One Last Time (COMPLETED)

Breaking Free

Mia,

Do you hate me? I feel like you hate me. I can't live with the idea of you being mad at me, but here we are. You and Parker both. Parker told me I always drag you into my crap a few weeks ago, and I think maybe he's right. No matter what I do, you always seem to end up in deep because of something I did.

I'm sorry, Mimi. You don't deserve this.

M.F

I shifted Michaela in my arm and flipped to the next page.

Mia,

I talked to Dad today. He doesn't know im pregnant of course, but he was pissed. I don't even remember what it was about, but he slapped me. Hard. Full force. It was so hard that I started bleeding. When I got back home I told you I ran into a door because I didn't want you to hate Daddy. But he's so cruel and manipulative, Mia. I see the way he treats Mom. I just want her to get away from him.

M.F

Though the two pages were short, abrupt, and to the point, they were nothing like that of the next page.

Mia,

I wrote a few weeks ago someone was stalking me. It's gotten worse. They're leaving notes behind, texting me from unknown numbers, calling with caller ID's. When I went to Shop & Go last night, I saw a shadow pass behind my car and locked my doors. I don't know who it is, or why they're stalking me. I thought it might be that Frat boy I had a few flings with, but this person is much taller and muscular. Like Parker. But I know it's not Parker because I got the calls and texts while he was next to me a few days ago. I just wish I could grow a pair and tell this to you, because what if they're watching you too, Mia? What if they're like, murderers or something? I'm scared, Mia. For me and my babies. They're helpless in here, in my stomach, and I feel like one wrong turn and all three of us will be dead.

M.F

I shut the diary quickly and pushed it off my lap so it hit the floor with a loud thud. Michaela started whimpering and I rose to my feet, my heart still racing in my chest. Out of instinct, I looked to the only window in the room, relieved to find the red curtains over the drawn blinds. It overlooked the street, and though we were ten stories up, I feared that whoever was watching Tanner and me that day at the café was somehow correlated to whoever was after my sister.

"You look like you've seen a ghost." Parker's quiet rasp filled the silent room. I jumped where I stood, my heart lurching into my throat. I slowly eased Michaela into her bassinet and nearly kissing her when she remained asleep. Creeping out of the room, I nodded for Parker to follow suit so he didn't stir either baby awake. They'd been on a pretty decent schedule the last week. Sure, they still woke up a couple times a night, they're babies. But for the most part, they'd started to sleep long enough for the three of us adults to get at least five hours a night.

"You okay?" he asked once we were in the living room, heading into the kitchen.

I sat on the arm of the couch, raking my hand through my hair. "Yeah. I. . . I was just reading more from the diary."

"Yeah?" Parker popped the lid off a root beer bottle and handed it over as he approached, then did the same for the one in his other hand. "What'd it say?"

"Most of it was about my dad and how he's a piece of crap. And how the two of you got into a fight about her dragging me into her drama." I sipped at the soda. "Then she started talking about someone watching her again, stalking her. She said they started calling, and texting, and when she was out someone would be walking around her car."