London

Joseph picked me up at the hospital. There was a silent declaration of a truce between Crewe’s men and him since he was only removing me from the situation with no intention of causing any further damage.

I wouldn’t have called him—but I had no one else.

He drove me to a hotel near the airport so I could get some sleep. I hadn’t closed my eyes in forty-eight hours, and now that I knew Crewe was okay, I could finally rest my head against a pillow.

Joseph left because he had to take care of my paperwork to make sure I could catch a flight when I woke up. So far, we had said very little to each other. He was pissed at me, and I was just as pissed at him.

But we were still family.

When I woke up the next day, Joseph gave me all my paperwork, along with something else. “I’ve set up an account in your name in the US. It has more than enough to cover any expenses that you have.” He handed me the card as well as the account information.

“Joseph, you don’t need to give me any money.”

“It’s gonna take you some time to put your life back together. Trust me, you’ll need it.”

Knowing Joseph, it was probably a fortune. “I’ll pay you back.”

“You don’t need to pay me back,” he said quickly. “Do you want me to fly out with you? I can help you get settled back in New York.”

There was nothing I wanted more. I would love to have him for support as I moved back home and put my life back together. But I knew he had more important things to do here. “I’ll be fine.”

“You’re sure?” he pressed.

“Yeah.”

“What are you going to do?”

I hadn’t thought about how I was going to spend my freedom. All I’d been thinking about was Crewe’s well-being. “I don’t know…probably go back to school. If I have to wait until next year, I’ll probably take the physician assistant test and get my license.”

He nodded like he understood, even if he didn’t. “Not a bad idea.”

“No.”

He slid his hands into his pockets as he stared at me. “Well, I got you a flight that leaves in a few hours. I should probably drop you off.”

“Yeah…it might take me a while to get through customs.” I was eager to get to New York, but I was scared to leave this place. I was scared to leave Crewe behind for good. Now that I was truly free, he was all I could think about. I wondered if he’d woken up yet. I wondered if he was thinking about me. I wondered if he would ever forgive me for what I did to him.

Joseph continued to watch me. “You know…you can always talk to me. I know things got out of hand the other night, but I was just angry. I was angry for what he did to you. But I can be calm now that I know you’re okay.”

I knew Joseph didn’t want to listen to me talk about Crewe. He would always hate that man for what he put me through. The fact that he offered was sweet. It sounded exactly like something my brother would do. “I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Okay. Are you ready to go, then?”

I held my ticket in my hand, feeling my pulse quicken. “Yeah…I think so.”

Fall had hit New York, and the leaves were changing from vibrant green to red and gold. The air turned crisp and cold, and the tourists left the great city to return to their lives all over the world. I’d been gone for so long that I thought I wouldn’t remember where everything was, but it felt like home the second I was back.

Joseph put an incredible sum into my bank account, so I was able to get a nice apartment right off the bat. I furnished it without breaking the bank and having to stress about putting food on the table.

I checked in with my university, and they said I had to wait until the following fall to resume my coursework. So I was losing an entire year of my education even though I’d never wanted to leave my education in the first place.

I knew I should work on getting a job, but I didn’t have the motivation for it at the moment.

I kept thinking about him.

Crewe.

I reconnected with my friends, and everyone was relieved to have me back at home. No one asked too many prying questions about what I went through, knowing it was something no one would be able to talk about without choking up.

But I didn’t feel like I went through the trauma they assumed I did.

Yes, I’d been captured.

Kept as a prisoner against my will.

But when I thought of Crewe, I didn’t think of a monster.

I thought of a friend.

A confidant.

A lover.

A lover whom I missed.

I knew those misplaced feelings would go away in time. Once I was acclimated to New York again, those old feelings would disappear altogether. I wouldn’t think about those kisses, the two instances he told me he loved me, and the stone halls I would never pass through again.

I would forget about him eventually.

At least, I hoped I would.