The Forgotten Heiress novel Chapter 80

Suddenly scent became stronger and even though she was seeing it all in black and white, it all seemed clearer somehow, sharper.

Jessica took in the forests' scent through her elongated nose and one scent stood out from the others.

Nicks

Like a splash of cold water Jessica came crashing back to earth and once again began to run. She didn't care where she went, she just ran. Ran away from it all, from him, from the pain and from the lies.

"Jessica!!"

She heard her named being screamed but she didn't stop.

She kept on running.

Hours later, spent, she made her way to her parents' home. Shivering from the night cold, her clothing in tatters, she knocked on the front door.

She was tired and hurting; physically and emotionally.

Warily her mom opened the door and Jessica flung herself into her arms. Noticing the remains of her clothing Lauren led her upstairs to her old room without asking the questions that were burning the tip of her tongue.

Without a sound, on autopilot, Jessica dressed herself and slipped into bed.

Lauren tucked her in, concern clear in her eyes and only then did Jessica open the dam that held back the flood of her emotions. She flew into her mom's arms and cried until she could cry no more, until her eyes could produce no more tears.

"Jessica what happened?" Her mom asked once Jessica had calmed down and her tears had stopped.

Jessica told her, and the heart wrenching tears began all over again.

Lauren was speechless.

"Get me out of here mom!" Jessica pleaded between heart wracking sobs. "I don't want to be here! Please mom, please get me out of here, take me away, and make this pain go away! Make my heart stop hurting." Jessica pressed her palm against her chest. "It feels like my chest is going to explode or cave in. Now I know why they call it heart break, 'cause it really does feel like your heart is braking. Make it go away mom! Make the pain stop...please!" She begged with tears running down her face.

Her scent still lingered here, that's why he kept coming back. Like an addict needing a fix.

With that disturbing but truthful thought, he knocked on the door again and waited a couple minutes in silence. Like before, there was no answer. And just like before he raised his hand to knock once again.

Over the months it had become a routine. He would knock, wait a minute or two then knock some more. He did it again and again until whoever was home grew tired of the noise and finally opened the door. There was no point in trying to hide; with his heightened senses he knew when someone was home and the conversation and the length that ensued when the door was finally opened depended on who it was that answered his call.

His knuckles had barely graced the wood when the door swung open and took a step back.

"Hey Dani." He shoved his hands into his pockets and tried to smile by his attempt fell short and it looked more like a grimace.

In reality he had forgotten what it was like to smile. Since Jessica's disappearance he had forgotten about the brighter things in life all together. Without her his world had become dark and cold. In the beginning, he had thought of her as his prey, he'd thought himself smart and cunning but he was an amateur compared to her.

It was she who had snuck up on him without him being the wiser. She crept up on him and the next thing he knew she had become his world. Now that she was gone...he felt as if he was lost in space with nothing holding him down.

Nothing.