His Ruthless Revenge (A Dark Bully Romance)

Chapter Twenty Six

Present day...

The entire room remains silent once the footage stops playing. No one says a word and the tension is unbearable.
"April, what was that?" Chase murmurs, a stunned look on his face as he continues to stare at the TV screen in front of him.
"Oh, you want me to play it again?" I offer sarcastically, pointing the remote so it'll start over.
"Turn it off." He instructs me, closing his eyes so he doesn't have to see it again. "I said turn it off!"
He grabs the remote from my hand and throws it at the TV screen, smashing it to pieces.
"That's your answer to everything, isn't it? You destroy everything you touch!"
"How could you do that?" He demands roughly, his breathing ragged as he grabs hold of my shoulders. "Did you really fucking do that to me?!"
"Wait a second. You cheated on me and now I'm the bitch?!" I exclaim scornfully. "You really are delusional."
"Why? Why would you do that? How could you do that?" He murmurs me repeatedly, cradling his head in his hands.
"Did you miss the part where I told you I know all about you and Louise?" I remind him indignantly, enraged by his reaction.
"You don't even know why I did that!" He yells ferociously, pushing me backwards so I lose my balance. "I had no fucking choice!"
"April, come with me." Joy advises gently, taking me by the arm as she tries to diffuse the situation. "This isn't beneficial for either one of you right now."
"It's ok." I tell her, my voice trembling. "You can all go now."
"I don't want to leave you on your own." She whispers, keeping her voice low.
"I'll be fine." I assure her. "I can handle him."
"You deliberately set out to destroy me in front of all these people and now they can just leave?" Chase challenges me, glaring at me with so much hatred in his eyes. "Who the hell are you?"
"She's crazy, Chase." Louise interjects indignantly. "She orchestrated this whole thing just to hurt us both. She's toxic and twisted."
Everyone slowly starts to make their exit but I can still hear their hushed voices as they begin to disperse. A couple of people want to make sure I'm ok and if I'll be alright. I'm not sure I will be but convince them I'll be fine and can deal with it by myself.
"Chase, come with me." Louise pleads with him, holding onto his arm. "You don't need her. You, me and the baby can be happy together. All three of us can be."
"Just get out, Louise." Chase snaps venomously, his eyes fixated on my own. "Before I do something I really will regret."
His fists are clenched but I know Chase won't actually do anything to her physically. There's still an actual baby to consider in all of this and the thought makes me feel sick to my stomach.
"You'll regret this." She warns me, taking a step closer.
"Get away from her." Chase growls, placing himself in front of me as some sort of barrier.
"You deserve better than her." Louise whispers softly, touching his face lightly. "You'll figure that out soon enough and I'll be waiting."
She finally leaves us alone and silence fills the room once more. The only sound I can hear is his ragged breathing but Chase still has his back to me and won't turn around.
"I'm going to go and pack my things." I announce stoically, attempting to make my way upstairs.
"You're not going anywhere." He growls fiercely, grabbing hold of my wrist to stop me.
"Chase, there's nothing you can say or do that will make any of this ok. I don't even want to hear it anymore."
"You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's been going on the last few weeks." He demands savagely, a murderous expression darkening his face. "And you can start with you fucking Finn."
He's trembling with rage and struggling to contain his anger, tightening his hold on my wrist when he spits out Finn's name.
"I didn't sleep with him." I reply truthfully. "I wouldn't lower myself and have sex just to get back at you."
"Don't lie to me!" He yells, grabbing my other wrist so I can't escape him. "I saw you with my own fucking eyes!"
"You saw what I wanted you to see! You saw a glimpse of a kiss I deliberately orchestrated to hurt you."
"So... you're not sleeping with him?" He asks hesitantly, loosening his grip on me for a brief moment.
"The only person I've ever slept with in my life is you." I admit candidly, forcing myself to look him in the eye.
"Swear it." He demands roughly, tightening his hold again.
"I'm telling you the truth." I reply bitterly, yanking my wrists out of his grasp. "You should try it sometime."
"You still kissed him though." Chase groans, covering his face with his hands as though he still can't believe it. "I'm going to annihilate him for that."
"Keep away from Finn." I warn him, my voice strong and unwavering. "You started all of this by sleeping with someone else in the first place."
"But you have no idea why I did that. You don't know why I had to sleep with her and if you did then you wouldn't be punishing me like this!" He argues stubbornly. "April, I really had no choice."
"You always have a choice, Chase. You chose to betray me and nothing you ever say will make me forgive you for that. "
"Look, I didn't have a choice because... because she threatened you." He murmurs softly, lowering his head in shame and regret.
"What are you talking about?"
"It wasn't me she was threatening to hurt or expose." He confesses sombrely, crumbling to the ground with exhaustion. "It was you."
I take a few moments to try and process what he just told me; searching my brain for possibilities that make no sense to me whatsoever.
"How could she possibly hurt me?" I challenge him, folding my arms across my chest as I remain standing over him.
"She... she knows about your dad." He acknowledges softly, struggling to get the words out.
"W-what about him?" I stammer nervously, reluctant to hear his answer.
"She found out about him... about what kind of man he is and what he did to Kerry." He says solemnly, closing his eyes as he rests his head back against the wall behind him.
"But how could she even know that?" I demand brusquely, struggling to believe him.
"She told me she'd reveal everything if I didn't do what she wanted. I was in an impossible situation and didn't know what to do!" He shouts loudly, punching the wooden floor beneath him.
"I still don't understand."
"Louise told me she'd expose your dad and tell everyone that he raped my sister."
"But why would she do that? Why would anyone do that?" I argue fiercely, starting to pace back and forth in frustration.
"Because she's sick. She's a fucked up human being who wanted to destroy us and guess what? You let her." He roars bitterly, forcing himself up onto his feet again.
"You're actually blaming me for this?!" I yell incredulously, shaking my head in disbelief.
"You're the one who let her manipulate you. You let her poison destroy us and you didn't even come to me when she told you what happened. If you had done then none of this would have happened!"
I can't even look at him anymore and walk away from him. I need to put some distance between us and get myself a glass of water before I throw up.
"Where are you going?" He demands fearfully, scared I'm leaving.
"I'm getting a drink of water." I snap harshly. "Is that allowed?"
I pour myself a drink and take small sips, resting my hand on the kitchen counter as I stare through the window into the darkness outside.
"April, we need to talk about this." He murmurs quietly, following me into the kitchen.
"You're the one who should have told me when she first propositioned you. Why didn't you come to me the moment she tried to blackmail you? We could have dealt with it together. You should have trusted me!" I sob hysterically, exasperation forcing me to throw my glass across the room so it ends up shattering.
Neither one of us says anything for several moments, struggling to comprehend everything that's just happened and the secrets we've both uncovered. Our lies have brought us here but now we're at this point, I don't know what to do or where to go.
"I was trying to protect you." He whispers softly, his outward demeanour now broken and defeated. "I was also trying to protect Kerry."
"And does she know about any of this? Did you tell her?"
"Of course not." He answers brusquely. "I didn't want to dredge up the past for her after all these years. She's tried so hard to move on from it."
Raking my fingers through my hair, I take some deep breaths. Lord, please give me the strength to get through this somehow.
"All of this still doesn't explain how you could actually sleep with her." I point out to him, narrowing my eyes at him in disgust.
"I already told you why. She gave me no choice."
"You still had to be aroused for it to even happen." I point out vindictively, loathsome to admit that this has crossed my mind several times before now.
"Look, I'm a guy. It doesn't take much to get me hard and you know that." He pathetically explains, enraging me even more.
"So you did want her?!" I scream manically, using all my strength to shove his chest as hard as I can.
"No! I never wanted her but knew I had to do it!" He asserts obstinately, keeping both of his arms by his sides as he allows me to unleash my anger on him.
The fact that Chase is so strong and didn't even stumble ignites my rage even more. It makes me feel so powerless against him and the desire to physically hurt him is undeniable.
"So how the hell were you turned on enough to fuck her if you despise her so much?"
"April, I had no idea she was filming us." He says quietly, lowering his head in shame.
"That doesn't answer my question."
"I don't think you want to know the answer." He mumbles, refusing to tell me.
"Trust me, I do."
"I thought of you, ok?! Is that what you want to hear?! I imagined it was you I had bent over that desk and I imagined it was you when I was inside her. Does that make you feel any better?"
"No!" I scream manically, slapping him across the face before I can stop myself.
My palm is stinging like crazy but it was worth it and I can't help feeling some satisfaction when I notice a red handprint appear on the left side of his face.
"Do it again." He urges me, taking a step closer towards me. "Get it out if your system."
"Hitting you won't help." I reply dismally. "No matter how good it might feel."
"So do it." He encourages me. "Do whatever you need to do to make yourself feel better. Punch me, slap me... whatever you need."
"You're crazy." I tell him, shaking my head in disbelief. "And how the hell did Louise find out about any of this in the first place? The only people who knew about what my dad did to Kerry are me and you."
"I'm not sure you're going to want to hear the rest." He replies dismally, exhaling slowly.
"Tell me."
"Louise told me that your dad tried to hurt her several years ago. She said she always knew what he was like and suspected the same thing had happened to Kerry when she saw her running out of your house one day. Louise said she looked distraught and was crying so she figured out what must have happened to her."
"Are you saying he tried to rape Louise as well?" I gasp, covering my mouth in horror. "Is that why she always hated me in school?"
"Baby, I don't know. She didn't go into that much detail but I guess he did enough to scare her."
He tries comforting me, reaching out to console me but I push him away. The last thing I want is Chase touching me but he's the only one I need at the same time.
I'm so conflicted and confused. My mind can't seem to process any of this or make sense of it whatsoever.
"I bet she's making it up. She has to be lying." I say decidedly, refusing to believe any of it.
"She was pretty convincing." He informs me, shaking his head in defeat. "I actually believe her."
"So Louise confronted you and said she'd expose all of this if you didn't have sex with her?" I question him, trying to piece it all together in my mind.
"Yes." He confirms quietly, closing his eyes as though it's still painful for him to admit it.
"So you made love to her to protect me and your sister?"
"I did not make love to her." He replies forcefully, clenching his jaw in defiance.
"I saw you! Everyone we know just saw the two of you! How can you still deny it?"
"That was not making love, April. I've never made love to anyone in my life apart from you."
"You still betrayed me." I whisper softly, incapable of concealing my pain any longer. "You still ruined everything we ever had and hurt me in the most excruciating way you ever possible."
"I know that." He replies despairingly, raking his fingers through his hair. "I know what I did hurt you but I swear to God I did it to protect you. I've despised myself every single day since then and I've been desperate to confess everything but I didn't know how to. I didn't want to reveal what happened because I was absolutely terrified it would come between us and I might lose you."
"You have lost me." I inform him coldly, determined and resolute.
"Don't say that!" He yells, grabbing hold of me by the waist so I can't go anywhere. "I am never, ever letting you go and you know that!"
"You slept with someone else! You got her pregnant and now you're going to have a baby with her. How the hell do you expect us to survive this?!"
"I have never been unfaithful to you in here." He says solemnly, taking my hand in his and placing it over his chest. "This is yours and will always belong to you."
"Until your baby comes along." I murmur faintly, feeling sick by the thought of it. "Everything will change then."
"I'm not having a baby with her. I told her to get rid of it." He argues strongly, refusing to back down.
"You only told her that because you thought I was pregnant." I remind him, pulling away from his grasp.
"I didn't." He assures me. "I didn't want a child with her in the first place and now I can't physically force her to get rid of it but swear I won't have anything to do with it if she has it."
"You say that now but it will be different once it's born."
"It won't be. I swear it." He says firmly, begging me to trust him.
"I can't be with you knowing that you've got that connection with someone else. Especially not the same woman you betrayed me with. She'll be in our lives forever, always plotting and scheming to destroy us."
"So we'll move." He replies flippantly, acting like he's found the solution to all of our problems. "We'll move away and she won't know where we are."
"Chase, I know you and you won't be able to live with yourself if you abandon a child. I know you're eventually going to have to do the right thing and be a dad to them."
"Ok, so I can still be there for the baby with you by my side. I'll make it work, I swear to God I will. You'll always come first, April. Always."
"But how can you even begin to get your head around what I did? Convincing Louise to lie to you and it was all about getting my own back. I fabricated my own pregnancy just to mess with your head and hurt you. I hate what I've done and who I've become since I found out the truth. I also despise the fact that your dirty little secret made me do it in the first place."
"Don't let her do this to us!" He shouts angrily, frustrated and enraged. "Don't let her come between us again. I forgive everything you did but I need you to forgive me too."
"And what about Finn?" I challenge him. "Can you forgive that?"
His expression darkens as soon as I mention his name and I wish I could take it back. A ruthless, cold-blooded expression washes over him as his mind replays the footage he just watched of me and Finn together.
"Was it really just a kiss to get back at me?" He demands gruffly, clenching both his fists as he struggles to contain his jealousy. "You didn't do anything else?"
"It was just a kiss." I reply truthfully.
"Then... I forgive you." He whispers, sighing deeply. "But I'm still going to kill him."
"You touch him and I'll leave you." I promise him. "This has nothing to do with Finn. I'm the one to blame for involving him in the first place."
"April, I won't be able to control myself when I see him. It's taking every ounce of strength I have to resist finding him right now. I want to ruin him."
I've only seen this side of Chase a few times before. It's when he's at his most dangerous and I can't help myself from trembling with fear when he's like this. He's terrifying because he has no limits and I know he's capable of anything.
"Stay away from him. I mean it, Chase."
"Just promise me we can fix this. Promise me we can make this work." He pleads with me, resting his forehead against mine as he cradles my face in his hands.
"It's impossible." I argue, shaking my head as my tears start to fall.
"I already said that I'll never let you go." He growls, tracing his lips across my neck. "You're mine."
"I don't belong to anyone."
"You do." He groans, breathing heavily as he presses his arousal against me. "You belong to me and you always have done."
His hands reach behind me and find the zip of my dress, unzipping it as his mouth continues to caress my skin.
"Chase..." I warn him, trying to resist him and put up some sort of fight.
"You want this." He moans roughly, slipping his strong and capable hand between my thighs. "You want me even if you don't want to admit it."
I hate the fact that he's right and feel like my own body has betrayed me because it needs him so badly. It's been so long since we've had sex, I'm actually aching for him. I've been avoiding all contact with him since finding out about Louise but now he's touching me and I can feel how badly he wants me, it's impossible to resist.
"Just do it." I urge him, panting heavily as I surrender myself to him. "Make me forget everything."
He doesn't take any persuading and growls in approval, keeping one hand between my legs while using the other to unzip his trousers.
"I forgot to say how fucking incredible you look in this dress." He murmurs passionately, wrapping my legs around him as he lifts me up. "It's taken so much willpower to stop myself from tearing it off you."
"So why don't you?" I dare him, running my fingers through his hair as I start to pull on it. "If I really do belong to you... then do it."
He pauses for a brief moment, wanting to make sure I'm being serious. There's a burning fire of excitement between us which is carnal and desperate. His eyes are smouldering with a primal need to be inside me and I know there's no turning back now.
Chase has always had an insatiable appetite for sex and he's been starved of that lately. He thought it was because I was pregnant and was respectful but now he knows there's nothing stopping us, he's practically uncontrollable.
"Are you daring me to fuck you as hard as I want?" He asks me, his voice ragged as his hand slips inside my underwear.
He's giving me one final opportunity to change my mind before he takes complete control over my body and I know I should take it.
"N-no." I stammer breathlessly, placing my hand against his chest. "We shouldn't. Not like this."
"April, don't do this to me." He pleads, pressing me against the wall. "Not now."
His cock is throbbing against me and I know how much restraint he's having to exert over himself. He's in actual pain because he's craving me so badly but that isn't a good enough reason to give into his demands.
"I'm sorry but I'm not ready." I tell him truthfully, pushing him away so he's forced to lower me to the ground.
"What do I have to do?" He implores me, seizing my arms as he grasps them tightly. "Do I have to beg? Is that what you want me to do?!"
"No!" I cry frantically, squirming beneath him as I try to break free.
"Just say if that's what you want." He replies solemnly, taking a step back as he kneels down before me.
"Chase, stop it." I admonish him. "Get up."
"You're the only woman I'll ever kneel before and I'm begging you from the bottom of my heart and soul to forgive me. Forgive my hideous mistake and stay with me. Don't leave me, April. Please."
A tear falls down his face and I inhale sharply. Chase never cries and I can't remember a single time in our entire relationship when he broke down in front of me. It's incredibly unnerving and I'm torn between wanting to run away from him and console him at the same time.
"Even if I could forgive you, I can't forget. How am I supposed to stay with you when you're having a baby with someone else?"
"She could still be lying! We both know she's capable of it."
"I saw the pregnancy test for myself and I know she's telling the truth. She really is pregnant, Chase. This isn't something we can ignore or refuse to speak about because it's too difficult to accept."
"I don't care about that right now. I don't care about any of it. All I care about is us and trying to fix what damage she's already done."
"I'm just as guilty as she is." I remind him. "I've been plotting and scheming ever since I found out you cheated on me."
"I never cheated on you, April." He reminds me. "My mind, body and soul have always been with you."
He stands up and reaches out for me but I shake my head, not ready to feel his touch again. A horrifying thought suddenly enters my mind and I take a deep breath before I ask him about it.
"Did you use protection?" I blurt out, taking us both by surprise. "Did you use protection when you slept with her?"
"Why are you asking me that?"
"Answer me!" I yell, rapidly losing control of my senses.
"I didn't use a condom because that was part of the deal." He says quietly.
"Excuse me?"
"She insisted on no condom." He admits, lowering his head as though he's truly ashamed of himself.
"You disgust me." I tell him, repulsed by his admission. "Leave me alone."
I turn my back on him and race upstairs, desperate to get away from him so I can think clearly.
"April, please!"
I run towards our bedroom and slam the door shut behind me, pacing back and forth as I try and gain some control over my rage.
"This isn't happening." I tell myself, repeating the same words over and over again.
There's a knock on the door a few moments later and I can't suppress it anymore. I grab the closest thing to me and hurl it at the bedroom door before falling to my knees. I begin to sob harshly, allowing myself to unleash all of my emotions and praying for the pain to stop.
I'm even more distraught when I realise I shattered a photograph of me and Chase which is the object I just hurled at the bedroom door. It's completely destroyed and the carpet is covered in tiny shards of broken glass.
"April, what was that? Are you ok?" Chase demands, his voice full of concern. "Did you hurt yourself?"
He barges through the door before I can answer, observing the broken glass and photograph beneath his feet.
"Keep away from me!" I sob, hugging my knees to my chest. "Don't touch me."
"Baby, I can't leave you like this. At least get up in case you cut yourself."
"I'm fine." I weep, choking on my own tears.
He picks me up before I can argue with him, placing me down on the bed as gently as he can. He's handling me as though I might break any second and part of me feels like I just might.
"Just tell me how I can fix this... tell me what to do! Please!" He implores me, taking my hands in his as he kneels down before me.
"There's nothing you can do... the damage has already been done." I reply despondently, staring into space.
"Louise threatened to expose what your dad did to my sister and I couldn't let that happen! I was trying to protect Kerry but most of all I was trying to protect you."
"Keep telling yourself that." I retort disdainfully.
"I know you never wanted your mum to find out about your dad and I thought the whole world finding out would destroy you and I wasn't going to let that happen!" He shouts passionately, trying to make me understand and heal the irreparable damage.
"You didn't even give me a choice! You could have told me she was blackmailing you and we could have handled it together." I sigh heavily, emotionally drained and physically exhausted.
"I know! I know that now and I'm sorry! I'm so fucking sorry! Tell me how to fix this!" He yells, raking his fingers through his hair as he jumps up onto his feet.
I watch in horror as he starts to unleash his own fury, dismantling everything in his path as he destroys our possessions. He tips over the wardrobe and smashes our bedroom mirror with his fists. Shoving me off the bed so he can upturn a chest of drawers, grabbing one of them as he hurls it at the wall opposite.
"You can't!" I scream hysterically, pummelling my fists against his chest as I try to get him to stop. "You can't fix this!"
"I can!" He roars manically. "I'll make everything alright again... just give me one more chance!"
He cradles me in his arms and tightens his hold on me so that I can't go anywhere. I hate myself for not pulling away and despise myself even more for feeling comforted by him.
I've always felt safe in his arms and don't have the energy to fight him anymore. I'm completely exhausted and can't stop myself from inhaling his familiar scent and wanting him to make everything ok again.
"Chase, why is this happening?" I weep bitterly, burying my face in his chest as I cling to him.
"April, it's all happening because of me. It's happening because I fucked up and I risked what we have. I swear to God I won't let anyone or anything come between us ever again." He promises, squeezing me so tightly I can hear his heart racing.
We stay standing like that for quite some time and neither one of us is willing to say anything as we hold onto one another. I realise there's no point in trying to make sense of it anymore so just hold onto him, using him as my anchor to keep myself from drowning.
"You need to go." I announce woefully, forcing him to let go of me as I pull away.
"I'm not going anywhere." He says decidedly, pulling me towards him.
"You need to go and find Louise and sort things out with her."
"I'm not going anywhere near her. I belong here with you." He growls deeply, determined and stubborn.
"You need to sort things with her. You need to make plans for the baby." I insist, despising the words coming out of my own mouth.
"Then come with me. If I'm going to have a child then I want you to be involved. We need to show her that we're still together. She needs to know that we're unbreakable and united no matter what."
"I don't want to see her. I can't be anywhere near her tonight." I tell him, shaking my head.
"Then I'm not leaving you." He vows possessively, refusing to let go of me.
"Chase, she's in a bad way. She was drinking earlier and she might do something stupid."
"You think I actually care what she does to herself?" He replies contemptuously.
"You will if it causes her to lose the baby." I point out, knowing he would never forgive himself if that happened.
"What do you want me to do?" He asks, tucking a strand of hair back behind my ear.
"Just go for a little while. Take responsibility and tell her that you're going to be there for the baby. You've been telling her to have an abortion and you need to make up for that."
"She promised me she was on the pill." He reveals, his jaw clenched in anger.
"She lied to you." I say mournfully, my voice barely above a whisper.
"April, I would never have risked getting her pregnant. She promised me she was taking contraception." He assures me, placing his finger beneath my chin so I'm forced to look up at him.
"Just go and make sure she's alright. We can talk when you get back."
"You mean we can fix this?" He asks, sounding incredulous and more than a little doubtful. You're willing to try?"
"I'll try and that's all I can promise you."
"God, I don't deserve you." He whispers, placing a kiss on my forehead. "And I'm sorry for calling you a bitch earlier. It was unforgivable."
"It's fine." I chuckle lightly. "I just need to be alone for a while. I need some space but I'll be here waiting when you get back."
"I'll be as quick as I can." He promises. "I'll just make sure she's not done anything stupid and I'll be straight home."
"It's the right thing to do." I encourage him, smiling weakly.
"I'll sort all this mess out when I get back." He adds, glancing around our destroyed bedroom. "I'm so sorry I trashed everything but I promise you I'll fix it."
"I know you will."
"You're my entire world, April. You know that, don't you?"
"I know. Now get going."
He gives me one last kiss and leaves quickly, rushing down the stairs before jumping in his car and driving off. I'm still frozen in place and feel like I can't move an inch. If I do then I know I can't pretend anymore and have to face what I'm about to do next.

My bag which I packed before the party is hidden in the spare bedroom. I'm so glad I chose to hide it there as Chase would have found it after trashing everything in here.
I feel like I have nothing left as I retrieve my belongings and leave my parting message on the bathroom mirror. I don't even feel angry anymore. It's all vanished.
I carry my bag down the stairs, pausing in the hallway for a brief moment as I take a final look back.
The front door closes behind me and I step out into the cool midnight air, leaving my home, my life and the man I've shared it with for the past six years behind.
I'm still holding the red lipstick I used to write my final goodbye to him and throw it away, discarding the final piece of my life with Chase forever.
He'll be home soon so I have to leave. He'll be exhausted but desperate to start mending things and make things right between us. He'll hurry up the stairs and be calling out my name, expecting to find me in our bedroom waiting for him. He'll search the entire house before he realises I've gone.
He might not notice what I wrote for him at first. He might walk past the bathroom mirror several times before he spots my goodbye message scrawled across it in my bright red lipstick.

I was never yours.

I imagine him staring at it with his mouth open and a stunned look on his face. He might stay that way for hours, frozen in place like I was and trying to figure out if I've really left him.
He won't ever understand the agonising pull I still feel to turn around and go back to him. He'll never understand the gut wrenching pain he's caused me or the torment I've still got to endure knowing he's going to have a child with someone else.
He'll never know how much I despise myself for being so weak and doubting whether I made the right decision but most of all he'll never know how much I love him and will do for the remainder of my life.

He'll start to hate me as time goes by. His resentment will build up day after day until all that love he has for me will start to evaporate. He'll be consumed by hatred and he'll despise me for not giving him a chance and running out on him like a coward.

We're both free now... free from the toxic love which consumed us both for so long. I'll never see Chase again and I know that's how it has to be.

He can never find me.

God help me if he does.