Merc (COMPLETED)

Prologue

Neo🩷🌸

So maybe leaving in the middle of the night wasn’t the best idea. It wasn’t my intention. Had I known Steven would give me an ultimatum—accept his bullshit or give up my home, business, and the life we were building—I would have been more prepared to make my escape. No part of my mind or heart wanted to believe the man I’d spent the last two years with could be so heartless and selfish. He knew how much music and my vinyl store meant to me; that was why he’d given it to me for our anniversary one year ago. I preferred it over an engagement ring, and now, I had neither.

It didn’t matter how much I told myself it was better I get away from Steven now after seeing the real him—my heart still hurt over how the man I loved could treat me this way. It also didn’t help that I had “Nothing But Love” by Lu Kala on repeat. Tears blurred my eyes as I belted the lyrics. It was as if she’d written the song just for me.

I had no real destination in mind as I drove. I could have gone to a friend’s house or to my parents’ home, but I didn’t want to talk about what was going on with me and Steven. Under normal circumstances, I wouldn’t be driving in the dark or while it was snowing.

The further I got into my drive, the worse the snow got. I’d filled up my tank before hopping on the interstate, and though I didn’t check the time I started driving, since I would soon be out of gas, I assumed I’d been on the road for at least five or six hours. Unintentionally, it seemed I’d taken a familiar trail to a mountain town like Gatlinburg from my home in Memphis. Because of how windy it was and how heavy the snow was falling, I didn’t want to risk driving through the mountains.

My decision not to continue driving was finalized when I got stuck in a snowdrift. I didn’t think anything could make my night or my life worse, but here I was, stuck in the middle of nowhere in a huge pile of snow. Curses and cries left me as I yelled and punched the steering wheel. I was mad at Steven for betraying and abandoning me. I was mad at God for making this godforsaken snow. I was mad at myself for not paying attention to where I was driving and ending up in a snowy town so late at night.

Checking the time, I sighed at the sight of 10:39 p.m. Wiping my face, I inhaled what I hoped would be a calming breath. I tried to request a tow truck, but my insurance company’s app didn’t work. My outgoing calls weren’t working either. If the sun was out, I’d sit in my car and hope help would drive by. Because it was pitch black out, I didn’t want to risk a car coming and hitting me.

So, I got out and grabbed the two bags I packed in my car before leaving and headed north. I couldn’t remember the last house I’d passed, and there were only two lights shining ahead. I had no idea what I was walking into, but anything at this point would have been better than being stuck with no service in the cold. As I headed toward the lights, I prayed they wouldn’t lead to a serial killer who planned to make me their next victim.