A Bittersweet Life (1st draft)

Chapter 27

Where did they go? Were they benefiting? Why did I even care?

My mind went in circles as I looked over the deck to the spot in the sand where Ryland once stood, taunting me. A familiar sound echoed behind me. I was scared to look back when I felt a cold hand on my shoulder. My body shuddered under his grasp and a gasp burst from my lips.

"You doing alright?" Ellis asked. The sound of his voice was a relief.

"Yeah. Guess I am." I shrugged, steadying my breathing. Anger, uneasiness, and betrayal made that pretty hard. "Are you having a good time?" I choked out.

"It is really great having all the people I care about in one place." I forced a smile trying to match his sincere one. "You are the first person to accompany me on this kind of trip."

"So I heard. Too cheap to pay for a date I suppose?" I laughed and Ellis joined in.

"No. Not that. Ever since your mom, well, I couldn't bring myself to date or even fall in love with anyone else." He hasn't been with anyone since my mother? He had to be lying.

"But... That's so long."

"I know," he laughed again, more nerves thickened his voice. "Penny was the love of my life. My heart has been broken ever since. But having you in my life... Completes me." Oh no. Guilt suffocated every inch of my body. I tucked a lock of hair behind my ear with trembling hands. "I love your hair like that. When you were two I had my mother teach me how to style yours. I was a lost cause. But it always made you laugh every time your hair tangled in knots." My stomach turned to knots the more he kept talking.

In the beginning, when I first saw Ellis, I wouldn't have cared if his business came crashing down around him. Hell, I probably would have taken some joy in that. But, at that moment, I couldn't even imagine letting that happen to him.

"How about we go back to the table and have some dessert. The chocolate cake looks heavenly."

"Thanks. But, I'm pretty tired, I'm just going to go back to the room."

"Oh. Alright." His eyes fell to the ground as he nodded.

"Bring me a piece though?" He perked up and gave my shoulder one last squeeze before leaving me with my final decision. I had to do whatever I could to help him.

***

Walking up to the door, I contemplated if this was the right thing to do. Was there any way I could handle this? I doubted it. Ellis was a good man, despite abandoning me. Which, I was actually starting to question.

I tapped on the door lightly as not to arouse any of the surrounding rooms. For just a moment, everything stood. The halls were silent. I had no idea what I was even about to walk into.

Don't do this.

Before I could act and listen to the voice inside my head, the door swung open. I looked past the dark figure in the doorway and into the dimly lit room littered with candles.

"I knew you would change your mind."

"I'm doing this to protect Ellis." I exhaled, keeping my expression as stern as possible.

He smirked, "whatever you say, Sweetheart." Samuel stepped aside and I walked inside reluctantly. The door slammed shut and the chain lock clanged as he put it into place. Each little noise made my body rigid. My palms sweat profusely.

"Would you like a drink?" He proceeded to pour himself a glass of dark liquid. I assumed whiskey, a drink I never had the taste for.

"Sure."