Chapter 29 Chapter 29
“Do you think I want to do this to you? I want to give you the best life possible, and I can’t do it openly.” he said, and I could hear the frustration in his voice.
“I…. … I’ll… go… back,” I said between breaths, and he let go of me.
“The car will be here for you. And Tessa, running is not an option. Even death won’t stop me from finding you,” he said before walking out of the house. I sank to the floor and let the tears consume me. Why me?. Why me? I sat in the dark crying for my life. The house was quiet. Only the sound of the waves, steady and cruel, like it didn’t care what had just happened inside these walls. I sat on the floor for a long time, my back against the door, unable to move. The tears had stopped coming, leaving me hollow.
He found me. I didn’t know how, but he had. Every wall I built, every lie, every flight all of it had been for nothing. He knew where I was from the beginning, and he gave me false hope. He let me think I was safe, that I had escaped. The room smelled like salt and dust and fear. My hands started shaking again. I wanted to move, to pack, to run, but his words were stuck in my head: Even death won’t stop me from finding you. At first I didn’t want to believe him, but now I do.
It was hours before I stood up. My legs were weak, like they didn’t belong to me. I went through the motions of cleaning the room, folding the blanket, and straightening the chair he had sat in. anything to keep from thinking. I packed my backpack; the only thing in it was the money Zaiel had given me and my identification. Will I ever need it again. The time night came, I was sitting by the window again. I told myself he wouldn’t really come back, that maybe he’d just wanted to scare me. But deep down, I knew better.
I heard the low growl of an engine, and my body reacted before my mind could. I froze, breath caught in my throat. The same SUV from earlier pulled up outside, headlights cutting across the front of the house. My first instinct was to hide. I backed away from the window, and my hand started shaking. But there was nowhere left to go.
There was a soft knock on the door, almost as if they were afraid to knock. Then the voice was calm. Professional. “Miss Jansen. It’s time.”
I almost laughed. Time. Like it was a fucking appointment, like this was just another task to check off. My hands fumbled with the doorknob, and before I even realized it, the door opened.
Two men were standing outside, both in dark suits, faces unreadable. Not rough, not cruel, just emotionless. And that scared me more than anger.
“I’m ready?” I said, my voice barely there. One of them nodded, he tried to take my bag, and I just shook my head and held it tighter.
He didn’t argue. He just nodded and stepped back. I grabbed my small bag and walked outside. The air was cool, too calm for what was happening. I started walking and didn’t look back at the house. What would be the point? They opened the door for me, and I got in and just stared out the window. The drive to the airstrip was quiet. The road blurred past. Every turn felt final, like I was being erased all over again. When we reached the small private hangar, a jet was waiting on the runway, sleek and quiet. A man in a pilot’s uniform stood at the bottom of the steps, clipboard in hand. Everything about it felt rehearsed.
One of the men gestured toward the plane. “This way, Miss Jansen.”
I walked forward, numb. The engines hummed softly, the kind of sound that used to mean escape. Now it just sounded like surrender. Inside, the cabin was dimly lit, with cream leather seats, a faint scent of cologne, and a bottle of water placed neatly on the table beside me. I sat down, clutching my bag like it could still save me.
When the plane began to move, I closed my eyes. The world tilted, lifted, and fell away beneath us. I was going back to where it all started. Manhattan.
I tried not to think of him sitting somewhere, waiting. I tried not to think of how easy it had been for him to reach across the oceans and pull me back. Hours later, the wheels touched down. I didn’t even look out the window. The same men led me through a quiet side exit of the airport. A car was waiting, not the SUV, but another dark vehicle. They didn’t say anything, and I had nothing to say either. The drive back into the city felt like watching a ghost story.
The skyline rose in the distance, all steel and light, too bright for what it meant. Manhattan looked the same, but I wasn’t the same girl that left here.
We turned onto a familiar street, and I saw the name Athena Tower on the marble sign; something inside me cracked. I didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Maybe both.
The car stopped under the awning. The driver opened my door and nodded toward the entrance. “Your residence has been prepared.”
I walked through the glass doors. The lobby smelled like polished stone and money. The receptionist barely glanced up and just pressed a keycard into my hand.
“Apartment 1801,” she said smoothly. “Welcome home.”
Home. The word didn’t mean shit anymore. The elevator ride up felt endless. My reflection in the mirror didn’t look like me. My hair was tangled, and my face was pale. I looked like someone who’d lost every piece of herself and didn’t even have the strength to look for them anymore.
When the doors opened, I stepped into a hallway. The door to my apartment was right below another, and I knew exactly who it belonged to. Asshole, Rhyland. I smirked and shook my head. It's been months; Anthony probably found another caretaker. The asshole got his pictures and probably forgot me. I was easy to forget that was the life I lived.
I stared at the door for a long time before unlocking mine. I walked in. It was the same, just like Anthony’s and Zaiel’s. There were fresh flowers on the counter.
I walked over to the kitchen and opened the fridge. Why? I have no fucking idea, but I did; it was fully stocked. The two security details walked out and locked the door, leaving me alone. I walked towards the room and opened the door. A massive bed, I walked towards the closet. I switched the lights on and walked in.
New clothes, jewelry, I walked along the clothes, jeans, and T-shirts. There were a few dresses and jumpsuits. But mostly jeans and t-shirts. I walked to the other side and saw the makeup.