The Ink That Brands Us ✔️

Chapter Twenty-Nine

To say that I was a mess was putting it lightly.

My parents knew something was up but kept their distance. Even when I insisted that I return to Colorado as soon as possible.

The night before I was due to leave my mom tried to have a talk with me but I couldn't talk about it. I promised to call her as soon as I returned to Colorado and explain everything. She wasn't happy, but she didn't push it.

    Right before my plane was due to board I informed her of my broken phone and told her that I may not call her right away. She was furious and demanded that I take some money from her and buy a new one as soon as I landed. I didn't bother arguing. Stuffing the money in my purse, I went to catch my flight.

    Unlike the last time I landed in Colorado, I didn't feel like relieved to be home. Mostly I felt lost and for the first time, I felt like I didn't belong. Facing the unknown was scary and here I stood facing it all on my own. Thank God I was all cried out.

    Throwing my carry on bag over my shoulder, I headed to the cab area. I hadn't told anyone I was back so there wasn't anyone here to welcome me home. It was how I wanted it. At least that's what I kept trying to tell myself. I didn't believe it either.

    The cab took me straight to the realtor's office. I wanted to get my new lease signed and the old one transferred right away or else I might change my mind.

To my relief, she said that I could move in immediately and she would have the movers come the following day. She offered to take me to the new apartment but I declined, not interested in seeing it. It didn't matter what it looked like. It would never be home.    

    When the cab pulled up outside the apartment, I was relieved to see that Jensen wasn't home. The last thing I needed right now was to see him. My heart broke at the thought of how he might react to seeing me home early.

God, what if he had been bringing her back to our apartment?

    My stomach heaved, but I forced the bile back. Taking a deep breath, I headed up the stairs and into the apartment.

When I opened the door and stepped inside, I took a moment to look around. It really was the perfect apartment. It had been my home for a short while and I knew it would be hard to find anything that measured up.

    Shutting the door, I took my things to my room, then returned to the living room. I put the leases on the coffee table and sat down on the couch to wait for Jensen. Seeing him was inevitable. We had things to discuss and I would do my best to remain as emotionless as possible. There was no need to show him how much this hurt. I wouldn't give him the satisfaction.

    My heart nearly leaped out of my chest when the door banged open moments later. My stomach turned with the nerves. I hadn't expected him back so soon and I wasn't sure if I was ready to do this yet. But I knew it had to be done and there was no point in waiting. It was now or never. Closing off all emotion I stood to face him.

    His face lit up when he spotted me. I was surprised to find that when he smiled that soul-crushing smile at me, I didn't want to break down in sobs of despair.

No, I wanted to march right over to him and punch him dead in his fucking throat. He had no right to look at me the way he was.

    Pushing the anger back, I squared my shoulders. I couldn't afford to lose my focus now and assaulting him wouldn't do me any good. Not that I wasn't tempted, but there were bigger issues at hand here.

    When I didn't return his smile his brow furrowed. He started towards me and I bent down to pick up the lease agreement. I thrust it into his hands and took a step back.