Bound By Contract

CHapter Twenty Seven

In my heart I know I never betrayed him. But in his mind, he could see nothing else. The picture of Jared and I kissing in the refuge of Jared's mother's house was just too much for him, he had told me, as he slammed the front door of Neverland's main house, almost in my face. He never let me explain. He didn't want to even hear my voice, he had told me. I watched as his black Bentley drove off down the long driveway while whatever was left of me that had managed to stay intact up to this point shattered into tiny pieces onto the floor. And I haven't seen Michael since.

All of this happened a year ago. He just seemed to fall off of the face of the Earth. I received no news of him; no letters, no texts, no calls, nothing. There was no word of where he'd be or when he would be back. Could he have been so upset that he'd just never come back? Would I live out the rest of our marriage in complete and utter isolation?

I had been spending my days hidden away in the ever so large Neverland Ranch. Days would pass and I wouldn't see a soul. I wouldn't run into anyone, not even a maid or a gardener. When Michael left, everyone slowly abandoned the place too. It seemed so cold there; the wind was chillier, and even the sun seemed less willing to show its face.

The helicopters never ceased to fly over the property though. Somehow I think they knew that I had never left Neverland, so they didn't leave either. But after a while, even they stopped coming.

While I was watching television one day I saw that Michael had left the country. They showed pictures of him and the kids in burkhas in the country of Bahrain. The program said that he wanted to cut all ties with the country that had treated him so wrong. I guess I couldn't blame him. I had seen first-hand what he had gone through.

Jared had been my only companion through this whole ordeal. I wouldn't have dared to invite him back on the grounds, and I was terrified of leaving, so I barely maintained my sanity by having long phone conversations with him.

For an entire year, all my life was, was being trapped in my room either on the phone with Jared or writing. That is, until the day the lights finally went out at Neverland.

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Christina's P.O.V.  

Terrified, I back out of the car garage where my lonely black Mercedes has been sitting for a year. There are only a few things I bring with me that I can't fathom leaving behind; my purse, Michael's blazer and my writings. Between not having driven myself for more than two years and the unknown that might be waiting for me at that front gate, my legs shake uncontrollably. But as I turn the curve towards the main gate, I notice there don't seem to be any reporters or paparazzi there. Just one guard and two fans, each wearing black MJ t-shirts.

As fast as I can, I pull onto the familiar road. As I look in the rearview mirror I realize there isn't another car on the road.

I'm free!

As much as I can, I take in the beautiful countryside as I drive along the two lane highway. The sun that had tried so hard to hide from me at Neverland now shines its rays on my body. A feeling of liberation sweeps through me as I merge onto the freeway that will take me to the only other place I have ever known. My hometown, Los Angeles.

I exit the freeway onto Ventura Boulevard and cruise down the street looking for a hotel. Spotting the Marriot hotel in Woodland hills, I turn into its receiving driveway. I stretch as I get out of the car. The three hour drive wasn't as exhausting as it might have been in other circumstances, but my behind was sore nevertheless. In contrast to the extreme solitude of Neverland, the city is bustling with cars and full of people. I smile as I walk up to the check-in desk.