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He thinks he can tell me leaving isn’t an option.
Asshole.
He doesn’t fucking own me.
Adrenaline pumps through my body, giving me the strength I need to make my next move. Looking up at the windows above, I’m surprised to see no one is watching. I sneak down the side of the backyard until I’m safely out of sight and then I take off running toward the trails that lead out beyond the lake. I just pray if I run far enough, I’ll eventually run into a road or highway.
I continue to follow the trail until it starts to fade away. Taking a turn somewhere along the path, my plan of being able to find the main road isn’t looking so promising right now. Everything is unfamiliar. I turn in circles, and at this point, I’m not even sure which direction I came from. Walking further, I hope to see a way out of the woods, but that never happens. I am totally and completely lost.
There is nothing but trees and quiet all around me. Reaching for my phone, I find nothing but empty pockets. Damn it. It’s at Ethan’s house. I’m screwed.
Ethan
The tension in my chest grows tighter the longer I pace the room. “Jesus, Chloe, come on. It’s been too long. She shouldn’t even be out there alone.”
“She needs time to come to terms with everything she’s heard,” Chloe says.
“She’s going to reject me. I can just fucking feel it.” I continue pacing with my hands behind my head. My chest is already feeling tight at the thought of her leaving me.
“Ethan, you have to stop. She’s pissed off right now, but I’ve seen how she is around you. There are feelings there. She never looked at Colin the way she looks at you.”
“I hope it’ll be enough for her to want to stay,” I say with a sigh. “Being without her isn’t an option for me, Chloe.”
“I don’t think you’ll have to worry about that. It may take some time, but she’ll come around.”
I pace the room while Chloe texts Nick to let him know how things are going. About fifteen minutes have passed and concern is building in my gut.
“I can’t take it anymore. It’s been too fucking long.”
“Agreed,” Chloe says. “Let’s go check on her.”
Chloe and I walk out onto the deck and down the stairs to the patio below, where I expect to find her. She’s not here. I look out into the yard and see nothing but grass and trees.
“Maybe she’s around the side of the house,” Chloe says. “I’ll go look.”
I point in the direction I want her to go. “You take that side, and I’ll look on the other side.” Chloe nods, and walks away.
“Olivia? Where are you? Olivia?” I yell out while Chloe calls her name as well. A storm of anger and anxiety are building in my chest. “Olivia? Where the hell are you? We need to talk. Olivia?” I walk around to the front of the house, where Chloe and I meet in the driveway. Nothing. She’s gone. “No sign of her?”
Chloe shakes her head with worry in her eyes. “Nothing.”
“Fuck!”
“Try calling her.”
I take my phone out of my pocket, finding her contact information. Chloe’s face drops when the call connects, and we hear Olivia’s phone ringing inside my house through an open window. My heart sinks. She left me. The realization immediately sends a sharp pain to my chest and I groan out, falling to one knee.
“Ethan, don’t let it take over! You have to focus so we can find her!”
“I know.” I pull myself back to my feet, and take a few deep breaths. “She’s in danger out there alone. I’m not losing her.” I have to pull myself together to push through the physical pain of her rejection. “Call Nick, tell him what happened, and have him meet us to search the woods. We have to find her. I’m heading out. I’ll see you both out there.”
“No need.” I turn to see Nick standing in the driveway. “I got worried when Chloe said she went outside, so I came over as quickly as I could. Let’s go find your girl.”
“Thanks, Nick. Let’s go,” I say as we head out into the woods.
Olivia
I let out a deep sigh as I walk in circles, trying to think of asolution. Ethan must be going out of his mind with worry right now. That’s when it hits me. I double over with an excruciating pain like nothing I’ve ever experienced in my life. The pain is crippling, starting low in my stomach and traveling through my chest. I straighten to lean on a tree, and do my best to breathe through the pain, lessening it only slightly.
