Just love is never enough

Chapter 3

When they finally arrived at the airport, Taylor was glad they weren't greeted by camera flashes. To keep the noise down, they used the side entrance reserved for people like them. Usually the car pulled up to the private part of the airport, where there were a few hangars scattered here and there, where rich people's private planes were stored. But, since the flight would last fourteen hours, he had seen fit to ride with the "men" in first class.

That should give an idea of the kind of man he was to anyone who doubted Taylor's words . They walked quietly through the airport and boarded the plane that would take them to the land of the free.

Taylor hadn't flown first class in a long time, as they mostly flew on a private jet, but as she sat down in one of the seats, she was reminded how comfortable it was.

One would think that she wouldn't even notice how nice it was to experience all that a private jet had to offer, but that wasn't the case. Because for her, this journey was so much more enjoyable. Taylor wasn't locked in a small room with only people practically holding her hostage.

Not that they were hurting her, unless John was angry for some reason, but it definitely didn't feel safe and welcoming. At any rate, it made Taylor anxious and made her feel, trapped. But flying on an airplane full of people gave her a strange sense of peace. Like it wasn't just John, her and his bodyguards.

There were people and there was space. So unlike a private plane, Taylor could relax. Especially when John fell asleep and she could lift the partition and feel like he wasn't here. Like this wasn't a flight she was forced to pleasure him on, but a flight she'd chosen to have a nice vacation on.

A flight like this gave Taylor the opportunity to imagine that her life had changed, if only for a moment. For a few hours, she could live inside the bubble she imagined and act as if it were her life.

Like she was an ordinary woman in an ordinary world, living an ordinary life. That once the plane landed, she wouldn't have to smile for the cameras and pretend that the bruises hidden under her clothes didn't hurt.

Pretend that her heart wasn't a dry desert filled with nothing but tumbleweeds.John wasn't particularly fond of flying, so as soon as he was handed the champagne, he drank it in one sitting and swallowed the pill that would help him fall asleep faster and give Taylor the few hours of bliss she was so desperate for. So when he fell asleep, she relaxed.

Of course, he wouldn't be gone for the entire flight. The pills he was taking weren't that strong, but for the few hours they provided her with, she could experience partial freedom. Only for him to wake up a few hours later and make Taylor eat.

But for those few hours, she could breathe. And her stiffened body relaxed in the seat, feeling like she didn't have to live up to anyone's expectations. The flight was relatively peaceful.

And as expected, as soon as they stepped off the plane, they were assaulted by a mob of photographers and reporters who shouted questions at them and demanded they look in a certain direction.

As usual, John's arm went around Taylor's waist, pulling her closer to his body and following the security guards who were making way for them through the people in their path. Taylor didn't know what she hated more: his touch or the feeling of people closing in on her.

And if it hadn't been for the quick work of airport security, she would have felt dizzy and been on the verge of passing out, not that it would have been the first time. And then the headlines wouldn't have been positive at all, which would have made John very angry. Because if there was one thing he hated, it was bad press. As stupid as it was, he hated it. And if the article even mentioned Taylor, it was her fault she was a pathetic bitch who couldn't take care of herself.