After Arlington

Chapter 15: Maddy

Greetings from Paris! I'm so sorry for the lack of activity, I try to read all of your comments! I'll be back for real very soon. But for now, enjoy the last chapter of After Arlington, I really hope you've enjoyed the story and I wanna hear all of your feedback 💕 Ann

"It's seventy degrees in Paris today," Piers said over the phone. Maddy raised her shoulder to keep the speaker propped to her mouth as she sifted flour into a mixing bowl. "And Li picked the hotel. She's annoyed we aren't staying for her launch show, though."

"Well, I want to be here when Maria starts senior year," she said. "God knows she needs the help."

She looked over to her little sister who was currently attempting to turn on the oven. It was quite the chore for someone who had never even used one.

"She'll understand," he said. His voice was electric with excitement. "So do you want to meet before we leave?"

"Sure," she said, putting down the sieve and picking up a wooden spoon to mix the brownie dough.

Paris. It was a temporary escape. She had no idea what she was supposed to do with her life now. She half hoped she could use the money left in her bank account to travel, but she knew her mother would be furious when she found out she'd broken her agreement with the Greenes. It might be best to stick around the house for a while until things cooled off.

Just as she was about to shake her mother's terrifying face from her mind, there was a knock at the door, causing Maria to straighten beside her.

"I've got to go, Piers." She craned her neck to see Maria darting towards the door. "I'll call you back later."

"Okay," he said, and she could almost sense his smile on the other end of the line. "Talk to you soon."

Maddy walked around the corner so she could see whoever it was. But, when Maria squinted an eye through the peephole, she froze.

"Holy shit," she whispered. Her face had paled. "Maddy, it's him."

"It's who?"

"Oh my God, he's reaching for his phone."

Seconds later, Maddy's phone started vibrating, a name lighting up on the screen.

Francis Greene.

"Well, shit," Maddy said, her mind not quite comprehending the words in front of her. He was here, this was it. Her world was about to evaporate. Even though she'd unenrolled herself from Yale and called her landlord, it still didn't quite feel real. She was sure that this, Francis coming to her door to enforce it, would feel real.

"Should I go out there?" Maria asked, her hand inching towards the handle.

"No," Maddy said quickly, moving forward to push her sister out of the way, the phone still vibrating in her hands. "Go put the brownie mix into a tray, then in the oven, set the timer for half an hour."

Her sister hesitated, giving Maddy a long and careful look.

"Trust me, Maria, it's fine," she said, trying to project as much reassurance possible into her words.

After a moment-long stare off, Maria sighed.

"Call out if you need help," she said reluctantly. "I'm in the kitchen."

Once her sister was out of the way, the fear set in, climbing its way through Maddy's body and making her stomach twist painfully.

But there was only so much he could do to her now. The worst he could do was set her free. She needed to remember that.