After checking my luggage and clearing security, I walked to my gate and took a seat. I pulled my phone from my pocket to call Giana; it was dead and I had left my charger at the penthouse. I started to panic because Giana’s address was in my phone and, with it being dead, I had no way of pulling it up. I unzipped the inside pocket in my purse and was relieved when I found her address label I had saved from one of the packages she had sent me. I looked at the time on the wall and I thought I had just enough minutes to find a shop that sold phone chargers. Just as I got up from my seat, they began boarding the plane. I sat down in my window seat and stared out as we took off down the runway. As the plane lifted off the ground, I said goodbye to my old life and to New York.

Chapter 4

I arrived in Seattle at ten o’clock, hailed a cab, and was at Giana’s apartment at ten fifty. I took the elevator up to the fourth floor and found apartment 4C. As I softly knocked on the door, I began to cry. I promised myself to hold it together until I got here. I guess I couldn’t wait any longer.

“Who is it?” she asked.

“Giana, it’s Gabby.”

Within a split second, the door flew open and her jaw dropped. She looked at me and cupped my face in her hands.

“Gabby. What are you doing here? Oh my God. Are you okay?”

The only thing I could do was shake my head no.

“Get in here,” she uttered as she grabbed my laptop bag.

I wheeled in my suitcase, and before she could shut the door, I fell into her arms and sobbed like a baby.

“Shh. It’s going to be all right.” She softly stroked my hair.

She led me over to the couch and tried to calm me down. “Gabby, look at me. You need to tell me what happened, sweetie.”

“I walked in on Brendon and some girl fucking in our bed. Our bed!” I wailed.

“It’s okay. You’re better off without him. I’m so proud of you for finally leaving that dickwad. You look exhausted.”

“I am and I’m sorry for just showing up like this. I meant to call you, but my phone is dead and I left my charger in New York.”

“Don’t be sorry. I’m so happy to see you. Come on; I’ll show you the guest room and you can get some sleep. We’ll talk all about it in the morning.”

I nodded my head as she led me to the bedroom.