I ran into the bedroom and opened the closet. I started haphazardly taking clothes off the hangers and throwing them on the floor. In a small sports bag, I stuffed a few dresses.
My thinking wasn't clear, but I knew I had to leave that house.
I called a cab, threw the bag over my shoulder, and returned to the living room. On my way to the front door, I grabbed my purse from the portmanteau.
But just before I pushed the door handle, I stopped and turned around. I wiped my tears, put on the black sunglasses to cover my red eyes and smudged mascara, and headed into the sitting room.
The action continued there; only the poses had changed. Dominic was fucking Hayley, who had her back to him, her arm resting on the armchair while she fingered Caroline, who sat before her.
I opened the door wide. In an instant, the pleasure and moans of all three stopped. They turned and stared at me with horrified faces.
"Hello, baby. I hope you're having a good time with those two bitches." With incredible effort, I managed to keep my voice from shaking. "Because from here on out, you're stuck with them. You will never see me again."
"Sav!" Dominic shouted. "Savannah!"
I slammed the door and ran out of the house. I kept hearing my husband shouting, but I didn't stop. The taxi was already waiting for me out front, so I climbed into it without a second thought.
"Drive."
"Where to, Madam?"
"I don't know. To somewhere. Just drive," I muttered.
I didn't know where I was going. Usually, when something unpleasant happened, I looked to my husband for comfort. Now he was the one I wanted to run away from. And when he and I had quarrels, I shared my feelings with my best friends. But at that moment, I was cursing them.
In an instant, I had lost everyone most precious to me.
Perhaps I should have gone to my parents, but the moment I thought about it, I imagined my mother saying something like, "Find the fault in yourself, Savi. If Dom cheats on you, you are not good enough for him..." Other than that, Dominic would look for me at their house first, but I desperately wanted to be as far from him as possible.
I pulled out my phone and texted my mother: I need to be alone for a while. Don't worry about me. Please, don't look for me. I will be in touch with you shortly.
After sending the message, I turned off my phone and threw it out the car window.
The cab drove me aimlessly for some time, then the driver asked me, "Where would you like me to stop, Madam?"
I looked out the side window to get my bearings. But instead, my reflection in the glass looked back at me. To where?
"I don't know. Is there a... Is there a... bus station nearby?"
"The nearest one is about fifteen minutes away," the driver replied.
"Okay. Drive there."
On the way to the bus station, I opened my purse to check how much money I had. There was no more than $500 in there. I hadn't even thought about that when I left the house. Usually, that wouldn't be a problem—my credit cards were always with me. But using them now would make it easier for my location to be detected.
I paid the driver and headed to one of the counters at the bus station.
"Good evening. I want to buy a ticket."
The employee gave me a slightly strange look. Probably because I was wearing sunglasses at night. But I certainly looked worse without them.
"Where are you traveling to?"
"I... When is the next bus? No matter to where."
The lady looked at the computer. "The next bus is at 12:45 a.m. to—"
"Doesn't matter. I want one ticket."
I paid, and I was on the bus after about ten minutes. I put the sports bag over my legs, my purse over it, and leaned my head against the window.
I traveled for a long time. I had no idea exactly how long, maybe two or three hours. Or so? I didn't know where to. I didn't care.
It was stupid. Reckless. But I had to escape. Far away. As far as I could get from all those who had broken my heart. My life.
My tears didn't stop flowing. It hurt. It hurt so much.
"Last stop." I heard the driver's voice. I hadn't even noticed that I was the only passenger left on the bus.
I climbed down timidly and looked around. It was like I was at the end of the world. It was dark. Some streetlamps that had not yet wholly burned out flashed eerily.
My whole body trembled in horror. What had I done? Where had I gone?
Behind the bus stop, I noticed a small building with light coming from its windows. There was a sign above its door, but only one of the letters was still lit.
I got closer. Keith's Pub, I finally managed to decipher.
With a dose of insecurity, I went inside. There weren't many people. One man was standing at the bar. I passed one of the tables where two other men were sitting talking.
I put my bag on the ground, my purse still in my hands, and sat on one of the high chairs at the end of the bar.
"The kitchen is no longer open. We're closing in a bit, Miss," the bartender told me as soon as he saw me.
"Um. Okay. May I have something to drink?"
"Of course. What would you like?"
"I would like a Chateau Haut Brion Blanc Pessac."
The bartender looked at me as if I was speaking to him in another language.
"Wine. White," I added.
"Sorry, we don't have one."
Well, it was better that they didn't offer such wine. I didn't even think about how to pay for $1,000 worth of wine with my little more than $300.
"What do you offer?"
"Beer. Scotch. Gin. Vodka. Tequila."
I never drank any of those. "Water," I replied. "I'd like water, thank you."
The bartender handed me the bottle, and I paid for it. Right after that, he went into some room behind, carrying a tray of dirty glasses.
As I sipped thirstily, the man standing a few stools over at the bar approached me.
A feeling of anxiety came over me. I didn't turn to him, but with my peripheral vision, I could see his white hair and a long beard.
For a few seconds, I stood still, praying he would move. But instead, I felt his hand slide slowly up my thigh. "Good evening, kitty."
I timidly turned my head towards him. He was licking his vile lips with his tongue.
Trembling, I moved his hand. "Please, Sir, don't touch me."
However, he hugged me around the waist and came even closer to me. He ran his other hand over my cheek. I felt the rough skin of his fingers.
My whole body was shaking. Tears welled up in my eyes.
I tried to get up, but he grabbed my arm roughly. "Where are you going, kitten? We haven't had any fun yet."
"Please! Let me go!" I cried, trying to pull away from the man.
"She told you to leave her!" Another male voice came from behind me.
I turned my head towards him, scared but hopeful at the same time.
He was younger, with dark hair, dressed in jeans and a black leather jacket. His gaze appeared menacing.
"I saw her first." The older man continued to pull me.
The dark-haired reached between us, and before I knew what was happening, he swung and punched the older one in the face. "Get in your truck and get out of town!"
"Okay, okay." The white-haired man stepped back. He threw some money on the bar and left.
Fear still controlled my body and made it tremble.
I grabbed my bag and my purse and rushed to the exit the moment the leaving truck was heard.
Total darkness outside again. Alone again.
"Hey!" The dark-haired man caught up to me.
I turned to him but began to take steps back.
"Don't be afraid." He held his hands up. "I won't hurt you."
"I... Thanks for helping me," I whispered, almost inaudibly.
"Are you okay?" he asked me.
Was I okay? A few hours ago, I had been okay. When I was still happily married, Savannah Lewis. When my driver took me to expensive restaurants, where I used to drink $1000-$2000 worth of wine. I was fine then. But at that moment? In the middle of the night. Without even knowing where I was. No money. No phone. All alone. Was I okay?
The man moved closer to me after I didn't answer and asked again, "Do you need anything?"
"I..." I turned my head towards the bus stop. "Do you know if any bus is coming soon?"
He chuckled slightly. "Don't expect a bus before morning."
Morning? What was I going to do until then?
I sat down on the bench a few steps away, propped my elbows on my legs, and placed my palms over my face.
"Hey." The man stood in front of me. "Do you have a place to stay until morning?"
I looked up at him without answering. I would probably spend the night on that bench, praying that someone wouldn't attack, rape, or kill me.
"Do you want to come with me?"
"Where?" I asked quietly.
"My place. You can get some sleep, and I'll take you to the bus stop in the morning."
"Look. I appreciate your help, but I don't think it's a good idea to spend the night at a stranger's house."
I rubbed my hands over my bare shoulders and trembled again.
"Do you have any other choice? Because as far as I can see, your other option is to stay here alone and freeze to death. Our town is quiet and peaceful, but many truck drivers stop here. Most are great people, but as you saw, some are not the kindest."
Shivers ran through my whole body again as I recalled the white-haired man. My eyes desperately wandered in the frightening environment around me.
"Okay, I'll come." I stood up and took a deep breath. "Promise me you're not some crazy serial killer!"
The man laughed. "Do I look like a serial killer?"
"I don't know what serial killers look like. But they'd hardly carry plates to recognize them."
"By that logic, you might as well be one."
"I'm not!"
"Okay. I'm not, either. What's your name?"
"Savi. Um, Savannah."
"Nice to meet you, Savi. I'm Jayden." The man took off his jacket and draped it over my shoulders. He remained in a white t-shirt, which, I couldn't help but notice, did nothing but outline the muscles on his body.
"Come on." Jayden nodded and started back in the direction of the pub.
I followed him. We stopped in front of a motorbike. Jayden took my bag from my hand, strapped it to the back of the bike, and sat down.
I stood beside him, not moving.
A motorbike? I couldn't get on that thing.
"Come on, Savannah. Get on."
"I... How?"
Jayden climbed off and looked me up and down. "Don't panic," he said, grabbing the hem of my dress and tugging it up my thighs until my underwear was almost exposed.
"Hey! What are you doing?" I shouted, pushing him away.
Jayden chuckled again. "I told you not to panic. How else were you going to get a leg over the bike?" He smiled and took my hand. "Step on here with one foot and put the other over the other side."
We both got on the bike.
"Hold on tight."
I wrapped my arms around his waist.
Jayden started the engine. The mighty roar echoed in the darkness, and we sped off.
I instinctively gripped him extremely tightly, fearing that I would fall.
The wind ruffled my hair, and my heart pounded so hard I almost feared it would burst out of my chest.
❤️ A/N ❤️
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