Chapter One
Flipping the game
“No.”
My answer echoes around the hallway, resounding off of the walls, and I watch as the colour drains from Cal’s face.
“What?” Cal whispers, his voice low and disbelieving. My eyes may be fixed on Cal’s, but I know that Michael has a smirk plastered on his face. I daren’t look at him directly for fear that I will change my mind and opt for the escape route that Cal has given me.
“I said no,” I reiterate, somehow keeping my voice firm.
“What are you doing, Lucy?” Cal asks me, his eyes wide with shock.
“I’m doing what I should have done all along,” I reply, fighting every urge I have to go to him.
Cal’s strength falters and Michael pushes him off. I look between the two of them, and the difference between them strikes me.
Cal, with his strong jawline that is clenched, his chiseled features, full lips that are pulled into a straight line, his brown hair a little messy and his royal-blue eyes fixated on mine.
Michael, with his light brown hair neat and tidy, his lips pulling into a sly smirk, and his chocolate-brown eyes showing the darkness that lurks beneath.
Two men.
Both worlds apart in looks and in every other way imaginable.
Michael doesn’t have a caring bone in his body, or if he does then it’s a severely fucked-up way of caring.
Cal gives so much of himself to those that he loves and calls his family, and I know he wants to rescue me from all of this, but that isn’t the answer. The police won’t do anything without enough evidence. And I have to make sure that Michael will never be able to come after me again.
“It’s time for you to leave,” Michael says, his hands balled into fists at his sides.
“I’m not leaving without Lucy,” Cal responds, his gaze burning into me as he speaks.
“She’s staying here with me.” I refrain from cringing at Michael’s possessive words.
“No way,” Cal retaliates, and I intervene before this ends up getting more heated.
“Cal, please don’t do this. I’m staying here with Michael as it’s the right thing to do. Please understand––”
“Understand?” Cal bellows, cutting me off. “Understand what, exactly? That you are actually choosing to stay with this asshole?” he says as he points at Michael. “That you are giving up the chance to leave with me, so that you can stay here and endure more beatings?”
“Cal, please––”
“I’m not finished!” he shouts, causing me to jump back with fright. Cal doesn’t shout at me, ever, and I know that it is just because of his fear over what I am doing.
Cal’s shoulders are heaving, each breath deep and heavy. My heart breaks as I watch him fighting for me.
“Kim and I have been worried sick about you. Kim wanted to phone the police, but I stopped her, I told her that I would bring you back to us. Don’t make me go back to her without you,” he pleads, and the silence stretches between us. I desperately want to reach out to him, go with him, run away from here, but it’s not the answer.
It will never stop if I run.
“He will end up killing you, Lucy. Is that what you want?” Cal asks, his jaw clenched.
The question hangs in the air between us, waiting to be answered, but I can’t give him the answer that I want to. I can’t tell him that I need to break free from Michael on my own. I can’t tell him that this is part of some plan to take Michael down and avoid having to run from him for the rest of my life.
“Michael loves me.” It’s the only feeble excuse that I can give.
“He loves you? Really? Is that why he hurts you?” Cal retaliates.
I can feel Michael watching me and I know that he is looking for any signs that I may not be firmly on his side, but I’m not going to give him any reason to doubt me. I’m going to act out the role of my fucking life to make sure that he can’t come after me in the future.
“Cal, Michael and I have a lot of stuff to work through, but I’m prepared to fight. Believe me when I say that I will be okay, and that you need to trust me. Michael loves me,” I repeat, reiterating this to show Michael that I know that he loves me. Let Michael think that I am naïve and completely at his mercy.
“I fucking love you, Lucy,” Cal says, shocking the hell out of me. “Doesn’t that count for anything?”
Yes, I want to scream. Of course it counts, but I can’t drag you into this any further.
I want to tell him this so badly, but I don’t.
Instead, I shrug my shoulders and feel pain sear through my heart like never before.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper, blinking back the tears that threaten to fall. The crestfallen look on Cal’s face nearly breaks me.
I know that he will think I’ve lost my damn mind, and so will Kim, but I’ll be damned if I am going to let Michael do this to another woman.
“Goodbye, Cal,” I say before I turn and walk back to the bedroom, ignoring Cal’s shouts as I close the bedroom door and let the tears fall.
Chapter Two
Two weeks
Two weeks have passed since I shattered my bond with Cal.
Two weeks and I can still picture his devastated face as I walked away from him.
Two weeks since I chose to stay with a man who has abused me from the moment that I let him into my life, even if I didn’t see what he was doing straight away.
In the last two weeks I haven’t left this apartment, or prison as I view it. I haven’t been to work or to the shops, and I haven’t spoken to anyone other than Michael. I thought that the best thing to do was to have some time by myself, in which to plan how I am going to get Michael out of my life for good. But no. Michael has had two weeks of compassionate leave due to my ‘illness.’ I dread to think what illness he has concocted to tell our boss, but it must have been bad enough for him to have been granted two weeks off, with full pay.
So, instead of planning my escape, I have played the part of the doting girlfriend. Michael hasn’t shouted at me, hit me or belittled me. In fact, he has reverted to the man that I first fell in love with, except this time I haven’t fallen.
I could never love him again, not in this lifetime or the next, but if he thinks that I can then I’m winning.
“Lucy, we need to talk,” Michael says as he sits next to me on the sofa, interrupting the film that I was watching.
These words used to fill me with dread, but now I sit here calmly, knowing that he doesn’t have a hold over me like he used to, even if he doesn’t realise it.
“What’s up?” I ask, plastering a fake-ass smile on my face. A distinct turnaround to the cowering that I used to do.
“I’ve had Mr Collinson on the phone, and he wants me to return to work on Monday. Apparently, I can’t have any more time off.” Michael looks miserable as he informs me of this, clearly expecting me to be as gutted as he is.
“Oh, that’s a shame,” I reply, giving him a sympathetic smile to make it seem like I give a damn. “Still, it will be nice to get back to normal, won’t it?”