A Slave to Broken Hearts (A Slave to Love Sequel)

Chapter 17: Suspense

"So...can I ask what's going on or are you just going to leave me in suspense?" Ace asked.

I had waited for him by the gate of the house, part of me hoping Blade would notice I was home and find me and end this nightmare. But he didn't. As soon as Ace arrived, I got into his car without a word or a backward glance.

"Is there a particular place you wanted to go to? Something you wanted to do?" he asked when I continued to not answer, staring out at the blur of trees on the highway we were driving down.

I just shook my head. There was no plan, no idea, nothing. I was just numb with shock and hurt and couldn't figure out what the hell I could possibly do. Calling Ace wasn't even planned, I just needed to get out of there and Ace was the first person that came to mind. And the first in my contact list thanks to the alphabetical order. Now that we were driving away I could feel my panic mounting. What the hell was I supposed to do now? Drive around and wait for Blade to wonder where I was? Go back there and interrupt them? Where the hell was I supposed to go, when that was my home? 

"Do you wanna drive around for a while?" he asked, voice softer now.

I nodded, gaze firmly focused out the window. If I looked at him, if I saw the concern and confusion on his face then I might be tempted to tell him what I saw, what had happened. And if I did that, it would be admitting it was real and that it did happen. Maybe it hadn't. Maybe this was just an elaborate hallucination. After all, how could Eliza suddenly appear after all this time? Out of the blue?

Maybe I was wrong about what I saw and if I stuck around longer I would have seen him reject her and send her away and this whole mess would be over. Wishful thinking. Regardless or whether or not he believed her or still loved her, I had to tell him the truth.

We drove around for a while in silence, the radio playing soft and quiet over the hum of the car engine. I kept expecting Ace to pester me with questions, but he seemed content to drive around quietly. That was fine with me. I let myself turn over the possibilities in my head, or at least I tried too. The image of the two of them kept replaying in my head on loop, insistent and heartbreaking, refusing to let me deny the truth that I had witnessed myself firsthand. I had to face Blade, come clean to him about everything once and for all. If I had been scared before of him getting upset, it was nothing compared to how I felt right now. 

Eliza was here and that changed things. Not only was she here, but she still loved him and still wanted him back. It would have been different if I had told him and we both assumed she was still off doing who knows what with God knows who. She might have moved on for all we knew so it might not have been such a big deal. 

But she came back for him. And I had lied to him about something I knew was important. 

My breath caught, heart beginning to pound again. How could I have fucked up so badly? I didn't even warn him and he had to deal with her surprising him like this. God, he must have been so upset when she showed up out of nowhere like that, especially after the last time he saw her...

All the tears I had squashed down in denial before Ace showed up were threatening again, eyes burning and vision blurring as they rolled down my cheeks. I sniffed slightly, hoping it would be discreet enough not to arouse suspicion.

"Kiana?"

Or not. 

The concern in his voice was enough. He didn't even have to ask anything else; the flimsy veil of control I had broke and a shuddering sob rose in me. 

I screwed up, I screwed up, I screwed up.

"Jesus Kiana," Ace said, sounding flustered as he pulled over onto the shoulder with an abrupt squeal of tires. "What the hell happened?"