Page 31 of Say You'll Stay

But I’m already shaking my head, backing away from this farce, this gilded cage masquerading as my destiny. “I’m sorry, Amethyst. But I can’t live a lie. Not anymore.”

I turn to leave, but my mother’s voice cracks like a whip, freezing me in place. “If you walk out that door, Juniper, don’t bother coming back. You’ll be dead to this family, do you hear me? Dead.”

For a moment, I waver, the weight of her words settling like lead in my chest. To be cast out, cut off from the only life I’ve ever known… it’s a terrifying prospect.

But then I think of Cara, of her smile, her laugh, the way she makes me feel like I can breathe for the first time in my life. And I know, with a bone-deep certainty, that she’s worth any price, any sacrifice.

“Then I guess this is goodbye, Mother.” My voice is steady, resolved. “I choose Cara. I choose love. And if that makes me dead to you, then so be it.”

I walk out, my head held high, leaving behind the shattered remains of my old life. But as I step outside, the heavens open up, a torrential downpour engulfing the world around me.

The rain lashes against my skin, cold and unforgiving, as if the very sky is weeping for the choices I’ve made, the pain I’ve caused. I race to my car, my fingers slipping on the wet handle as I wrench the door open. The engine roars to life, and I peel out onto the street, the tires hydroplaning on the slick asphalt.

Fat raindrops floods my vision, a relentless assault that mirrors the tempest raging in my heart. I can barely see the road ahead, but I don’t slow down.

I can’t. Nothing will stop me from getting to my Cara Mia.

Every second I waste is another second Cara is without my love…my undying devotion.

I grip the steering wheel until my knuckles turn white, my jaw clenched so tight it aches. Prayers and curses spill from my lips in equal measure, desperate pleas to a god I’m not sure I believe in anymore.

I pull out my phone with trembling fingers, my heart in my throat as I dial Cara’s number. It rings once, twice, three times… and then goes to voicemail.

“Cara, it’s me.” My voice is raw, barely recognizable over the roar of the rain. “I’m coming to you. I’m choosing you, do you hear me? I love you, and I’m going to fight for us. For our future. Just… just wait for me, okay? I’ll be there soon.”

Please, God, let her be at home.

The prayer echoes in my mind, a desperate mantra that drowns out all other thoughts. I can’t bear the thought of Cara in another man’s arms…of him tainting her with his vile touch. My heart is a jackhammer in my chest, each beat a frantic chant of her name.

Cara. Cara. Cara.

I have to get to her. I have to. Losing her is not an option, not when I’m finally ready to fight for what’s ours. For the love we’ve both been too stubborn, too afraid, to fully embrace.

The car careens around a corner, tires squealing, and I curse under my breath. I’m so close, I can feel it. But what if I’m too late? What if I’ve already lost her?

The very thought steals the breath from my lungs, leaving me gasping. No, I can’t think like that. I won’t.

All that matters is Cara. My Cara Mia. And I’ll be damned if I let anyone, anything, stand in my way.

But as I round the corner to her street, I skid to a halt, my blood turning to ice in my veins. There, parked outside her building, is a familiar sleek black car, my father’s car.

And leaning against it, a smirk twisting his lips, is a face I hoped never to see again.

Ray.

Cara’s ex.

The man who nearly destroyed her.

Chapter thirteen

The city’s pulse thrums through my veins as I navigate the neon-drenched streets, the day’s trials clinging to me like a second skin. As I round the corner, my sanctuary in sight, I freeze, my blood turning to ice.

There, on my doorstep, a tableau ripped from my darkest nightmares - and the two men who broke my heart.

Ray, at the mercy of June’s unleashed fury. Shock, fear, and a twisted sense of righteous vindication wage war within me as I watch June exact his brutal vengeance.

“This is for Cara, you fucking bastard!” June’s voice is a guttural roar, each word punctuated by a sickening crack of flesh on flesh. “For every goddamn piece of her you left shattered in my hands!”