Upon bringing me home, I receive strict instructions to come down to the police station as soon as I can to give my official statement. As soon as the door closes behind them, Easton sits beside me on the sofa as my mum busies herself in the kitchen with making me a cup of tea. She’s been very quiet. In fact, we all have. I think we can all sense the impending storm which is destined to destroy everything in its path. The phone calls have already started, and each call is the same. Reporters all want to get my “juicy” story firsthand. On the third call, my mum simply pulls the wire out of the phone socket. While that has silenced the ringing, it hasn’t stopped the knocks on the door or the especially intrusive journalists who are constantly trying to manoeuvre themselves at different angles, hoping to catch a glimpse of us all together. In the end, my mum’s had to shut the curtains and lock all of the windows and doors. We’re officially trapped in our own home. Again, Liam has won. But then, he always does when it comes to me.

“This is probably a very stupid question, but how are you feeling?”

I turn to Easton who has his hand clamped over mine like he’s afraid I’ll somehow disappear.

“I’ve felt better,” I admit.

“I can see it in your eyes, Sasha. The guilt. Please don’t feel guilty about what’s happening. We both went in this together knowing the consequences. I’ll be fine. It’s you I’m worried about. I’ve already had an email from the school board asking me to attend a meeting tomorrow morning. I promise I’ll do my best to make sure you don’t get affected in all of this.”

I start shaking my head. “Your career is ruined because of me.”

I feel him squeeze my hand. “Please stop this. I didn’t much like the job anyway.”

He offers me a smile like he means it, but I know it’s not true. He did enjoy teaching. I could see it in his face every day at school.

“Tea,” my mum sings as she places the tray onto the coffee table in front of us.

I smile up at her. “Thanks, Mum.”

After everything’s placed she sits down on a sigh and cups her hands together. “I’m so glad we got you home. If it wasn’t for Easton …”

I look towards Easton. “What happened?”

Easton smiles and pulls me in, placing an arm around me. “I got my brother to help trace you using CCTV. It took a while, but we managed to find the car and track it until it vanished in the Kielder Forest area. That’s when we concluded you must be in there somewhere.”

“He didn’t stop for those whole two days,” my mother continues. My eyes dart from Easton to my mum to find her smiling at Easton. It’s in that moment I realise they must have been together the whole time, trying to find me. Despite what’s happened previously, she no longer feels any animosity towards him. As of now, he has become—and will always be—the man who rescued her daughter.

“He didn’t hurt you, did he? Please say he never hurt you,” my mum begs, and I can’t miss the slight tremble in her voice.

I shake my head no and immediately see her relief. “If there is one thing Liam has, it’s patience. I believe he thought he would be able to keep me and make me learn to fall in love with him. In his mind, all he had to do was give me the chance to remember my ‘true’ feelings for him. To him, it was always a simple matter of time before I fell in love with him again. He didn’t realise I never truly loved him in the first place. He confused dependence with love. I never knew what true romantic love felt like—” I pause and nervously look up to Easton whose attention is on me one hundred percent “—until recently.”

Easton’s smile brightens like this is the best news he’s heard. Right now we’re not concerned for the cameras outside and the news most probably hitting the net right now.

“Easton, you must stay tonight. If you go out there now they’ll hound you.”

I glance my mum’s way shocked that she would insist on technically my boyfriend staying the night at the house.

“Okay, I’ll stay. I was told that a police officer would sort out all our things back at the hotel. Apparently they’re also arranging my bike to be delivered back at home. I’ll call now and see if they can deliver it here instead.”

Easton gets up from his seat and reluctantly drops my hand as he does. He disappears into the kitchen, leaving me and my mum alone. It’s then that the guilt surfaces again.

“I feel terrible that I put you through all this just to save Easton. I’m sorry.”

Mum quickly rises from her seat the moment she sees the tears surfacing. She sits next to me, taking me in her arms. “Please stop this guilt you’re feeling. You were only placed in that position because he made it. You were trying to save the man you love. I get that. And it’s only the last two days that I’ve come to realise what true love is all about too. Easton was beside himself. I don’t think he hardly slept the whole time. He was constantly on his phone, pacing, trying to get news for us. I don’t know what I would have done without him. I think my sanity would have slipped if it wasn’t for him. He even reminded me that I had to eat to keep my strength up so that we could look for you. He was my strength when I needed it. I will be eternally grateful to that man.”

I pull away from my mum and look up to her tired eyes. “But school. I could be expelled for what’s happened.”

She pats my hand with a smile. “Let’s just take each day as it comes. If—and this is a big if—they expel you then you do your exams at college. I know that’s not what you wanted, but at least you’ll still get to do them. Easton’s going in tomorrow, and I have every faith he’ll do his best to make sure you’re not affected in any way. I trust him—and it’s been a long time since I’ve trusted any man after what’s happened to you.”

It’s then I think of her boyfriend. “What about Eric?”

She slightly giggles. “I suppose he’s also the exception to the rule. It took me a good few years to trust Eric, so Easton should be proud.” She gives me a small wink and in that moment I notice the colour coming back to her pale face. “Right now the only thing I care about is the fact that you’re safe and that monster is finally locked up behind bars where he belongs.”

I do feel that sense of relief, but I also feel dread at the knowledge that even after all has calmed it will eventually come back to haunt us again when the court case begins. It’ll be never ending with that man. He’ll forever haunt me no matter how long he’s in prison for.

Easton eventually finishes off his phone call and we’re together sitting in the living room for a long time until it’s time to eat. I notice when we’re eating that everyone laps up every single morsel. I guess we all had the same appetites when I was away for the two days and now I’m back and safe we’re all ravenous. However, despite eating everything I still can’t escape the guilt I feel for Easton and what he’ll have to face tomorrow. No doubt I will have to face the same thing, but for now, lying in Easton’s arms in my bed, it’s one of the last things on my mind.

“I’m shocked my mum allowed us to sleep together.”

Easton crushes me to his chest and kisses the top of my head. “I believe she knows we would never disrespect her in her home. I wouldn’t touch you no matter how much you begged.”

I hear the playfulness in his voice and it makes me look up to face him. Sure enough, he’s smiling. “No matter how much I beg, huh?”

I lean my hand on his chest and then my chin on top so I can stare at him. Even after all this time his beauty never fails to take my breath away. I doubt it ever will.

Easton raises his hand and starts to stroke my hair away from my face. “There’s a time and a place for that sort of thing, and now’s not the time anyway. My primary concern is keeping you here in my arms. I have to admit, Sasha, that the past two days …” he sighs. “Let’s just say they’ve been the scariest of my life. I never want to feel that hopeless again.”

“I only ever wanted to protect everyone.”

“Shh,” he responds when he spots the tears in my eyes. “What’s done is done. Maybe this was all meant to be. Something as great as what we have should never have been brushed under the carpet.”

“But the news won’t paint it that way. Look at the questions they were already asking when I had just been found. It didn’t matter to them that I was safe and back with my family, all they wanted to concentrate on was whether I wore my school uniform when we were having sex.”

“Hey,” Easton says, squeezing me to him, “it doesn’t matter what anyone thinks. What matters is what we think. We know our relationship. We don’t need to explain it to anyone. Besides,” he continues, smiling. “I’m your mum’s hero. Do you know how much of an ego boost that is to a boyfriend?”

I start laughing, setting him off. “Oh, I can imagine.” I roll my eyes and he tickles me in response. When I start to giggle too loudly, he immediately stops.

“Shh, your mum will think we’re up to no good.”

“You are up to no good,” I joke.

Easton smiles at first, but then his smile drops. “Just know that no matter what happens from here on out, one thing will never change.”

“What’s that?”

“The way I feel about you. Promise me that you will never doubt my feelings, Sasha. Promise?”

I dip my head, kissing his hairless chest before looking back up to his expectant eyes. “I promise.”

“We’re a victim of circumstance.”

On a sigh, I reply, “I’m tired of being a victim.”

Easton dips his head down and kisses me lightly on the lips. He stops, but then I continue dipping my tongue into his mouth needing to taste him—always needing to taste him. Just at the point I feel something growing hard beneath me, he stops on a growl.

“We need to stop, Sasha.”

Breathlessly, I pull away. “I know.” I smile at him before resting my head on his chest. Easton soothes me by stroking my hair and the longer he does it the more my eyes begin to droop.

“Promise me you won’t doubt my feelings for you either,” I whisper, feeling as my eyes grow heavier by the moment.

I feel when he dips his head and kisses my hair. Most importantly, I hear him make me the promise I requested just before my eyes lose their battle to stay open, and I eventually succumb to the sleep I so desperately need.