Alpha's Promise

Chapter 3

I waited for Dean to come back inside. I could hear his footsteps approaching, so I quickly composed myself, trying to appear as if I had heard nothing. When he stepped through the door, he looked startled, and probably a little on edge, wondering if I’d heard anything.

“Hey,” he said, a small smile spreading. “I thought you were still sleeping.”

“I might be working late, so I wanted to get a head start on the day,” I said, forcing a smile in return.

Dean feigned disappointment, and his smile faltered. “Oh, that’s a shame. I was hoping we could spend some time together.”

I kept my expression neutral, fighting the urge to scream at him, “Liar!" But instead, I said, “I’ll let you know if anything changes.”

“Okay,” he said, leaning in to kiss me. I turned my head slightly and let him kiss my cheek instead. He didn’t seem to notice my subtle rejection. The thought of him kissing me made me cringe internally.

I grabbed my bag and headed out the door, my mind already racing with plans. I needed to see Sarah and tell her everything.

The drive to the hospital felt like an eternity. I swear I’d gotten every possible red light. I couldn’t stop replaying the conversation I had overheard. Every word was seared into my memory. When I finally arrived, I found a parking spot and made my way inside.

Luckily, I was early, and she hadn’t left for her morning rounds yet. I took a deep breath as I approached her door. I saw that she had finally received her gold-plated door sign, which read 'Dr Sarah Smith.'

I gently knocked on her door. “Come in,” she called out.

“Hi,” I said, feeling a little nervous as I walked through the door, closing it behind me.

“Missy, what’s going on?” she asked, concern etched on her face.

I took a deep breath, trying to steady my voice. “Dean is planning something. I overheard him talking to Megan. I think he wants to kill me,” I said, failing to hold the tears back, as I felt them flood from my eyes.

Sarah got up from her seat and grabbed her tissue box. She guided me into a chair and pulled a few tissues out for me.

“I’m sorry,” I said, embarrassed that I couldn’t control my emotions. I guess everything was catching up with me.

“Never apologize, Missy, what you are going through is a lot, and no woman should have to deal with this ever,” she said, as she rubbed circles on my back, trying to reassure and relax me.

I managed to contain myself and wiped away my tears.

“I walked in on him with Megan last night, and now he’s trying to cover it up. But it’s more than that. I think they are in love, and he wants me gone.”

Sarah’s expression turned grave. “This is serious, Missy. You can’t go back there. We need to call the police.”

I felt torn. “I know. Part of me wants to make them pay for what they’ve done, but I’m also scared of what might happen if I go back.”

She nodded, understanding. “Safety first. There’s no telling what Dean might do. You can’t go back. It’s not worth it.”

“I’ll figure something out. I guess I just need some time to think.”

“Take all the time you need. And if you need anything, call me,” she said firmly.

I nodded in reply.

“I mean it, Missy. I know we don’t know each other that well, but trust me when I say I care about you, and this is a dangerous situation. We need to get you out of it,” she said.

“Thank you, I appreciate your support, I just… I had no one else to go to about this…” I said.

“You have my number, Missy. I always have my phone on me. And if you need somewhere to stay, I have plenty of room, okay?” she said.

“Thank you. I’ve got this,” I replied as I placed the tissue box back on her desk and made my way out of the chair.

As I got up to leave her office, she pulled me into a hug. “Take care, Missy,” she whispered.

“Will do,” I replied, as I gave her a small smile and made my way out of her office.

I made my way to the restroom to freshen up. Once I’d done that, I pulled out my phone to call my manager. “Hey, it’s Missy.

Some personal stuff has come up, and I need to take the day off. I’m really sorry for the short notice.”

My boss was less than impressed. “Seriously, Missy. This is really short notice. You know we are short-staffed,” she said, then she paused.

“Look, you’ve never done this before, so I am assuming it’s important?” she asked.

“It really is,” I replied.

“Okay, call me later, and let me know if I need to replace you for tomorrow. Goodbye,” she said as she ended the call.

I didn’t have time to thank her. My boss was always stressed and didn’t prioritize small talk or niceties, so I didn’t have time to thank her.

Now that I had the whole day ahead of me, I needed to figure out what I was gonna do next. I walked downstairs to the hospital cafeteria and grabbed an oat mocha, then I made my way back to my car.

I drove to a quiet spot by the water. It was my favorite place to sit and drink my coffee and reflect on life. I parked and sipped on my coffee while I contemplated what I would do next. The calming sound of the waves helped me to focus. Dean knew I didn’t have any family, and Megan was pretty much my only friend. He had met Sarah, so it wouldn’t take him long to find me there, assuming he wanted to find me. I assumed he didn’t want to just leave me because he didn’t want to divide our assets.

When I was a child, I'd inherited money, but my distant relatives who raised me never showed any care for me, so they left as soon as I became old enough. Dean came from a broken home. He was between jobs when I met him. But none of that mattered to me. He was very charming, and he seemed to care for me. That was enough for me. I’d never felt accepted and loved before I met Dean. I assumed he wanted me out of the way because he would inherit my estate and trust fund. So I feared that just moving out and divorcing him wouldn’t be enough.

Thinking back, there was only one person I’d ever had a close bond with, the one person I could trust with anything, Xander, but when I moved away from my hometown, we lost contact.

I wonder if he still lives there?

Dean didn’t know about Xander; he never asked me much about my life before I moved here. And in hindsight, that was a good thing. I could go back home, and he wouldn’t even know where I was. Better yet, maybe I could stay with him.

Xander had lived rurally back then. His family owned a lot of land. I assumed he still did. He had an enormous family, and they were very close. They generally kept to themselves. They were self-sufficient, but every and then I would see them in town, and they were always friendly.

We'd always been close, especially when my dad left, and my mom got sick. He was my rock. He was even there for me when my Great Aunt and Uncle came to look after me. They weren't kind. But Xander helped make my life easier, and more enjoyable.

It was hard to say goodbye when I decided to leave. But at the time, I was a mess. I’d lost my real family, and I needed to get out of that small town. It was suffocating me. And I felt it was for the best at the time.

Hopefully, Xander will still be around. I took a leap of faith and pulled my phone out of my pocket and scrolled through my contact list. I clicked on the X and pressed send. Seconds later, the phone clicked on the other end.

“Missy, is that you?” his familiar voice asked.

“Hey Xander, it’s me,” I said happily. It felt so good to hear his voice.

“Missy, it’s been so long. Are you okay?” he asked, concern clear in his tone.

“No, not really,” I said, stifling back my emotions.

“Missy, where are you? I’m coming to get you!” he said in a dominant tone.

“I’m okay right now. Xander, I’m thinking of coming home for a bit,” I replied.

“Great! When?” he asked.

“Well, I plan to leave today, so I should be home tomorrow morning,” I said with optimism in my voice.

“Do you need me to pick you up?” he asked.

“No. I’m gonna drive. I just need to pick a few things up, and I’ll be on my way,” I said.

“Okay, stay safe, Missy, and call me. I need to know you are okay,” he said.

“See you soon, Xander,” I said, ending the call.

I needed to get off the grid. I needed a fresh start. I needed to leave this place and everything behind. I did not need money or material possessions. I just wanted to live my life. I was broken by Dean and Megan's betrayal, and I might never recover from it. But I wanted to at least try. I wouldn’t get that here if I were constantly looking over my shoulder.

Upon deciding to leave, I realized that I would need some essentials. I wanted to get out of here as soon as possible, and I couldn’t risk Dean catching on. That, and I knew that both he and Mega would be home right now.

So I drove to Walmart to grab a few supplies, some basic clothes, underwear, something warm, toiletries, a new phone, and some non-perishable snacks. I paid in cash to avoid leaving a trail, and I knew that the first thing Dean would check would be our bank accounts.

Next, I headed to the bank. I walked in, trying to act as normal as possible, and requested to withdraw a significant sum of money. I left enough in my account so it wouldn’t arouse suspicion. We didn’t have a joint account. It was all under my name. But Dean had access to it all. The teller handed me the cash with a smile, and I was on my way.

As I drove away from the bank, I felt determined. I was ready to drive on out of here, and then it hit me. There was one thing I couldn’t leave behind: my cat, Luna. I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her with Dean. I had to go back to the house, but I knew Dean and Megan would be there, so I needed to be stealthy.

I parked a few blocks away from my house and walked back, keeping to the shady overgrown trees. As I approached, Dean’s car caught my attention as it was parked in front of Megan’s in the driveway. My heart pounded in my chest as I crept around to the side of the house and made my way to the back door. It was usually unlocked since Dean was forever losing his keys.

I quietly opened the door and slipped inside. The house was quiet, but I could hear muffled voices from the bedroom. I quickly made my way into the living room. Luna was curled up on the sofa, and she looked up at me with wide, curious eyes.

“Hey, Luna,” I whispered, scooping her up and holding her close to my chest. I moved as quickly and silently as I could, listening for any sign that Dean or Megan might be approaching.

Just as I was about to pull open the back door with Luna in my arms, the hallway door swung open. Dean stood there, his eyes narrowing as he looked me up and down.

“Now what would you be doing at home at this time of day, and what are you doing with the cat?” he asked in a suspicious tone as if he had already worked out what was going on.

My mind raced for an explanation, my heart pounding in my chest. “I, uh, I forgot something and thought I might as well let Luna out for a bit of fresh air since I’ll be working late.” I stammered, trying to keep my voice steady.

Dean took a step closer, his eyes hardening. “Really? Because it looks to me like you’re planning on going somewhere.”

I forced myself to stay calm. “Dean, you’re being paranoid. I just wanted to let Luna out. I'd better get back to work.”

His gaze flickered to the door and then back to me. “You’re lying, and you’re not going anywhere.”

My heart sank. There was no way to back out now. “What?”

His face twisted with anger. “You think you can just walk out on me? After everything?”

I took a deep breath. “I need to get back. I’m on my lunch break...”

For a moment, there was a tense silence. Then, to my horror, Dean’s lips curled into a bitter smile. “No, you’re not. You called in sick to work. Your boss told me.”

I felt the blood leave my face. I felt physically ill at that moment. As I backed up towards the door and turned to leave, I felt a sharp, blinding pain at the back of my head. The world spun around me, and I lost consciousness, as I felt Luna slipping from my grasp, as darkness consumed me.