Chapter 33

"What the fuck are you doing here, Grace?"

She swung fast into action, drawing her into the room and shutting the door. She hoped to God no one had seen her. "How the fuck did you find me?"

Much to her anger, Grace took her sweet time taking off her jacket and getting comfortable on the bed. Jane had almost forgotten how mischievous her younger sister could be.

"Imagine this, if I could find you so easily, what makes you think daddy won't?"

Jane could feel her pulse beating hard as a drum. The question gave her something to think about but it didn't take away the dread she was feeling at being found so easily. What had she done wrong? She racked her brain furiously, looking for any loopholes in her sound plan.

"Don't hurt yourself, Jane. You've left so many breadcrumbs for him to follow. He knows you're in Stormbrooke."

"What?"

"Or at least I think he does. A suspicion, for now."

Jane rubbed her temple. "Grace, I swear to God. If you don't start talking, I will hit you so hard you won't remember who you are for days."

Grace rolled her eyes, patting the space next to her. "You'll wear a hole in your slippers with all that pacing you're doing. Come sit. I've missed you."

She obliged, sighing. "I've missed you too, sweetie."

Grace smiled. "I know you have. Who are you without me?"

Jane rolled her eyes, smiling though at the back of her mind, she had a strong notion that her days as a free woman was gradually coming to an end. "Tell me everything."

"Dad hired a private investigator the day after you left and he has been looking for you for about a week now."

Shit. She should've expected nothing less. The man was relentless and a bit extreme. It wasn't like she had left the country. Though now that she thought about it, she supposed it might have been the best thing to do.

"He's pretty pissed," Grace continued. "Hasn't smiled in days. Mom's been so hysterical, talking about how her precious daughter had decided to run away and shit like that. Matt has been sour because daddy blames him since he was the last person to see you."

"Fuck," She muttered, fisting a good chunk of her hair. Everything had gone to shit.

"And—this might be good news—your fiancé disappeared too."

Jane's eyes snapped to her sister's in surprise. "What?"

Grace shrugged. "Yeah. Mom says she spoke to his mother and he's MIA. If you ask me, I think it's the best thing to happen to you in years since you broke up with that good-for-nothing Elijah."

Jane raised a brow in surprise. "How on earth do you know about that, Grace?"

"Same way I found you; by snooping through the phones of the members of the Hendricks family."

The smile on her face shouldn't have been one of pride.

"That's a total invasion of privacy."

"Now you wouldn't know if I hadn't told you, right?"

"Touché."

So her fiancé had run away. Jane wasn't exactly sure how to feel about that. Did he think her ugly or something? Had he even seen her? Not that she was a saint either but it certainly didn't do much to her self-confidence to note that if she had agreed to the wedding, she would've been abandoned at the altar. Who the hell did he think he was?

"Grace?" She asked. "Do you by any chance know the name of this…man?"

Grace shook her head. "Come to think of it, I don't and I know everything. Everyone just refers to him as The Heir. Not even the media have any pictures of him. He's literally a ghost."

He must feel really important, Jane thought. Ugh, not only was he probably an ugly duck, he was rude and impertinent too.

Christ. She had the worse luck when it came to men.

"How have you been though?" Grace asked, taking the time to look around for the first time since she entered the room. "This is nice. Not nearly close to the standards you're used to, but nice nonetheless."

Her eyes wandered around. Grace was right if a bit sassy. Her room back at home was massive and fit for a queen, not to mention the feeling of emptiness she always almost experienced each time she stepped into the room. This was much smaller and cozier.

"I like it," she said, actually meaning the words. "It's small and comforting and homely."

"Homely?" Grace repeated in disbelief. "Why do I get the feeling you're growing attached to this place?"

Maybe she was. Who knew? She certainly liked the peace and quiet. She liked the homely feeling of the town. She liked that everyone knew everybody and the townspeople made one feel welcome and loved. She loved Mrs. Rose and her husband and their bickering episodes that always left her cheerful and laughing. She loved being a lifeguard even though she didn't know what the fuck she was doing half the time.

Most of all, she had come to love the man in the room opposite hers. His arrogant, egotistical ass did nothing to change that. She loved him with every bit of her, her soul, her body, her mind.

She prayed to God this doesn't blow up in her face because try as she might, she didn't see one instance in which things would turn out in her favor.