Escape With Me (Love With Me 1)

Cassie needed to get going again before she lost her nerve.

“Thanks. See you guys later,” she replied, heading for the door. She had places to be. There were things she needed to do before she could leave, but at least she'd been able to say goodbye to her friends.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Wyatt

Wyatt walked in the front door of the apartment ready to apologize to Cassie. He had reservations made at a fancy restaurant. He had flowers in hand and jewelry was set to arrive later this afternoon.

The business meeting this morning had been long and arduous. He thought he'd escaped the corporate world by moving to the island. Being a peon for a holiday resort was easy. He just had to do what he was told and pour drinks. Now he was back to being the boss and he hated it. He had less freedom at the top of the chain than he did at the bottom. He was beginning to think that he would always be stuck with corporations telling him what to do with his life. It didn't seem to matter where he went.

He'd spent his entire miserable meeting thinking of Cassie and how he could fix things between them. Of how he could give her what she wanted and what she deserved. He was willing to do whatever it took to keep her.

The longer Wyatt stayed in billionaire mode, the easier it was to stay here and lose his happiness. News of his return was spreading, and everyone wanted a piece of him. New business ventures beckoned, and old ones were ready to be revitalized.

All he had to do was say yes, and he could be back in the world of business.

Except that wasn't what he wanted. All he would be working for was time to relax on the beach. He was happy with his simple life. Why sacrifice and struggle when he already had what made him happy?

Except it was Cassie that made him happy. If he stayed here, he would fall back into his business life, but he would have Cassie. He was considering it, and at the same time afraid of what it would cost him. But, it was something he was willing to do to keep Cassie in his life.

He would find a way to make his billionaire status no longer matter. He would join the business world again until he was expected and normal here. It wasn't the life he wanted, but he was willing to do it for Cassie.

He just needed to tell her he was sorry. That he was going to make things right so she could stay here and have her life. He needed to apologize for the things he'd said the night before. He'd been tired and angry. The strain of being under a microscope was hard on them both.

He set the flowers down on the coffee table and called her name. There was no answer. Wyatt frowned and began to look for her.

Except, the apartment was empty. There was no sign of Cassie.

Wyatt checked his phone but didn't see any messages. He went to the bedroom and found the bed neatly made in Maria's signature fashion.

With shaking hands, he checked the closet and found that Cassie's things were gone.

Her suitcase, her shoes, everything.

There was nothing in the bathroom. There was nothing in the bedroom. There was nothing left of her in the apartment.

She'd left him.

He stumbled slightly, his hand going to the kitchen counter to catch himself. He wanted to rip his heart out of his chest and throw it against the wall. Anger, hurt, and loss dug their talons into the center of his bones and threatened to rip him apart.

She couldn't handle the fame. She wanted her life back, and he couldn't blame her. She'd escaped from this life she didn't want. The media intrusions, the arguments, the cruel words he'd said- he couldn't blame her for leaving.

Tears flooded his eyes. He hadn't cried since he was a boy, yet he felt he would explode with tears. Everything inside him felt shattered and ready to fall apart like a house of cards.

For the first time in his life, he didn't have a plan. He'd always had a plan. Even if the plan was merely to be a beach bum bartender who did nothing but bang tourists, he'd had a plan. There was always a plan.

Except, without Cassie, he didn't have a clue what to do next.

If she couldn't handle the billionaire life but didn't want to return to the island, he was forced to face the prospect of losing her or giving her up.

He wasn't sure he knew how to do that.

Wyatt sat down hard at the kitchen table, his head in his hands and his heart in tatters.

He almost didn't see the note.

It sat on the kitchen table, written in Cassie's neat script. It was just a small white card with his name. He almost didn't want to open it. He didn't want to have his worst fears confirmed. He didn't want her leaving to be real. He didn't want to believe that he'd lost her.