Chapter 3

The Ashworth lawyers were efficient.

Plane tickets.

University admission papers, fast-tracked.

A bank account opened in London.

The day I was to leave, Mike stopped by.

Mike, from down the street.

He'd always been kind, a gentle soul who worked at the local hardware store.

He'd sometimes bring over vegetables from his garden before Julian.

Before my world narrowed to just Julian and then, briefly, Julian and Ethan.

He stood on my porch, holding a small, clumsily wrapped box.

"Heard you were leaving, Elara," he said, his voice soft, a little sad.

"Just wanted to say goodbye."

"And, well, if you ever need anything..."

He looked genuinely worried.

A stark contrast to the cold, transactional interactions with the Ashworths.

Just then, Julian's rented car pulled up.

He wasn't supposed to be there.

The agreement was no contact.

He got out, his face a mask of irritation.

He saw Mike.

"What's this?" Julian sneered, looking Mike up and down with open contempt.

"Saying goodbye to the local help, Elara?"

"How touching."

Mike flushed.

"I'm her friend, Mr. Ashworth."

"Friend?" Julian laughed, a harsh, ugly sound.

"She doesn't need friends like you anymore."

"She's moving on to bigger things."

"Or at least, away from this dump."

He grabbed the small box from Mike's hand and tossed it onto the porch carelessly.

It landed with a thud.

"Don't bother her with your small-town sentiments," Julian said to Mike, his voice laced with venom.

"She has a plane to catch."

"A new life paid for by people who actually matter."

He then turned to me.

"Get your things."

"The taxi to the airport is waiting."

I looked at Mike.

His face was a mixture of hurt and anger.

"Thank you, Mike," I said, my voice clear and calm.

I picked up the box.

"I appreciate it."

I met Julian's gaze.

"You're violating the agreement."

"I just wanted to make sure you were actually leaving," he said, a possessive glint in his eyes.

"And to remind you who you owe."

I didn't owe him anything.

Not anymore.

This encounter, his casual cruelty to Mike, only solidified my resolve.

The Ashworths, Julian, they lived in a world of power and disdain.

Mike represented a simple kindness I was leaving behind, but also a reminder of the decency Julian never possessed.

My path was forward, away from all of them.