Relentless

Chapter 52

Juliet

2 Months Later

Pretending.

That's what I have been doing for the past two months.

Pretending to be content, pretending to be focused, pretending that everything is okay, pretending that I'm not hurting.

I miss him.

I miss his smile.

I miss the way he told me that he loved me.

I miss the way that he used to torture me.

I miss the way that he used to run to my side after a nightmare.

I miss the way he kissed me.

I would give anything to have just five more minutes by his side. Just five little minutes to tell him that I loved him too.

He probably died thinking that I hated him. He told me he loved me with his last breath and died without being able to hear the words back. I should've said it. Why didn't I say it?!

I cry once a day. Before every concert or interview I let all of my tears come out and then tell myself to pull it together. I can't let my fans see me cry. I can't let anyone see my vulnerable side.

The only one who ever did was Ashton.

I still talk to him every now and then. I know that sounds weird, but when I wake up from a nightmare or get scared or have stage fright or just feel down right repulsed by myself, I just start talking to him. I talk to him like he could talk back, but of course there is nothing but silence.

It's early in the morning and everyone else is asleep in their rooms. I sit up in my bed and rub my eyes, exhausted from lack of sleep and from my emotional trauma. I've been thinking about reporters lately and if some reported on what happened, but never had the guts to go online and search it. But I do today.

I grab my laptop from under my bed and open it up. Once it turns on, I do the thing that I've been avoiding for months. I search my own name. When the results pop up, I see concert information, upcoming interviews and old information about me. But there is one video link that sticks out.

Juliet Summers: Pop Star or Murderer?

Clicking the link, I wait for it to load and then hear the host start talking.

"Hello all and welcome to Jeremy's Corner. Today we are going to be talking about the music icon Juliet Summers. We all know she's good at hiding things, right? I mean, come on, she was Genevieve King for crying out loud. But is she capable of covering up a murder?

"A few months ago, Summers was greeting fans after her LA performance when a gun started going off. Reporters haven't been given much information, however we do know this much; Three people, Jackson and Daniel Sanders and Lieutenant of the LAPD Ashton McAllister, were all pronounced dead. The three men all had connections to Juliet, Daniel being her stepfather, Jackson her stepbrother and Lieutenant McAllister being her ex-boyfriend. Juliet was also at the scene with the three deceased men, but she was unharmed.

"What reason did Juliet have for killing these men? Did she do it at all? Comment your thoughts below. Signing off, this is Jeremy Logan. Join us next Wednesday on Jeremy's Corner."

People honestly think I killed them. They don't know the half of it. They don't know the torture I went through. They don't know what I lost. They don't know how hurt I actually was. How hurt I actually am.

"Good Morning, gorgeous!" Maris greets me, entering my room.

"Hey." She sits on my bed and glances at my computer.

"Juliet,"

"I know! I know I shouldn't be looking at this stuff but I need to know what people think."

"This is just going to make you feel worse." I stare at the screen for a minute and then look to my best friend.

"How many days do I have until my next interview?" I ask.

"You need to be back in New York in three days."

"And we're in Dallas."

"Yeah... Why? What are you getting at?"

"I want to see Lisa." Maris snorts and starts to fake laugh at me.

"What? Since when?"

"Since five minutes ago. I want to go home."

"Dude,"

"No, Maris, don't try to talk me out of it. I need to go home."

"I'm all for it, babes. The only problem is getting past Josh and Luke."

"Why Luke?"

"Luke is turning into a mini version of Josh. He needs everything in order and wants everyone to follow the schedule. How are we going to get past them?" I look at the time in the corner of my laptop and think.

"It's almost six in the morning. I know Josh is a late sleeper, but what about Luke?"

"It depends on the day. I don't think he got much sleep last night because he was fighting with his girlfriend. He's probably still asleep." We look at each other for a moment and think the same thoughts, jumping into action. "Let's get packing. I'll call the airport." She says, jumping up and running towards the door.

"I'll call the car around." I say, jumping up and putting a bag together. I throw in two shirts and two pairs of jeans. I put my sneakers on and call the valet while I walk down the hall. I see Maris at the other end of the hall and we smile at each other. Hanging up the phone, I take her hand and we run to the elevator, getting in before anyone sees us.

"Our flight leaves in a half an hour." She says. I nod and take a deep breath, trying to get over the fact that I am sneaking out of a hotel.

When we get out of the elevator, we run as fast as we can out of the lobby and into the car without being seen. Maris tells the driver where we're going and I text Lisa, telling her that I'm coming home for a two days.