Chapter 51 Ghost from the past
Melissa’s POV
I walked out of Gavin’s office feeling lighter than I had in days.
My chest didn’t feel as tight. The weight that had been pressing down on me since yesterday had eased slightly. Not gone…it would probably never be completely gone…but manageable.
I’ll set this straight.
Gavin’s words echoed in my head. His promise. The absolute certainty in his voice when he said he’d protect me, protect my mother, fix everything.
I should have been skeptical. Should have questioned how he could possibly make this situation right.
Instead, I felt… hopeful.
Stupid, maybe. Naive, definitely.
But hopeful.
I pressed the elevator button and waited, my fingers touching my lips where he’d kissed me. The elevator doors opened. I stepped inside.
The ride down felt too quick. I wasn’t ready to face the real world yet. I wanted to stay suspended in this moment where everything felt possible.
The lobby was busy when I stepped out. People rushed past, with phones pressed to ears, voices echoing off the marble floors.
I headed toward the exit, pulling my jacket tighter against the cold I knew waited outside.
I pushed through the glass doors.
The December air hit me immediately, sharp and biting. Snow had stopped falling but the ground was still dusted white, crunching under my feet as I walked toward the parking garage.
I was halfway across the plaza when a hand grabbed my arm.
I was yanked sideways, stumbling, my bag slipping from my shoulder.
Before I could scream, I was shoved against the concrete wall of the building, hidden in the shadow between two pillars.
My heart lurched into my throat.
Troy? He looked terrible. Worse than terrible.
His hair was greasy, and unwashed, sticking up at odd angles. Dark circles shadowed his eyes. His clothes were wrinkled and stained, hanging loose on his body that looked thinner than I remembered. He smelled terrible.
“You really need to stop pushing me around like a toy,” I said, my voice was steadier than I felt.
His grip on my arm tightened. “So this is why you left me, Melissa. Because of that rich young man.”
“What?” Confusion cut through my fear. “What are you talking about?”
“I saw you.” His eyes were wild, unfocused. “In that car. With him. Looking so happy, so fucking happy while I’m out here with nothing.”
Jason. He was talking about Jason.
“Troy, that wasn’t…”
“I see he cleaned you up nicely.” His free hand came up, touching my jacket, and then my hair. “New expensive clothes. You look good, Mel. Real good. Better than when you were with me.”
I jerked away from his touch. “Don’t.”
“Why not? You used to like it when I touched you.”
“I left you because you were an asshole, Troy.” The words came out sharp. “And because you cheated.Remember?”
His jaw clenched. “I said I’m sorry. How many times do I have to apologize? Why are you so fucking stubborn, Melissa? Just forgive me. Let’s get back to the way things were.”
“No.”
“No?” He laughed, but there was no humor in it. “You don’t get to say no. You owe me.”
“I don’t owe you anything.”
“Three years!” His voice rose. “Three fucking years I gave you. And you just threw it away like it meant nothing.”
“You threw it away when you stuck your dick in someone else.”
His hand shot up like he might hit me.
I flinched, pressing back against the wall.
He froze, his hand suspended mid-air. Then slowly, he lowered it.
“I wouldn’t…” His voice cracked. “I wouldn’t hit you. You know that. I would never…”
But I’d seen something in his eyes just then. Something desperate that made my insides twist.
“Troy, you need to let me go.”
“I can’t.” His grip on my arm was painful now. “I can’t let you go. You’re all I have left, Mel. Everything else is gone. My apartment. My job. Even my fucking car is totaled. I have nothing.”
“That’s not my problem.”
“It is your problem!” Spit flew from his mouth. “You did this. You destroyed my life by leaving. I can’t eat. Can’t sleep. Can’t think about anything except getting you back.”
Fear prickled down my spine.
“Look,” I said carefully, keeping my voice calm. “I’m sorry you’re going through a hard time. But us getting back together isn’t going to fix it.”
“Yes it will.” He was nodding now, frantic. “Yes it will. We’ll be together again. Happy. Like we used to be. You’ll see. Everything will be better once you’re back where you belong.”
“I don’t belong to you.”
“You do.” His other hand came up to cup my face, his fingers dirty against my skin. “You’ll always belong to me. You’re mine, Melissa. Mine.”
I looked around desperately, hoping someone would walk past, see us, intervene.
But the plaza was empty. Everyone inside where it was warm.
“Troy, please…”
“Give me twenty dollars.”
The abrupt change in topic threw me. “What?”
“Twenty dollars.” His hand dropped from my face but stayed on my arm. “I need money. For food. A place to sleep. Because of you, I have nothing left. So give me twenty dollars. It’s the least you can do.”
I stared at him. At the desperation in his eyes. The way his clothes hung on him. The smell.
“But I forgive you,” he added quickly, like that made it better. “For everything. I forgive you. So just give me the money and we can start over.”
My bag was still hanging off my shoulder with my wallet inside.
“Okay,” I said slowly. “Okay, I’ll give you money. Just… let go of my arm.”
“You’ll run.”
“I won’t run. I promise.”
He hesitated, then slowly released me.
I reached for my bag with shaking hands, unzipped it, pulled out my wallet.
Twenty dollars. He wanted twenty dollars.
I had a fifty.
I pulled it out and held it toward him.
His eyes lit up. He snatched it from my hand so fast I barely saw him move.
“See?” He smiled, and it was wrong, all wrong. “This is good. We’re good. We can work this out, Mel. I knew you’d understand.”
“Troy, you need help.” The words came out before I could stop them. “Professional help. This isn’t healthy…”
“I don’t need help.” His voice turned sharp. “I need you. Why can’t you understand that? I NEED YOU.”
He reached for me again.
I stepped back, but my spine was already against the wall.
“Troy, don’t…”
“Melissa?”
The voice came from behind Troy.