Amorevolous: (Savage Princess book 2)

by liberty freer

  I blink away the stupid tears that want to fall. They aren’t all because I’m sad that Nora sold me out. I’m so relieved that this is over. I can finally start living my life the way I want.

  Making sure my eyes are dry. I step into Camden’s view. “All done. It’s over,” I say and then scrunch my nose. “Your dad’s probably going to be pretty pissed, huh?”

  He shrugs, but I know that men like Alexander take their anger out on whoever is around them, and it makes me appreciate Camden that much more. I watch him get to his feet and stretch. I don’t know where he’s going to go now. Alexander won’t want him back. He and I are kind of in this together, though.

  “I guess you won’t be going back, huh? You can still stay—” I pause and frown.

  “Nora won’t want me there if Liv’s there, and Nick will probably kill me when he sees me,” Camden finishes for me although I wasn’t going to say kill.

  “Telling Nick and Aiden might help them forgive you,” I say as we make our way out the spa doors. “But either way, I’ll tell them to back off.”

  “Have you forgiven me?”

  “I don’t hate you, and now that I know why you did the things you did, I… will probably be able to forgive you, eventually.” I might have already, but I’ma let him sweat a little. “You were such a dick, Camden. I find it hard to believe you didn’t like torturing me.”

  “I am sorry, Hayley. I was a shithead. You have to understand that I started out playing a role, but it quickly consumed my life. I became good at being an awful and immoral human. I was drinking most of the time. But I’m much like my dad; I’ll do what it takes to reach my goal and my goal was to protect Liv. I knew you were strong, and I’d have to be stronger to break you or you’d walk all over me like you did to Graysen.”

  “I think Aiden and Nick could forgive you, and I think you can trust them with this.”

  “I thought about telling them so many times, but I can’t. I can’t risk telling anyone else.”

  I open my mouth to disagree, but quickly close it. I know Aiden and Nick love Liv and wouldn’t want anything bad to happen to her, but this secret is too big.

  “I’ve found that secrets rarely stay hidden,” Camden continues. “Liv has her whole life ahead of her. I want… she’s my sister.”

  He doesn’t need to say anything else because I know exactly what he means.

  Chapter 37

  I hold the phone to my ear with my shoulder as I clip my seat belt into place. “You sure you want to stay?” I ask.

  “Yes. I really love it here.”

  I want to tell her to get her ass back to America, but I’m so happy she has the option to choose. “Okay. Your choice, but I miss you.”

  “I know. I’ll see you soon. Dad said something about getting out next week. Maybe I’ll visit then?”

  “Maybe,” I say, not wanting to get into dad drama right now. I pull the phone away to look at the screen and smile at the incoming call. Everything is fucking right in the world. It has a warmth spreading through me and my limbs tingling or some shit. Pure happiness. “Hey, Nick’s calling, so I’ll talk to you later, okay? Oh, and still apply for a new passport.”

  “Already did the other day. Love ya. Bye.”

  I switch calls and I’m the first to speak. “It’s over. Nora called it off,” I say in a rush.

  “How? Are you sure?”

  “I’m positive. I got the dirt I needed.” I clutch the phone tightly, trying not to bounce out of my seat. “Where are you?”

  “Fuck, baby. That’s good. Does Tilly know?”

  “Yeah, she knows. I just got done talking to her. She’s staying at school. You almost back?”

  “Lay over, but California is the next stop. Is Camden gone?”

  I glance to the left as Camden takes a right at the light we were stopped at. He’s going to be pissed, but I have to make him, Aiden, and Casey understand that Camden is off-limits. “How was the flight? Did you get those peanuts that everyone talks about? I’ve only been on a plane twice, but they didn’t have the peanuts. We got our passports because my mom wanted to go to Canada. FYI, don’t go in the winter.”

  Nick chuckles. “Noted. So, Camden gone then?”

  The Canada diversion didn’t work. “No,” I say on a long sigh. “He’s not gone. He’s not—”

  “Call security and they’ll escort him off the property. Where’s Aiden?”

  “Um… Camden helped me get what I needed. I couldn’t have done it without him. There are things you’re not gonna understand. You—”

  “I don’t give a fuck,” Nick growls. “He forced you—”

  “It was better than the alternative. He’s sorry,” I say.

  “And you forgive him?” Nick asks, his tone full of disbelief and judgment.

  “I understand him.” I cup my hand over the phone and turn away from Camden. “Look, he’s not my favorite person, but he did the right thing—”

  “Da fuck? No. If he’s there when I get back, I’m kicking his fucking ass.”

  Nick says it so loud that I know Camden heard. “No, you’re not. You’re going to have to trust me when I say, Camden was forced to do the things he did. He is not a bad person, so be nice.” I wait a second to see if he’ll argue and when he doesn’t, I say, “I gotta go, Nick. Call me when you land.”

  His tone is rough as he says, “See you soon.”

  He’s still going to try kicking Camden’s ass.

  I hang up and sink into the seat. “Shit, Aiden.” I send a quick text to him saying I’m on my way back and Nora called the wedding off. I’ve been ignoring his calls and texts since Camden and I left without telling him.

  “We need to post something online about ending our relationship. Say I cheated on you. Everyone expects it, and it’ll be a clean break.”

  I frown, not liking that he’ll be the bad guy once again.

  We stop at the light and I lean over, my shoulder brushing Camden’s as I snap a picture. I post it with the caption, “Not all relationships last forever, but I think this friendship will. Camden Anderson is one of a kind, and I’m glad to call him my friend.” I stretch in the seat, my adrenaline leaving my body. “I need food and sleep. Executing our plan for freedom was exhausting.”

  Camden chuckles lightly. “It literally took twenty minutes.”

  “You try dealing with Nora. I think she’s a soul-sucking demon. I feel depleted.”

  My stomach growls loudly and Camden says, “Want me to stop for food?”

  “Yes. The answer to that question will always be yes.” I cup my hand over my mouth as I yawn. “Let’s go in and eat. I haven’t eaten inside a restaurant in forever.” I lick my lips. “Mexican, no, pizza. Mmm, Chinese. I love fried rice. I’m starving.” I look out the window, scoping out what restaurants there are. “Just go to the next place you see.”

  Camden glances at me. “Are you pregnant or something?”

  I snort. “Nope. I just love food. All food.” A banner hanging on a brick building with a blue roof catches my attention. The red writing says they have seven-dollar lunches. “There, that looks good,” I say, pointing toward it.

  Camden flips the indicator on and looks over his shoulder before switching lanes. I sit up straighter and my fingers grip the door handle as we pull into the parking lot and land a spot right by the front door. I’m the first one out of the car because, food.

  Camden holds the door to the restaurant open for me. There’s a bar in the center of the spacious restaurant with several flat screens surrounding it. Seems more people are at the bar than are seated at the tables and booths. An older waitress takes care of us, seating us in a booth in the back, bringing us our drinks, and then taking our order.

  “Does the water taste funny to you?” I ask, sniffing my glass. It looks like water and smells like water, but it has a burned metallic taste.

  Camden tastes his glass and then mine. “Tastes fine.”

  “Mine tastes weird.” I grab his glass
and take a sip. “There’s definitely something wrong with their water,” I say, raising my voice because the background noise of the restaurant is getting louder and louder until it becomes annoying. I look over my shoulder, expecting to see a rush of customers, but there isn’t.

  “Here ya go.” The waitress sets down our plates. “Can I get you two anything else?”

  “No thanks.” I wave toward the bar where the most noise seems to be coming from. “What’s going on?”

  “Oh.” She wipes her hands down her black apron. “Some woman jumped from a window or something. It’s all over the news. Apparently, she posted a suicide note on social media before she did it.”

  “Damn,” I say, thinking it’s a little weird that everyone seems so worked up over it. Suicide happens all the time. “Was she local or something?”

  “Yeah. Not far from here. It was some celebrity. Probably drugs.” She rolls her eyes. “All rich people do drugs because their lives are so hard with all that money.” She taps the tabletop with her hand. “Holler if you need anything.”

  My stomach drops, and my gaze slices to Camden, whose face is pale as he stares at his phone. I want to dash to the car and grab mine, but I can’t move. “Camden,” I whisper.

  His wide eyes meet mine, and he says, “It was Nora. She jumped from a window. She was rushed to a local hospital.”

  “It wasn’t her,” I say, my brows pinching together. “No… no. I was just there. I saw her.”

  “Shit.” His jaw drops and he stares at the phone screen.

  “What?” I ask, leaning forward.

  “She posted a letter.” He swallows. “Holy hell.”

  I snatch the phone from him.

  My daughter, Anna Westling, had a beautiful soul, and I loved her with all my heart. She loved to dance and sing. She was always happy and smiling. While trying to escape intruders, Anna fell down a flight of stairs. I saw my daughter die that day.

  It’s why the kidnappers never followed through with the ransom. They took her body, probably hoping she was only unconscious from the fall, but she wasn’t breathing, and she was bleeding from her head and mouth. With Colt in my arms, I was not able to carry her body away. Leaving her there was one of the hardest choices I’ll ever make.

  This was never public knowledge. We didn’t want anything to hinder the investigation. I wanted justice for my daughter’s death.

  Now an imposter is living her life. Anna Westling is dead, and Hayley Thompson has taken her place. Hayley Thompson is evil, has torn my family apart, and turned my children against me with the help of Camden Anderson. Hayley is a scam artist and a liar.

  I can’t stand to watch her do this anymore. I love all my fans. It’s you who got me through the loss all these years. I hope you will pray for my family and pray that Hayley Thompson finds her soul.

  To my babies, I’m so sorry for leaving you. My heart is too heavy to go on. I’m trapped in eternal torture. It’s time I was set free and went to be with your sister. Sometimes I can hear her calling for me. I’ll see you again one day. Until then, I love you.

  Camden slides onto the bench seat next to me. “Don’t cry, Hayley.”

  I didn’t even notice that tears were streaming down my face. I hated Nora, but I didn’t want it to be like this. What if she’s dead? She can’t be alive, right? She jumped out of a window. A second-floor window. That was like twenty-five feet.

  “Fuck,” I choke out. “Aiden’s going to blame me. Everyone’s going to blame me. She did this because of me.”

  Camden stands and plucks the phone from my hand. My chest is tight and burns when I try holding in the sobs that want to escape.

  “We gotta go,” Camden says, trying to pull me up, but I can’t move. “Come on, Hayley.”

  “Is that them?” I hear someone whisper.

  “I think so,” a hushed voice says. “The TV said to call the police if they were spotted.”

  “Hayley,” Camden snaps.

  I lift my head, but the water in my eyes makes everything distorted. My legs are shaking so fucking bad, but I clutch on to Camden and let him lead me from the restaurant. I use my shirt to wipe my eyes as we make our way to the car. He helps me into the seat and then hurries over to the driver’s side.

  “I can’t go back to Nora’s.” I grab my ringing phone from the door and shut it off. “Take me somewhere else. I have an account, but I don’t have the card on me. Do you have money? Can you get a hotel?”

  Camden nods and starts the car.

  Chapter 38

  I roll over, pulling the blanket with me, but Camden yanks it away.

  “Your family is going to call the cops if you don’t go home, Hayley.”

  I burrow my face into the lumpy and damp pillow. I don’t understand how, but there’s a mist on it and everything else in the room. Maybe it’s because I have the AC on full blast, but I need it like that so I can wear my thickest hoodie and curl up under two comforters.

  “Go away. Leave the food and go,” I say, not opening my eyes.

  I hear a beep as Camden turns the AC off, muttering under his breath. “You’ve been in bed for three damn days. You need to get up. Fucking shower at least.”

  There’s no fight in his voice. He knows he can’t make me. I guess he could quit paying for the room. I sit up and face him. He looks rough too. Stubble is popping up along his jaw and his hair is flat and greasy. He slept on the couch the first night, but I don’t know where he stayed the others.

  I pull the sleeves of my hoodie I’m wearing over my hands. “Aiden won’t answer my calls.”

  “I told you, he’s not answering anyone. He blames himself. You blame yourself. You lot are hopeless.”

  “I’m the reason his mom tried to kill herself. The reason she’s heading to a mental hospital once she gets out of the real hospital. It’s a fact. There’s a letter to prove it.” I eye the brown bag in his hand. Greasy food is the only thing that makes me feel better.

  “If Nick and Aiden aren’t the reason you were taken, then you’re not the reason Nora tried to off herself. Everyone is worried about you.”

  “They’ll go back to their lives and move on. They just need time.” I pick at fluff on the worn, scratchy blanket. “I need a ticket to Tennessee.”

  “So, you’ve decided?”

  “I was never meant to be here. This wasn’t supposed to be my life,” I tell Camden, and it’s what I’ve been telling myself. Camden passes me the bag I asked him to bring, and I say, “Have you decided what you’re going to do?”

  “My dad rented me an apartment here. I didn’t ask him to. He was afraid I’d come home. He doesn’t want me anywhere near him. His company’s stocks are still down.” He shrugs. “At least he doesn’t want anything to do with you either.” He wags his brows. “Our names are tarnished.”

  I laugh, but it’s hollow. “Fucked up how things turned out.” My stomach rolls, and I’m not so sure I’ll be able to eat the burger and fries in my lap. “How bad will it be out there?” I look to the window even though the curtains are drawn in.

  “Your grandmother released a statement saying Nora has been mentally ill for some time and that you are Anna Westling. John said the same thing, but… nobody has heard from Aiden… There are a lot of people that think you’re not Anna and think Aiden’s silence proves it.”

  “How’s Nick?” My whole body turns cold despite the room warming up now that the AC’s off. I shouldn’t have asked about him. It’s only going to make me feel worse. Every time I think about him, about how good things were only to end up here… it makes me feel like I won’t survive. The first night in this room I cried for hours, and I worked myself up so much that I puked uncontrollably afterward.

  “Not good. He needs you to come back, even if you’re telling him goodbye.” He grabs a pillow from the floor and throws it at my head. “Toughen up, little one. You’re stronger than this.”

  I watch him leave the room. I don’t feel strong, and I don’t want to d
eal with this. I want it all to go away. I grab my phone, texting the only other person I’ve talked to since Nora’s attempted suicide.

  Me: I’ve decided. I’m going back to Tennessee. Think I’ll go home and get a job.

  Tilly: To Nana’s?

  Me: No. Home.

  I was only staying at Nana’s because that’s what was best for Tilly. With her in England and our dad moving to our uncle’s remote cabin, it’s just me.

  Tilly: Okay. I love you. I wish you’d call your family, but I understand. Things will get better, Hayley. XOXO

  Me: Let me know when my flight leaves. I’ll pay you back eventually.

  Camden: No, you won’t.

  I make my way to the bathroom where I thoroughly wash my hair. When thoughts of Aiden, Nick, John, Colt, or Liv start to creep in, I push them down. Nora ruined any chance at happiness I could have had with them. Or maybe I ruined it when I threatened to expose her secret.

  I change into skinny jeans and a band tee. I can’t shake the feeling that I’m making a mistake by going back to Tennessee, but every time I picture seeing them… seeing their faces…

  I dash to the toilet and empty my stomach. Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I straighten and then slump against the wall until I’m sure I’m not going to puke again. My legs feel weak as I get to my feet, leaning against the yellowing, flimsy counter to support my weight while I brush my teeth.

  Walking back into the room, I grab my lit phone from the bed, but jump in surprise as a shadow moves in the corner. My heartbeat hammers wildly against my chest.

  “Nick?” I croak, instant tears springing to my eyes. He’s standing by the door with his hands tucked into a black hoodie. I’d laugh if the situation were different. It reminds me of the time I first met him.

  My breathing stops as he moves closer. There’s stubble along his normally clean-shaven jaw. I see the black marks under his eyes that match my own.

  A whispered, “Baby” from him is all it takes to have me breaking down in his arms. He holds me as I shake and cry.