“Yeah … umm,” I stutter, trying my best to keep my thoughts in order while still listening to what he’s saying, but all I can think about is that woman. My world tilts and I feel off balance. “I’m so happy for you, Nas. That’s great. I can’t wait to see how it turns out. Umm, will you excuse me for a minute? I need to run to the bathroom.”

“Of course, beautiful,” he answers with a gorgeous smile that would usually make me fly, but right now I’m too busy sinking.

I get up without saying another word, and I can feel Nas’s eyes on me as I spin around and speed walk toward the bathroom. Before I reach the door, I look into the corner booth that Heather was sitting in and find that it’s empty. Somehow, she slithered out of the restaurant without a sound. Even the table has been cleaned up. Was she sitting there with someone, or was she alone? Was she ever there at all? Is this all in my mind? What just happened?

I make it into the bathroom and thank my lucky stars that it’s empty, because the second the door is closed, my mind melts down. Making my way to the sink, I look into the mirror at myself, wondering if anything is real. I want to splash water all over my face, but don’t want to ruin my makeup, so I just stare at my reflection.

Tears fill my eyes as Heather’s words cloud my head and make it spin. What did Nas do to her that would make her decide to crawl on the dirty floor of a restaurant to warn a perfect stranger? So many different versions of abuse come to mind, and my heart beats like a tiny drummer is jamming away in my chest. He couldn’t possibly have beaten her, right? She said herself that she missed the Kingdom—which makes me sick in itself—but if she misses it, then she isn’t confused about what happens there. She knows BDSM isn’t abuse, otherwise she wouldn’t miss it. Then what the hell is she talking about?

I don’t want this. Everything was coming together exactly how I hoped, and now the bottom has fallen from under my feet and I’m falling. I’m plunging too fast, and if I don’t do something about it, I’m going to hit the ground and be ruined. Maybe I’ll be ruined just like her. I can’t let that happen.