They Played a Game to Make Me Beg, I Played a Game to Make Me Gone Chapter 08

They Played a Game to Make Me Beg, I Played a Game to Make Me Gone Chapter 08

Three months into my life in Milan, and I was finally getting used to it. After that last threat, my parents never dared to reach out again. The entire disaster of that so-called family was cut away from me.

Except for Derek.

He never stopped messaging me after the engagement party. At first, he was harsh and cold. [How long are you planning to hide out in Milan? Your parents’ mess has nothing to do with us. Don’t you think you owe me an explanation?]

When I kept ignoring him, the panic started to set in. [Natalie, your company said you took a ten-year contract and you’re planning to settle in Milan. Are you seriously not coming back? You’ve ghosted me for this long. Are you really cutting me off for good?]

[Natalie, I know I screwed up, okay? I was wrong. I shouldn’t have called you a sore loser. I

should’ve said something instead of just standing there.]

[I thought it was just harmless fun. I’m sorry. I’m apologizing for all of it. Can you just say something, please?]

I didn’t reply. I blocked his number.

Derek would probably never understand. In my mind, the ending had already been written.

It wasn’t the day I played that recording at the party. It wasn’t the day I flew out of the country. It was that Thanksgiving night. The first time he hung up on me. The first time he joined them, pranking me, hurting me, treating my safety like it meant nothing.

The second he chose Savannah’s side, it was over between us forever. So every apology, every regret he was drowning in now, meant absolutely nothing to me.

Life in Milan was good. No family that used me for their twisted entertainment. No boyfriend who couldn’t tell right from wrong. I didn’t have to jump at shadows anymore, wondering when I’d be the target again.

I thought the distance and the time difference would keep Derek from going any further. But then, one evening, I walked out of my office building. He was standing right there.