that constantly chased her, torturing her with the memories of the past. Unable to work due to his controlling ways, she had spent most of her time locked away in their mansion, cut off from the world.

It took over a year for her to even notice that gradually, she had cut all of her friends out of her life.

He had a way of making his control feel like love, until things escalated to a level of danger she couldn't stomach. The thoughts still haunted her, and she shook her head as she dug through another box, this one filled with toiletries.

Making her way across the bedroom, she entered the bathroom which had been a major selling point for her when she toured the condo. There were few things she enjoyed more than a long, hot bath. The oval lagoon tub was all she needed to see before she was ready to sign her name on the dotted line and move in her things.

The moving man was shocked to learn that she only had four bags and six boxes to move, but to Lana it was more than she was used to having. Living on the run meant parting with things quickly and frequently.

As she lined her cosmetics up along the bathroom sink, she got a glimpse of herself in the mirror, and noticed a sparkle in her eye she hadn't seen in many weeks. Despite her wish to avoid setting expectations, she felt good about building a life in Taguig City.