Out of the Shadows ✔️ [Completed] [Book One]

Chapter 60

I stand frozen on the pavement and watch as Lawrence's car indicates and then turns the corner. He's gone.

I don't move, I just stare straight ahead. Like somehow he is going to magically reappear if I stand here long enough. Suddenly, the December wind is so bitter it feels like it is seeping into my bones. I'm sure it wasn't this cold a minute ago. I wrap my arms around myself and pray that I can hold it together.

The sound of footsteps behind me causes me to turn sharply. Caroline's sympathetic eyes meet mine as she pulls me to her.

"Oh, Lizzie." She whispers. "I'm so sorry."

"I can't take anymore." I sob. "I'm not strong enough for this."

"You are." Caroline says leaning back and holding me at arms length. "You have to be. Now, come on in and I'll put the kettle on."

I let her lead me up the front steps and into her flat. I can hear the kettle already boiling and the sound of mugs being grabbed from the cupboards.

Charlie steps into the living room and places a cup of tea in front of both me and Caroline.

"Thanks Charlie." Caroline says sitting down next to me.

"Thanks." I say, but avoid meeting his gaze. I can't even look at him at the moment.

Charlie sits down on the opposite sofa, but wisely chooses not to say a word. Instead, he sips at his tea and looks at the floor.

"What the hell happened Lizzie. One minute we're chatting, the next the line is dead. I tried calling you back but you were engaged. Then when I finally get through you tell me some cryptic shit and you turn up here with Daniel." She sounds exasperated, but also I can sense that she is desperate to hear about what happened.

I explain the events of the most surreal hour of my life. I leave nothing out. I actually find it therapeutic not to hide my true feelings for once since he finished our relationship.

Once I've finished my story, I'm even more confused. "I need something stronger than tea." I comment more to myself than to Caroline or Charlie.

Caroline walks into the kitchen and quickly returns with a bottle of wine and three glasses. She fills up the three glasses and passes one to me. I literally down the glass and immediately refill it.

I witness Caroline give Charlie a concerned look as I down the second glass. "Don't judge me. You don't understand."

"I'm trying-" Caroline tries to sound sympathetic, but I cut her off. She can't possibly understand, Jeremy adores her and has done for years. Even though he works away a lot, he is always there for her.

"You can't, you just can't. You know what fucking pisses me off the most?" I don't wait for a response, but take a long drink from my third glass of wine. "The fact that he was so fucking desperate to talk to me that he followed me to a nightclub. Telling me he still fucking loved me. Helen said he was calling work too. I even thought I saw him last night in the rain outside the restaurant." I know I'm ranting, but I don't care.

I finish the glass and fill it up again. The bottle is empty. Charlie gets up to fetch another bottle. I try to gather my thoughts, but I just need to vent.

"Then he turns up like my own personal fucking knight in shining armour. A real hero. He said... he said... I was the love of his life." I let out a sob, but compose myself by drinking more wine. "He beat the shit out of Ed." I have to admit that I smile at the memory. "Then, nothing. Absolutely nothing."

"It wasn't the right time Hun. He couldn't talk to you after all that shit. He was under pressure to be somewhere. You were both emotional. I think he did the right thing."