Conrad
I arrive home after a stressful day, eager to see my beautiful fiancée. I haven’t heard much from her today. But the second I stepped inside, something didn’t feel right. I couldn’t put my finger on it.
“Maya?” I called out, but there was no answer.
I tried it a couple of times, but there was still nothing. I rush around the place, searching for her. She would have let me know if she was going out. I start to panic. The last place I check is the bedroom, but she isn’t there. I quickly reach for my cell to try to call her or even track where she is. Though, something catches my eyes lying on the bed. I slowly walk over, hoping it isn’t what I think. A letter, her engagement ring, her watch, and her cell are sitting at the bottom of the bed. My heart sinks. This is not a good sign.
I snatch up the envelope and tear it open. I sit on the bed, and I first notice the tear stains on the paper and the smudging of the ink. No, she wouldn’t do this to me. She wouldn’t leave me, not with good reason. We had such an incredible weekend. Maya would have told me if something was wrong. The tears well in my eyes, and my stomach churns.
Conrad,
Before you even start to read this, I need you to know that I love you so much. I always will, and that will never change. You are my entire world. You have been my whole life and made me feel true happiness for the first time ever.
I have been keeping secrets from you. Callum has been in touch. He told me if I didn’t disappear, he would make me regret it. He said he would not only go after you but your entire family. He made horrible sexual threats towards Chelsea. I would never forgive myself if something happened to any of you. You are always protecting me; it is my turn to protect you and your family. I have already put you through so much.
This has been the hardest decision of my life, leaving you, Conrad. It was the last thing I wanted to do, but I didn’t have a choice. It was either I disappeared or went back to him. He made me promise not to tell you of the plan, or he would hurt someone. If he knew I wrote this letter to you, you would all be in harm’s way. He told me he would leave you all alone if I left. I really hope he meant it because it would kill me if anything happened to you or anyone else.
I can’t tell you where I am going because I know you will come to find me immediately, but know I have found somewhere safe, somewhere I can stay and work. This is not goodbye forever. I will come back one day once I know Callum has been caught and once I know all of you are out of danger.
I would ask you to wait for me, but that would be selfish because no one knows how long I need to stay away. If you meet someone else, it would destroy me, but I also want you to be happy. I should have left when this all began. I am so sorry for everything I have put you and your family through, my love.
I really hoped and prayed we would get our happy ending, but I should have known better. Someone like me doesn’t get their happy ending. I hope you find yours. I am sorry I had to leave everything behind. It is safer this way. It is best we don’t have any contact.
I don’t want this to be my last goodbye, but unless they catch Callum, it may need to be.
I will be forever grateful for you, my love. Please, don’t hate me. I hope you understand I am doing this out of pure love. Callum took so much of my life already, and I don’t want him to take any more from me or from any of you.
You will forever be in my heart. You are my heart, body, and soul, and I pray one day we can be reunited. I promise to take care of myself, and maybe somewhere down the line, I will reach out to make sure you are doing okay.
I love you, Conrad. Please, don’t ever forget that.
Love, Maya xx
Tears escape from my eyes and fall onto the paper, smudging the writing more. My heart shatters into a million pieces, and I completely break down. I slide to the floor, resting against the bed and screaming, tugging at my hair. How could she leave me? We promised forever. When did she leave? Where has she gone? I am feeling so many emotions at once. I can handle them all, but not one of them is hatred. I could never hate Maya. I am angry at her for lying to me, but she thought she was doing the right thing to protect me and my family. Why didn’t she come to me? I could have found a way to stop this from happening. I don’t want her to be out there alone with no one to protect her.
I need to find her! I won’t stop until I do. But first thing is first, I am going to find that bastard if it is the last thing I ever do. This is all his fault. She wouldn’t have left if it weren’t for him. I will fucking kill when I do. He doesn’t get to threaten not only Maya but my family. No one does.
I stare at the letter, reading it over and over. She couldn’t have gone far. Her car is still outside, but she could have a ten-hour head start on me. How am I going to get through my days without her? I need her in life. She is my life. I can’t let this happen. There must be some clues about where she has gone.
I set the letter aside and pulled the entire apartment apart, trying to find anything. I then noticed that she had taken her birth certificate and passport with her. Is she still even in the States? She could go anywhere in the world, and she would pick somewhere miles away, especially if it meant Callum would stay away from me and my family. I don’t know if he will, even with Maya gone. One thing I am sure about, I will find him before he has a chance to do another damn thing.
I lost my shit, trashing the place and put my hand through one of the walls before dropping to my knees. It is like someone is repeatedly stabbing a knife into my heart. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. We were supposed to be planning our wedding in Italy, planning the rest of our lives. We aren’t meant to be apart. It doesn’t feel right. I can’t breathe right without her. Nothing feels right without her. Maya should be here with me, not God knows where all alone.
I need to fix this quickly. I have to find her, no matter what. She shouldn’t be alone. She has spent most of her life alone. She belongs with me, and because of that bastard, I have lost her. I refuse to let it happen. He isn’t taking Maya away from me. I can’t do all of this by myself. I will have to ask for help; my father is the best person. He knows people who could try to find a way to track her. There has to be records somewhere of where she has gone. He knows people who could probably find Callum better than the police and my PI since both have done such a terrible job up to now. I don’t care what I need to do; I will have her home and safe with me in no time. I have to.