𝐔𝐧𝐡𝐨𝐥𝐲| 𝟏𝟖+

𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑝𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑛𝑒

New York City is the perfect place to hide from anyone. With over 8 million people living in the state, it's the best place to start over and become a new person, and after traveling for over two days, I finally made it to my new home.

I already miss Clara, wishing I could call her, but it was too soon. Fourteen days. That's how long I have to wait until I can hear her voice. I was dying to know how things were going there and if anyone had noticed my absence. Most likely not. She was the only one there that cared about me.

I would make new friends here and get the fresh start I needed. But first, I needed to get a job. With Clara's job, she did a lot of traveling around the country, mainly in New York City which is one of the main reasons we picked here for me to move too. Another she already had an apartment in her name that was furnished and ready to move into. The less my name was out there, the better.

Pulling over to the side of the road I place the car in park and take in the tall buildings around me, I was finally here. This was happening.

Leaning over the console I open the glove compartment and pull out the yellow envelope. Inside everything I would need. A new driver's license, the key to the apartment, and Claras' car. Digging through it I find a white envelope stuffed with cash and a letter from Clara.

𝐻𝑎𝑖𝑙𝑒𝑦,

𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑎𝑖𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑏𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒'𝑠 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑒𝑥𝑡𝑟𝑎 𝑐𝑎𝑠ℎ 𝑡𝑜 ℎ𝑒𝑙𝑝 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑜𝑢𝑡. 𝐼 𝑘𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑖𝑓 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑜𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑑, 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑠𝑡𝑢𝑏𝑏𝑜𝑟𝑛 𝑎𝑠𝑠 𝑤𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 ℎ𝑎𝑣𝑒 𝑑𝑒𝑛𝑖𝑒𝑑 𝑖𝑡 𝑏𝑢𝑡 𝐼 ℎ𝑎𝑑 𝑡𝑜 𝑚𝑎𝑘𝑒 𝑠𝑢𝑟𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑔𝑜𝑡 𝑖𝑡. 𝐼 𝑎𝑙𝑠𝑜 𝑏𝑜𝑢𝑔ℎ𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎 𝑛𝑒𝑤 𝑝ℎ𝑜𝑛𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑡 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑔, 𝑖𝑡 𝑠ℎ𝑜𝑢𝑙𝑑 𝑏𝑒 𝑖𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑑𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡. 𝑌𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑛𝑒𝑖𝑔ℎ𝑏𝑜𝑟 𝐷𝑜𝑟𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑖𝑠 𝑎 𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑡 𝑜𝑙𝑑𝑒𝑟 𝑙𝑎𝑑𝑦, ℎ𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑜𝑓 ℎ𝑒𝑎𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑢𝑡 ℎ𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑠𝑤𝑒𝑒𝑡𝑒𝑠𝑡 𝑠𝑜𝑢𝑙 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑐𝑖𝑡𝑦. 𝐼𝑓 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑 𝑎𝑛𝑦𝑡ℎ𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑏𝑒𝑓𝑜𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑓𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑡𝑒𝑒𝑛 𝑑𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑢𝑝 𝑗𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑐𝑘 𝑜𝑛 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑑𝑜𝑜𝑟, 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑠ℎ𝑒'𝑙𝑙 𝑘𝑛𝑜𝑤 𝑤ℎ𝑎𝑡 𝑡𝑜 𝑑𝑜 𝑓𝑟𝑜𝑚 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒. 𝑆ℎ𝑒 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑟𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑜𝑛𝑙𝑦 𝑡𝑤𝑜 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ 𝑎𝑐𝑐𝑒𝑠𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑦𝑜𝑢𝑟 𝑎𝑝𝑎𝑟𝑡𝑚𝑒𝑛𝑡. 𝐼 𝑔𝑎𝑣𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟 𝑎 𝑘𝑒𝑦 𝑎 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔 𝑡𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑎𝑔𝑜 𝑡𝑜 𝑤𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑟 𝑠𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑜𝑓 𝑚𝑦 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒. 𝑌𝑜𝑢'𝑟𝑒 𝑠𝑎𝑓𝑒 𝑤𝑖𝑡ℎ ℎ𝑒𝑟. 𝐼 𝑚𝑖𝑠𝑠 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑎𝑙𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑦 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑙𝑜𝑣𝑒 𝑦𝑜𝑢 𝑠𝑜 𝑚𝑢𝑐ℎ.

𝐿𝑜𝑣𝑒, 𝐶𝑙𝑎𝑟𝑎．

Whipping the tears from my cheeks I silently cursed Clara. She knew me too well.

Pulling a card from the envelope I read the code for the garage and place it on the dash before digging for the apartment key. Once I had them both I got back onto the streets and finished the short drive to the complex.

For the first time in a long time, I felt relief and happiness. Nothing and no one was going to stop me from being my best self. No man, no woman. Nobody. I'm swearing off men from now. I can be a strong independent woman, and I don't need a man to be happy.

As I continue the drive I can't help but feel a little bit of guilt and regret about my family. I missed them and wish more than anything I could patch things up with them again. But if I reached out to them now then I would risk everything and all of this would be pointless.

I'd be found and brought back to that horrible place or worse, I'd go to prison. After everything Aiden did to me, I can't give him that satisfaction, alive or dead, he doesn't deserve that.

Shaking my head from those thoughts I focus on the present and not the past. I wouldn't let him take this moment from me.

Pulling up to the gate, I press the code in and watch as it rises to let me enter. It brought me some form of comfort to know that it was a gated apartment complex, it made me feel a bit safer.

Parking the car I grab a bag in one hand and the envelope in another and make my way to the building. Luckily there was an elevator which meant I didn't have to climb up and down any flight of stairs.

Stepping off the elevator I quickly found my apartment and unlock the door. I walk in mesmerized by how beautiful everything looked.

The windows stretched from the ceiling down to the floor letting the natural sunlight in and bounce off the white walls making the space seem brighter. The gorgeous view of the city below me full of busy people.

Everything was open and airy making the place feel like home. And it was, it was home. And it was all mine.

Pulling my hair into a ponytail I bring in the rest of my stuff from the car. It wasn't a lot, mainly clothes. Everything else I left behind was replaceable.

After placing each box in the room it was meant for I double-checked the doors and windows making sure they were locked and all curtains closed.

Going to the fridge I open it and to no surprise found it empty. I had several things I needed to do tomorrow and grocery shopping was one of them.

To keep my name off records, Clara is having a friend pick up the rental car and drop it off at the drop-off location to make it seem as though they were the driver and not me.

She made sure everything was thought of to keep me safe and out of view. If it wasn't for her, I'd still be stuck at that hell hole rotting away on the inside.