He Begged Me To Stay After I Had Already Left Chapter 04

He Begged Me To Stay After I Had Already Left Chapter 04

[3 hours remaining.]

I went back to that cheap budget motel.

There really wasn’t much to pack. All I had was one small cardboard box.

Inside were the journals I’d kept over the past three years, along with a letter I had written to Chase.

I sealed the box, wrote down the address of the school storage room, and called for a same-day courier.

After that, I sat on the edge of the bed and quietly waited for time to pass.

My body felt as light as a feather now, and even breathing had become faint.

Then, all at once, the door was kicked open with a violent bang.

Chase stood in the doorway, breathing hard, his eyes bloodshot.

I was a little surprised.

“How did you find me?”

He stormed in, grabbed me by the collar, and hauled me off the ground.

“Nina, what the hell are you trying to pull?”

“Sophie said she saw you at the hospital. What the hell is wrong with you?”

His tone was vicious, but there was a trace of panic in his eyes that even he didn’t seem to notice.

His grip on my collar was so tight I could barely breathe, and I could only force the words out in broken gasps.

“Let go…”

Chase released me so suddenly that I dropped to the floor like a rag doll.

He looked down at me from above.

“Talk. Are you trying to play the victim again so you can fool me?”

I tipped my head back and looked at him.

“Chase, do you really care what I’m sick with?”

“Weren’t you hoping I’d die sooner?”

His pupils contracted sharply.

“Cut the crap. I just don’t want you dying out there and disgracing both our families.”

I laughed.

“Don’t worry. I’m not going to die here.”

Bracing myself against the bed, I pushed myself to my feet and dusted myself off.

“I’m leaving.”

Chase frowned.

“Leaving? To where? Are you trying to run again?”

“I’m not running. I’m going home,” I said calmly.

“What home? They threw you out.”

“My real home.”

I picked up the driver’s license from the table and walked past him toward the door.

He grabbed my arm.

“I’m not letting you go. Until I find out what’s really going on, you’re not going anywhere.”

I turned and looked at him.

“Chase, do you know what I loved most about you growing up?”

He froze, and his grip loosened.

“When we were kids, you protected me. You never let anyone bully me.”

“You used to say Nina was yours, and anyone who laid a hand on me would answer to you.”

His gaze flickered, like he had just remembered a scene from a lifetime ago.

“But later, the person who hurt me the most became you.”

I gently pulled free of his hand.

“Chase, we’re even now.”

I walked out of the motel, flagged down a cab, and headed straight for the airport.

He didn’t follow.

The terminal was crowded, and flight announcements echoed through the air

140 minutes remaining 1

Estood outside the security checkpoint, watching planes rise and descend beyond the glass wall

It was finally about to end.

Then I heard hurried footsteps racing up behind me.

“Nina!”

I turned around and saw Chase barreling toward me like a madman

He was drenched in sweat, and his face was frighteningly pale

A phone was clenched tightly in his hand, still on a live call

“You can’t go Stop right there!”

As he ran, he shouted into the phone

“What did you say? Say it again. That report was take?”

On the other end, the orderly’s voice shook with fear.

“y-yes… Miss Sutton paid me to forge it.

Chase stopped dead in his tracks and stared at me in disbelief.

There were only ten steps between us.

His lips parted, like he wanted to say something.

“Nina, you…”

I looked at him, a relieved smile tugging at the corner of my mouth.

At that exact moment, my fingertips began to dissolve into golden points of light.