The next few days pa.s.sed in the blink of an eye . Daisy's presence was scarce and not felt when she was around . Where she had been, I was not sure, but I had a suspicion that she had been meeting up with Anthony's head of security . It was about time they started dating . Without me in the picture, it would not be unethical for her to date Ethan .

I had surfed the internet day and night, plotted on maps and made grand plans . Still, I had no clue what I was going to do . I was in the process of figuring out if I could live without killing any longer .

How dependent could I be on it? I wondered, absent-mindedly as I looked at pictures of distant Greek islands .

All these places were beautiful, but how could I escape the danger that is my life and create a new ident.i.ty for myself? The question seemed to chase away sleep without much effort . I had promised to not stop until I knew what I was going to do .

I started when I heard the familiar ringtone near me . I reached out and stared at the screen . It was Jacob . I didn't know what I was supposed to do .

He had said that he would contact his informants and that he would call if he had something important to convey . I was worried about the news he had received .

What if someone chases me all across the world? How would I live my dreams of a new life, then?

Hesitantly, I picked up the phone and pulled it to my ears .

"What news do you have for me this fine morning," I asked him in the most playful voice I could manage .

"Why didn't you tell me?" Panic seized me . I didn't know what he was talking about . I had kept too many secrets from him; the point was: which one did he find out about?

"What are you talking about?" I asked, playing the innocent flower .

"You know what I am talking about, Mia! Don't act so coy!" I pulled the cell phone away from my ear to protect it from his loud scream .

"I don't have the slightest clue-"

"Why didn't you mention that Anthony Murray was there," he cut me off, impatiently .

"I didn't think it was important," I told him, schooling my voice into a nonchalant baritone .

"Not important?" he hissed . "It makes me question your loyalty, Mia . How do I know that this is the only lie you have told me?"

"This is not the only lie I was told you, Jacob . You know that as well as I do . " I sighed . "Do you really want to go over the same things again? I am tired of talking about a man who does not influence my life in any way," I lied . Flawless in my performance, I waited for him to reply .

"Does not influence- No, I can't believe you are saying this . You are the way you are because of him . Why do you think I haven't asked you to marry yet, Mia? Have you ever thought about that?" That snapped me out of my sa.s.sy stupor .

"No . I have always wondered, though . What made you change your mind today, Jacob . "

"The man you say doesn't influence you in any way . His presence in your life matters to me . You were in love with him until he left you for dead . You never know, you might start remembering your pre-betrayal feelings for him . "

"Is that the reason why you haven't married me yet?" He scoffed .

"No, Mia . That is not the only reason . . . " he trailed off and an uncomfortable silence filled the void .

"We should talk, Jacob," I whispered . He cleared his throat, and I knew that it was coming; both of us knew it . We had deferred it for a long time, but it had been inevitable since the beginning .

"Yes," he agreed . "You can come to the office whenever you want . I have no appointments today or tomorrow . "

The battle was lost . A relations.h.i.+p based on benefits alone could never last . Both of us had hoped . Despite Jacob's love, his need for power and my need for simple conveniences had doomed the relations.h.i.+p since the beginning .

The worst part was that I felt no pain; I felt like a great burden was lifted off my shoulder .

I felt as if I had taken one step closer to finally live my life .