Chasing Fate (Dark Love 5)

A dead end.

The final nail in the so-called coffin of what my over-imaginative brain occasionally conjures up.

I shouldn’t need a man to love me. I try to tell myself that almost every day. I need me to love me.

And Paris is the perfect place to rediscover who I am at this stage of my life. Trust the timing of life. Noah was the perfect storm, taking me with him on this journey and making me see life with different colored glasses.

“Congratulations, Noah. I’m happy for you. For both of you. Accident or not, it’s a blessing.” I smile, quickly checking my cell. There’s a message from the driver, a traffic jam which will extend our travel time back to the airport. “Listen, my car service is waiting to take me to the airport. All the best, Noah.”

Raising my head, I take a deep breath, telling myself to be the bigger person and not allow my emotions to ruin this moment.

“Kate… hold on.”

With reluctance, I allow my eyes to meet his, gazing at his handsome face if not for the last time.

“I love you.”

I take it back—these are the three words to break me.

Noah’s bright-eyed stare begins to imprison me. But I tell myself over and over again that his love for me remains purely of a friendship which blossomed from two strangers who needed each other at that time.

And so, as I think of the time we spent together, I can’t help but smile back at him.

“I know, Noah. I’ll always love you,” I profess, allowing whatever it is between us to finally run free. “Go live your happily ever after. It’s long overdue.”

“You’ll be okay,” he’s quick to remind me. “You know that, right?”

“You’ve always promised me that, and you’ve yet to prove me wrong.”

And with our final words, I say goodbye and walk away.

Noah Mason will always be a part of my life, someone who came when I needed him the most, a purpose in his timing.

Life is all about timing.

Now my new journey begins, and as the doors close behind me, and I leave my friends behind, I take a deep breath and welcome the endless possibilities.

Paris.

Inside my jacket, my cell vibrates. I chuckle softly, guessing it’s Eric reporting something gross he saw which has freaked him out. And just when I prepare myself to talk him off the ledge, my footsteps stop as my eyes freeze on the screen.

Dominic: We need to talk.

The words are like dynamite, the aggressive nature of the explosion restricting my breathing. Out of all days and all the moments, how is it that his timing could be so inconvenient. Then, when I didn’t think it could get any worse, my cell begins to ring with words Private Caller flashing on the screen.

“Hello,” I swallow, trying to compose myself.

“It’s me,” he murmurs over the receiver, his voice low with a slow beat. “I made a mistake, Kate… it should have been you.”

And just like that, my past collides with my future in a fleeting moment.