If only he had been around when I left Tom.
If only I had told him how I felt all those years ago. It could have been so different.
Cal and I have always had a solid connection, but it never seemed like the right time to act upon it.
I feel like the right time will never come.
If only, what if, if I had just… I could play those questions on a loop in my head forever.
I shouldn’t be thinking about Cal in this way, not after all of the damage that has been done.
No one wants a damaged woman.
Michael wins.
I lose.
No one will want me because I will never be the woman that I once was.
Chapter Twenty-Four
Time’s up
I can’t breathe.
My throat is closing in, getting tighter and tighter.
I try to call out, but the crushing force won’t let me.
I try to suck in some air, but my windpipe feels like it is collapsing, stopping me from taking my next breath.
I force my eyes open, the air stinging them.
I try to focus, blinking rapidly, but I wish that I hadn’t bothered. The image staring back at me is the one that fills me with fear.
Michael.
His face inches from mine.
A sickening smile on his face.
An evil glint in his eyes.
My arms reach up and I hit him as hard as I can. My hands balled into fists connect with his cheeks.
He doesn’t even waver.
I feel time slipping by. Valuable seconds of my life ebbing away.
I can see black dots.
My panic ratchets up several notches. I’m supposed to be safe here, in hospital. He’s not meant to be here.
“If I can’t have you, no one will,” he whispers as he leans closer to my face.
My hands go to his at my throat, and I desperately try to wrench his fingers off of me.
Tears well up in my eyes.
