Chapter 21

 

Free at Last

Weeks Later

 

Melissa

 

 

I thought I’d made the decision to live my life when I signed the contract with Infidelity. I’d believed they’d offered me a chance to be free.

I was wrong.

They’d offered a chance at a dream, but it was never freedom.

I was owned, degraded, and manipulated into a life I didn’t understand. Obstacle after obstacle had been thrown at me since my sixteenth birthday, and now I saw that each one had been constructed by someone whose only desire was to possess me. My dreams were insignificant in his scheme to control me. Everything that occurred had just been a means to an end.

I hadn’t realized how one decision would bring me a lifetime of debt with a liability that I would never be able to repay. The price continued to grow. Each decision I’d made since that time had come with a price higher than the original commitment I’d accepted.

The decision to break my silence, which my father made for me, came with a much higher price tag than either of us expected. Once Pandora’s box was opened, my life and the lives of others were forever changed and altered. Once opened, I’d acquiesced, giving statements and wanting justice for the crimes against me, but not at the cost of my reputation or life.

For once, I chose to benefit myself. I took Mrs. Witt up on her offer. I willingly walked away from my life. I had completed the first journey, now it was time to start the next.

Since the report of my disappearance, I’d learned more about the people in my life than I probably wanted to know. No one was immune from corruption and deceit. I’d watched the news about my disappearance and interviews of people who claimed they loved and missed me. These were the same individuals who’d ignored or humiliated me on a daily basis. And yet their remarks were but another abuse against me. My life had become entertainment and a way to have their fifteen minutes of fame. And then there were others, those whose comments appeared in articles and news clips, those who claimed what a beautiful person I’d been, when in reality all they were doing was protecting their lies and keeping their agendas.

Peyton was one of the biggest liars of all. Deloris let me know that my father’s car accident wasn’t an accident at all. It had all been a scheme masterminded by Peyton years prior. The money my father was supposed to collect from his insurance company was intentionally held up in the review process to ensure that I followed the path he wanted for me. It was one reason my parents were so desperate for money. I now understand why my dad was so determined to hold someone accountable.

Deloris also managed to find out that Peyton pulled some strings to have my scholarship request refused. The lengths Peyton went to in order to fulfill his desires may never be truly uncovered. I’m not sure if my parents even know how much he manipulated our lives. Honestly, I’m not sure if it even mattered. Melissa Summers was no more. Thanks to the help of a kind and powerful woman, Melissa had been reborn as someone else.

Through it all, Peyton has maintained his image as a respectable businessman who tried to help a young student attain her dreams and was misled—smoke and mirrors. Regina and Peyton were still together. The way I saw it, Peyton and Regina deserved each other, and one day soon karma would visit them. I’d been reassured by the woman who gave me a new life that he would be punished.

My parents were my only regret. They weren’t perfect, but they did their best. The hurt I caused my mother was probably the hardest. She was a good mother, and the single person who’d stood by me. She didn’t deserve the fallout or grief that my decisions caused. She lost her only daughter. She deserved better, and maybe one day she too would find peace and happiness again.

For the first time in months, I finally felt safe.

No one from my past knew my location. I’d boarded a private plane the night I’d met Deloris. Though she’d asked me where I wanted to go, my destination was unknown. My only request for my living conditions for the next few months had been to ask to be by an ocean.

I boarded that plane as Melissa Summers and walked off in Australia as Sophia Miller. It would take time to not answer to Melissa and more time to respond to Sophia, but as Deloris explained, this was the only way I’d ever be able to live a healthy, happy life. And as she said, after my ordeal, I deserved it. She’d arranged everything: an apartment, new identity, and finances to finally be free.

The first night in Melbourne, I went to a local restaurant located right on the beach with tables under umbrellas and the bluest water just yards away. Large sailboats bobbed at a distance, and the sun beamed down onto the beautiful blue water. Waves splashed against the white sand, reminding me of the beaches where I’d been raised.

I thought Melbourne was the most peaceful place on earth until the sun lowered, and then it also became the most stunning. As the big ball of yellow slowly descended behind the horizon, pink, purple, orange, and red splayed over the blue sky as darkness took over. That night sky was filled with stars as I’d never seen. A sense of peace took over me, and I knew that no matter what happened in the future, this was now my home.

Each night since, I’d returned to the same restaurant to enjoy dinner and the sunset. Several of the waitresses and I had even become friends. Now, even though I spend my time alone, I’m never really alone.

It’s the life I’d dreamt of.

Again, I was at my restaurant as the sun began its descent, and the sunset came to life, filling the sky with all the vibrant colors. As I reached down to grab my camera and capture the beauty, someone approached me from behind.

“Miss Summers.”

My heart stopped. No one here knew me by that name. Yet with only two words, I knew he wasn’t from here. His accent wasn’t like the locals. No one from my past should know where I was or even be able to recognize me, especially from behind. I’d cut my once-long hair into a short bob and dyed it. No longer red, it was now a deep chestnut color.

“Miss Summers.” The deep American voice no longer came from behind me but was now standing directly in front of me.

Slowly, I scanned this man. He had to be in his early forties and still he was sexy as hell. Even his clothes did little to hide what was underneath. He wore dark jeans that fit his ass perfectly and a shirt that stretched across his broad shoulders. His dark, wavy hair fell onto his forehead just above his piercing green eyes that bore into me.

It was then that he knelt down so that we were eye-to-eye. His scent filled my space, and the rush to my head made me forget to be scared that he’d used my name.

“May I sit?” he asked.

I nodded my head. The smirk on his face told me that he knew of the effect he had on me.

He pulled a chair back, the new distance caused the cologne that fueled my desires to slowly dissipate, allowing me to come to my senses. “You must have me mistaken for someone else. My name is—”

“Melissa Summers,” he interjected. “Remember, I already know your name? I called you Miss Summers.”

This guy was starting to piss me off and scare me at the same time. “What makes you so sure that I’m this Melissa Summers?”

“Mutual friend,” he said as he picked up my drink and put the straw to his mouth—his kissable mouth.

This man knew exactly what he was doing, and it had been too long since I’d had these feelings. After Bryce, I wasn’t sure I ever would. I knew one thing for sure: I needed fresh air.

Standing, I pulled my drink from his hand and asked, “Do you mind?”

As I turned to walk toward the beach, he just sat there like an arrogant ass, watching me, and he laughed.

Fuck, his laugh was even sexy.

Ass, I repeated to myself.

On the shore, I was almost to the water’s edge when he called my name and jogged up to me.

“Miss Summers, will you give me a minute? I’ll explain who I am.”

I exhaled and nodded. “Fine. Make it quick.”

“My name is Jerrod. Deloris asked me to come here and check on you.”

“Deloris? As in Witt? How do you know her?”

“Come,” he said, offering me his hand. “Let’s take a walk and I’ll tell you everything.”

Nodding my head, I placed my hand in his. Deloris had protected me this far. I needed to trust that she only wanted to help me now.