Chapter 122 Chapter 122
Hailey’s POV
I stared at Benita, my best friend, the person who’d been by my side through everything, and felt my world tilting.
“Is my mother convincing you to leave?” I asked, needing to know if this was Barbara’s influence or Benita’s own decision.
“No,” Benita said firmly, shaking her head. “Your mother hasn’t said anything to me about leaving. This is my decision, Hailey. Mine alone.”
“But why?” I asked, even though I already knew. “Why now?”
“Because I just want to feel safe,” Benita said, her voice breaking. “I want to wake up in the morning without wondering if today is the day the Morellis attack again. I want to walk through a house without seeing guards with guns everywhere. I want to feel like a normal person again.”
She wiped at her tears with the back of her hand.
“And the nightmares,” she continued, her voice dropping to barely above a whisper. “Hailey, I’m starting to have nightmares about Marco. Every night. He’s trying to talk to me, trying to tell me something important, but he can’t. His mouth moves but no sound comes out, and I can see the frustration and pain in his eyes, and I wake up screaming.”
“Benita….” I reached for her hand.
“I’ve been secretly using antidepressants,” she admitted, not meeting my eyes. “I got them from a doctor in the city before we came here. I’ve been taking them every day, trying to cope, trying to function. But they’re not enough. Pills can’t fix what’s broken inside me.”
“Maybe you need to give it more time……” I started.
“What I actually need is to heal,” Benita interrupted, finally looking at me. “Really heal. Not just survive day to day while medicated. I need to take a break from all of this. Go somewhere peaceful. Somewhere I can breathe and process and figure out how to live in a world where Marco doesn’t exist anymore.”
I wanted to beg her to stay. Wanted to tell her I needed her, that I couldn’t face everything ahead without her support.
But looking at her face, the exhaustion, the pain, the desperate need for escape, I knew that would be selfish.
Benita had risked her personal life to save mine. Had stayed by my side through the attack, through the fear, through everything. She’d put herself in danger repeatedly because of me, because of my choices to stay with Damien.
The least I could do was let her go without making her feel guilty about it.
“I’ll speak to my mother,” I said quietly. “Find out where they would be going. Make sure it’s somewhere actually safe.”
“Thank you,” Benita said, relief flooding her face. “Thank you for understanding.”
“I don’t want you to go,” I admitted. “But I understand why you need to.”
We hugged tightly, both of us crying.
There’s was a knock on the door.
“Come in,” I called, pulling away from Benita and wiping my face.
Louis opened the door, his expression professional. “Miss Hailey, Mr. Alejandro is looking for you. He’s in his office and asked me to send you there.”
“Okay,” I said, standing up. “I’ll go now.
Benita started to stand as well, clearly intending to leave with me.
“Miss Benita,” Louis said, his tone shifting slightly. “Could you stay behind for a moment? I need to speak with you about something.”
Benita’s face immediately closed off. “I’m busy….”
“It’ll only take a minute,” Louis said, stepping into the room. “Please.”
I looked between them, seeing the tension, remembering what Benita had just told me about Louis giving her trouble.
“Benita, you okay?” I asked.
“I’m fine,” Benita said, though her voice was tight. “Go ahead. I’ll catch up with you later.”
I hesitated, not wanting to leave her alone with Louis if she was uncomfortable, but she gave me a small nod that said she could handle it.
I left the room and headed toward Damien’s office, my mind still spinning from everything Benita had told me.
She was leaving. My best friend was leaving.
I reached Damien’s office and knocked once before entering.
He sat behind his desk, looking tired and stressed, but he smiled slightly when he saw me.
“Hailey,” he said. “Come in. Close the door.
I did as he asked, then moved to sit in the chair across from his desk.
“What did you need?” I asked.
Damien’s expression became more serious. “Your mother came to speak with me earlier today. She wants to leave the safehouse.”
My stomach dropped, even though I’d already suspected this.
“Leave and go where?”
“She didn’t specify exactly,” Damien said. “Just said she wanted to go somewhere quieter.”
“And you’re okay with that?” I asked.
“It’s not about whether I’m okay with it,” Damien said. “Your mother is an adult. She can leave if she wants to. But she wanted to know if you wanted to follow her. If you wanted to leave too.”
The words hit me like a physical blow.
My mother wanted to leave. And she wanted to know if I was coming with her.
But she hadn’t asked me herself. Hadn’t even mentioned it to me.
“She didn’t tell me anything,” I said, anger starting to build in my chest. “She went to you first? Before even talking to me about it?”
“Hailey…” Damien started.
But I was already standing, fury and hurt warring inside me.
“My own mother is planning to leave and she didn’t even have the courtesy to discuss it with me first?” I said, my voice rising. “She went to you? Like I’m a child who needs permission?”
“I think she was trying to figure out the….”
“I don’t care what she was trying to do!” I interrupted. “This is exactly like her! Making decisions about my life, about our lives, without including me in the conversation!”
I stormed toward the door, needing to confront my mother, needing answers.
“Hailey, wait…” Damien called after me.