Breaking Down (The Breaking Series)
Page 30
Mom finally stopped crying and agreed that getting help would be best. She watched me like a hawk, making sure I wasn’t suicidal. I wasn’t. But maybe I was in a bigger depression than I realized. Nat was right, this was all out of our league and I needed more help. It was worth a shot. Maybe in time, I’d be able to tell Dante, the truth that I was a bigger mess than he was, or than he knew. The truth was this whole time I was trying to build him up, I was breaking down.
***
That weekend Mom helped me load my car with the things I was taking. It wasn’t much; Dad had a fully furnished room in his condo for me. I texted Nat the morning I was leaving to say goodbye, but she didn’t respond. Aunt Yvette came rushing over though.
“Give her time, Niña. She’s upset that you’re leaving, but you two will get over it. You have to give her time. There’s a lot of pain in all of you.” I hugged her tight and nodded. The knot in my throat was growing. My aunt had no idea what really happened. Mom promised not to tell anyone until I was ready.
“Tell her I love her.” I choked out.
“She knows, mijita. Cuidate, okay?”
“Thank you, Auntie. I promise I’ll take care of myself.” I turned and hugged my mom one last time.
“Call me when you get there, I don’t care how late it is.” She said, wiping tears away.
“Yes, mom.” I hugged her again before getting into the car.
“Buena suerte!” I heard my Aunt call out as I left. I sure hope I had luck on my side.
The drive to San Diego was long. I missed Dante. I missed Natalia. The entire time I fought the urge to turn around and run back to them. I fought the urge to confess everything and beg his forgiveness; beg him to take me back. But he deserved better. The best thing I could do for everyone was get my life straight. Maybe this would be the fresh start I needed. Only time would tell what the future would hold now.
THE END
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Calista is a California girl who recently relocated to the great state of Texas. She resides there with her beautiful husband, four crazy kids and a dog who thinks she’s one of the kids too. Calista has loved to write since she was a small child. She started writing poetry and eventually decided to write fiction. Breaking Down is her debut novel. She also has a couple of other books she is working on, including Breaking Away, the sequel to Breaking Down.
Calista also has an addiction to reading and reads everything she can get her hands on, in all different genres. When she isn’t reading, writing or busy being a wife and mama, you will find her CrossFitting. It’s the other addiction in her life and one she is very passionate about.
Find more about Calista on her facebook page or follow her on instagram.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
I’d like to first and foremost thank God for all His many blessings in my life. Without Him, none of this would even be a possibility.
I’d also like to thank my husband, Jeremy, for his encouragement, support and understanding in this entire journey. You have believed in me and loved me through it all and I could never thank you enough for that. You are my inspiration, my motivation, my very best friend and the love of my life. Your love is so beautiful. You are everything I could ever dream of. You, just the way you are. You had my heart from day one and I will love you with all that I am, and all that I’ve got, Forever & Always.
My kiddos, you four are my number one fans. So many times you have cheered me on and uplifted me along the way. Thank you for that. I love you my Miah, Bear, Sam Sam & Birdie!
To my parents & siblings: You have always believed in my ability to write. Thank you for letting me share all my crazy poems and stories with you. Thank you for encouraging me to use my talent.
My betas! You are amazing and I could not have pulled this off without you. Erica, Kristen, Diana, Keri, Brianna, Amber, Jennifer, Abby Isabella, Jeannette, Joseph, Veronica, Mary, and Valerie, you are an amazing bunch and I could never thank you enough for every word of encouragement, every constructive criticism, every single moment you were there with me and each of these characters, rooting for me, pushing me and kicking my butt into gear to accomplish this. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!! From the bottom of my heart!
A special thank you to my sister and my bestest cousin, Baboo & Kerica. The memories we created are forever etched in my mind. Every goofy laugh, crazy story, secret language & nickname, made up game, make believe world, every tear, and every smile, all of the memories I look back on included the two of you and I could never, would never forget. There are too many things to mention, but you member? I member. You both are so special to me and I hope you never ever forget that. Thank you for the incredible times, the awesome memories, and the wonderful stories that will forever live on.
Thank you to my two amazing beta groups BRWC and BRW. The amount of support and help I’ve received from both places has been phenomenal and you are an incredible group of people.
Also, I'd like to thank Author Blakely B. for help with the blurb, Rachel M. from Shoutlines Design for the incredible cover she created for me, and a big thank you to the awesome Genevieve S. at Big Bang Book Services for formatting the book for me. You all Rock!!!
And Last but not least, thank you to each and every reader, blogger, fellow author, fb friend, and anyone else who has read the story, and/or helped me along the way. You are appreciated more than you could ever know.
PLAYLIST FOR BREAKING DOWN: On Spotify
Just give me a reason – P!nk – The Truth About Love
Whatever It Takes – Lifehouse – Who We Are
Wipe Your Eyes – Maroon 5 – Overexposed
Stay – Rihanna – Unapologetic
Can’t Let Go – Mariah Carey – Greatest Hits
Everything Has Changed – Taylor Swift – Red
Say Something – A Great Big World – Say Something
All We’d Ever Need – Lady Antebellum – Lady Antebellum
Two Is Better Than One – Boys Like Girls – Love Drunk
bluebird – Christina Perri – lovestrong
Magic – Colbie Caillat – Coco
Invisible – Skylar Grey – Invisible
In Your Arms – Kina Grannis – Stairwells
Hello - Lionel Richie
Don’t Wanna Be (Acoustic) – Traveler – Call & Response