He was her brother's best friend. They were inseparable once, until life and distance pulled them apart. Now, after years of silence, fate reunites Renee Russel and Lando Norris.
Renee, a budding singer-songwriter, navigates the dazzling world of mu...
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CHAPTER 17
what was I made for?
"Think I forgot how to be happy Something I'm not, but something I can be Something I wait for"
Renne's POV:
The sun rose over Jeddah, casting a soft, golden light through the large windows of Renee's hotel room. But the beauty of the morning was lost on her. She stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by half-packed suitcases, her mind in turmoil. Since the disastrous dinner yesterday, she hadn't been able to shake the feeling of betrayal that had settled deep in her chest, a constant, dull ache that wouldn't go away.
She couldn't stay here any longer. Not in this hotel, not in this city, not near them. The very thought of running into Lando or George made her stomach churn. So she had done the only thing she could think of: she booked a private jet. It was leaving in a couple of hours, and she needed to be gone before anyone tried to stop her. But the thought of leaving, of truly putting distance between herself and everything that had happened, made her heart clench with a strange mix of relief and sadness.
As she tossed clothes into her suitcase, her phone buzzed again on the nightstand. She didn't need to look to know it was George. He'd been blowing up her phone with messages since the dinner, each one more desperate than the last. She had stopped reading them after the first few, not ready to confront the emotions his apologies stirred within her.
But it wasn't just George who occupied her thoughts. What concerned Renee more was the deafening silence from Lando. No messages, no calls, not even a single like on her latest Instagram post. It was as if he had disappeared from her life overnight, and the void left behind was terrifying.
She tried to tell herself that she didn't need his validation, that she wasn't some attention-seeker craving his approval. But the truth was, she had expected something-anything-from him. Even if it was just a text to say he was sorry, or a comment on her post to show he still cared. But there was nothing, and that hurt more than she wanted to admit.
Renee zipped up her suitcase, the sound harsh in the otherwise silent room. She couldn't let herself dwell on Lando's silence. It would only drive her crazy. She needed to focus on getting out of here, on putting as much distance between herself and the mess that had become her life. But as she wheeled her suitcase towards the door, she couldn't help but glance back at her phone one last time, hoping-stupidly-that there would be something from him. The screen was dark, and with a sigh, she turned away, forcing herself to move forward.
