Forever Almost

Chapter 22

Kayla found Travis near the bar, her eyes gleaming with a victorious glint. She approached him with a sway in her hips, her voice dripping with faux concern. "Travis, darling, you should stop waiting for her. Taylor won't be coming to the party," she purred, leaning in closer than necessary. Travis stiffened, his gaze flickering towards the door as if willing Taylor to walk through at any moment.

Before he could respond, the lights dimmed, and Ed's voice boomed over the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, I'm pleased to announce that Travis and Kayla will be marrying soon! We'll send out the invitations once the dates are finalized. Let's raise a toast to the happy couple!"

Travis felt like the ground had been ripped from under him. He stood frozen, his mind whirling in disbelief. Taylor's absence, Ed's announcement—everything felt like a betrayal. His jaw clenched as Kayla sidled up to him, her lips curling into a triumphant smile. "See? It's all falling into place," she whispered before pressing her lips to his in a show of victory.

Kayla's kiss was aggressive, her hands slipping beneath his jacket as she dragged him away from the crowd, her laughter echoing in the hallway. "Come on, Travis, let's celebrate our engagement properly," she teased, pulling him into the nearest bathroom stall.

The door slammed shut behind them, and Kayla wasted no time in undressing herself, her hands moving with a practiced ease. "You know, Travis," she murmured, her tone dripping with venomous sweetness, "Taylor's probably off somewhere satisfying that old man right now. So why don't you forget about her and enjoy what I'm offering?" She unbuckled his belt, her hand caressing him with a familiarity that only deepened his disgust.

But all Travis could think about was Taylor. Her voice from that morning echoed in his mind: "Don't forget me, Travis." Something in her tone had been off, something he couldn't quite place but that now seemed glaringly obvious. He knew he couldn't let this continue.

With a surge of strength, Travis lifted Kayla and set her aside, his voice low and firm. "Don't cross your limits, Kayla. This isn't happening." He adjusted his clothes, his mind already on the next step. "I don't care what you or anyone else says—I'm going to find Taylor, no matter what."

Leaving Kayla stunned and seething in the stall, Travis stormed out of the bathroom, his mind focused on one thing: finding Taylor before it was too late.

Travis's hand trembled as he dialed Taylor's number for the hundredth time that evening. The phone rang, but the only response was the cold, automated voice: "This number doesn't exist." He cursed under his breath, slamming the phone down in frustration. How could she just disappear like this?

Desperation clawed at him as he tore through her cabin, searching for any clue she might have left behind—a note, a sign, anything that could tell him where she'd gone or why she had vanished. But there was nothing. The room was eerily empty, as if she had never been there at all. His heart ached with confusion and a growing sense of dread. Why would she do this? Did she run away? Or was she in some kind of trouble?

Travis sank onto the edge of her bed, burying his face in his hands. He replayed their last moments together in his mind, searching for any hint of what had driven her away. Her last words echoed in his ears: "Don't forget me, Travis." They hadn't made sense at the time, but now they haunted him. What had she been trying to tell him? And why hadn't he seen it?

Meanwhile, miles away in Vermont, Taylor dragged her suitcase up the steps of the small, isolated house Kayla had arranged for her. The place was quiet, nestled among thick woods, far from the life she had known. As she stepped inside, the reality of what she had done crashed down on her.

Tears welled in her eyes as she thought about Travis, imagining him surrounded by friends and family, celebrating his engagement to Kayla. It hurt more than she had anticipated. "Kayla is better for him," she whispered to herself, trying to convince her aching heart. "I have to do this for her. She needs him more than I do."

She wiped at her tears with the back of her hand, but they kept falling, unchecked and relentless. Reaching into her bag, she pulled out a picture she had stolen from Travis's cabin before she left. It was a candid shot, one she had always admired—Travis smiling, his eyes alight with that spark she had fallen for. She hugged the picture close, feeling the warmth of his smile, even if only in her imagination.

Her sobs filled the empty house as she curled up on the bed, clutching the photo to her chest. "I'm sorry, Travis," she murmured into the darkness, her voice breaking. "I'm so sorry." She cried herself to sleep, the weight of her decision pressing down on her, not knowing that in another state, Travis was searching desperately for her, trying to understand why the woman he cared for had slipped through his fingers like a fleeting dream.