Eluded Read Online Free PDF Page A

on. Months? Years? I felt
sick to my stomach. Of course he seemed content with our
relationship, because he had another woman. How naïve of me to
think everything was as perfect as he made it seem. I was mad at
myself for staying on the same monotonous path, and for not doing
what my intuition demanded I do: leave.
    I grabbed my makeup from the
bathroom, an extra pair of shoes, and zipped up the
almost-overflowing suitcase. The skank opened her mouth to talk,
and I narrowed my eyes at her. She backed away and stared at an
invisible spot on the floor. I slammed the bedroom door behind me.
I stormed to the kitchen, grabbed my purchases from the bookstore,
and swung my laptop bag over my shoulder.
    "Lauren, baby. Please don't leave.
We can work this out. We can work through this. I
promise."
    "What you've done is
unforgiveable." I turned to him. I didn’t yell, which was enough to
scare me. "You’ve done me a favor. You've given me exactly what I
wanted. A way out." And those were the last words I spoke before I
wheeled my suitcase out the door. I shouldn't have been so harsh. I
shouldn't have left him with those words because I really did love
him, but he deserved to feel the way I felt. He deserved to be
hurt.
    My emotions were on the up and
down, and I wasn't sure how I should feel. Happy, because he did
what I couldn’t do? Or upset because I had been with someone who
was a lying, deceiving cheater. Cheating was one of the most
unforgiveable things he could have done.
    Regret washed over me, and I
wished I had stayed in Galveston. Then relief visited because I
would be in Texas soon. I would be with my family and friends. Then
nervousness set in because I wasn't sure how to live
alone.
    Today was the beginning of a new
me. I was a firm believer that everything happened for a reason. My
future was no longer filled with being a wife or mother. There was
no picket fence, or dog, or living the same day over and over
again. I would take risks. I would do the things that made me happy
and feel alive.
    I slammed the door behind me and
decided to book a room at the hotel a few blocks away until I could
secure a flight back home. Check-in took no time. The room was
clean, but small and nothing special. I threw my bag on the bed,
sat, and stared at the whitewashed wall.
    I just . . . I didn’t think he had
a cheating bone in his body. I trusted him with my life, secrets,
and fantasies. Out of respect for what we had, he should have given
me the common courtesy and left me, not allowed me to find him
fucking her.
    Why couldn't he have just
communicated that he wasn't happy? Why pretend? I shook my head in
disbelief because we were both guilty. We pretended to make each
other happy, only he was more convincing. Without a doubt, I knew
Henry would do whatever I wanted. Maybe because he was doing who he
wanted. Maybe he was secretly waiting around for me to be the one
to fuck it up. I couldn't keep thinking it over. I had to
stop.
    We were over. Wasn't that what I
wanted, anyway?
    No, not like this.
    I called Lindsey, and that was
when the tears began to fall. Everything I thought I knew, I
didn't.
    "Lauren. What's wrong? What
happened? Are you okay?" Lindsey asked.
    "Henry is a fucking
cheater."
    "Wait. What?"
    "Him and his business partner. I
found them in our bed."
    Tears streamed down my face like
someone had turned on the faucet. When I looked in the mirror, long
streaks of mascara lined my cheeks.
    "L. Honey. Listen. You had second
thoughts about your relationship, anyway. Maybe it was intuition
that something wasn't right? I know it hurts. I know it's not easy,
especially with you being so far away at the moment, but you know
what? Now you can come home. Stay a few days, see the city, and
then book your flight. When you get home, we will get pedicures and
massages, then eat a tub of cookies and cream."
    I sniffed and wiped the tears
away. "You're right. It hasn't been right between us since he
started that project. No telling