Prologue
Finley
The pounding of my heart and the blood coursing through my veins make it difficult to think. I need to run, but there’s nowhere to go. I’m trapped. I look around my bedroom for anything I can use to defend myself from the monsters on the other side of my door, but there’s nothing here that will even make them flinch. Something crashes to the floor, and I know they will get to me soon.
Why didn’t I leave sooner like I promised I would?
I look around for my phone to call for help but come up short. It’s in the living room, being destroyed with the rest of my belongings. Tears prick my eyes, and I wipe them as fast as they're falling. It’s only a matter of time before one of the men breaks down my door, and the only thing I can do now is prepare to fight. I’ll kick, bite, and scratch until I can’t anymore.
The wood splinters as one of them kicks the door in, and it slams against the wall as he fills the frame with his massive size. I see the sadistic glint in the man’s green eyes, and I know this is it.
I’m so sorry, Grayson.
Chapter One
One week prior
Finley
Sometimes, memories are the worst form of torture. We cringe at our past mistakes in the middle of the day and lie awake at night with them on repeat like a terrible movie. Other times, our memories can make us feel better, reliving fun times with friends and family or the crazy shenanigans we would get into in our youth.
Tonight, my memories are the former. That’s what I’m doing right now. Lying awake, tossing and turning, replaying Grayson’s proposal to the prom. Every time I try to think of something else, something happier, this dreaded memory creeps back in, and I wince once again.
Grayson Bowers, star quarterback of the football team and captain of the baseball team, asked me, dorky Finley Grier, to prom. I had to pinch myself to make sure it was real. He was a god amongst our high school, with his light brown hair and deep, expressive blue eyes. When he smiled, his eyes would crinkle in the corners, and his lips would produce the most kissable dimple on his left cheek. Girls swooned over that smile. Me included.
I, on the other hand, was just a girl with my nose always stuck in a book. Getting good grades was like a high. Every time I got another A on a paper or killed it on a test, my pride would grow a little more. I preferred spending my time at the library rather than at any of the school events.
He found me sitting in the library, face buried in the book, as per usual, and sat in the chair opposite of me. He cleared his throat, and I looked up, pushing my glasses up my nose as I did so. I had no idea he knew I existed until he spoke my name.
“Hey, Finley, wondering if you could help me out with something?”
I placed my book down, the pages splayed open on the table, and glanced up at him through my lashes. “S-sure, Grayson. Anything.” My voice was breathy and my pulse racing.Grayson Bowers is actually talking to me! Someone pinch me. I must be dreaming.
“Would you go to prom with me?”
My face fell. “That’s a mean joke, Grayson.” A lump the size of a baseball formed in my throat as I tossed my belongings in my backpack as fast as I could. I didn’t want to be around him when the tears started to fall. He didn’t deserve my tears.
He reached his hand across the table, his fingers brushing the light hairs on my forearm, effectively stopping me. “It’s not a joke. Will you go to prom with me, Finley?”
I took a breath to stop the waver in my voice. “Why? You only know me because we were partners in chem class.”
“You’re one of the brightest girls in our school,” he paused to give me that megawatt smile of his, giving me a peek of that damn dimple, “and I think you’re cute.” I couldn’t help but swoon. Color rose to my cheeks, and I looked to the ground, unable to take his eyes on me anymore. The butterflies erupted in my stomach. My smile spread from ear to ear as I nodded.
“Great. Pick you up at your place at seven.”
I rushed home that day, told my mom, and we went out looking for the perfect dress. I wanted to look like a princess—after all, Prince Charming had just asked me to the most magical of nights.Prom.
I found a light pink dress with a floral design on it, and the bottom was the perfect ball gown. I scheduled a hair, makeup, and nail appointment. I even decided to put in my contacts for the night. I wanted to look every bit the girl he deserved to have on his arm. No more dorky Finley with her messy ponytail and oversized glasses.
I couldn’t stop smiling. It was like a dream come true. I even kept a countdown and crossed off the days in my calendar.
It’s unfortunate that some dreams don’t last. He picked me up in a limo that night, my parents took pictures of us, and he even bought me a corsage. It was shaping up to be perfect. I remember thinking that, maybe, if I was lucky, we would kiss. The thought made me nervous, but he was a true gentleman and I couldn’t stop smiling.
We walked through the doors of the hotel ballroom, and Katie Sinclair, head cheerleader, pulled him away. He didn’t even glance back at me as she dragged him toward the dance floor. I spent the rest of the evening utterly alone in a corner—none of my friends had dates or wanted to go. A few of Katie’s friends snickered and tossed nasty comments my way, reminding me that I wasn’t good enough for him. I eventually had to call my mom to come get me, and I spent the rest of the evening crying over that boy. I know it’s not the most terrible thing to happen to a high school girl, but it stuck with me.
It’s been fifteen years since I’ve seen that man, and yet the memories of him still bring back the insecure loser girl from high school, instead of the successful psychologist in Chicago I am today.
I glance at the clock; it’s five forty-five—time to get up and push thoughts of Grayson aside. I have some paperwork I need to follow-up on anyway. I unlock my phone and squint as the bright light blinds me and open the calendar on my phone to see what my day looks like. I turn down the screen brightness and sigh as my eyes adjust.
