"Tell me everything." Sophie demanded as we slowly walked through my building complex. She pulled her long blonde hair back into a ponytail and her usual hoodie and jeans had been swapped out for simple black dress pants and a shirt that wasn't nearly as frumpy as usual. She was all business today and it made her look older and a little intimidating. I noticed that my staff gave her confused looks, not recognizing her in this new attire. However, I was very grateful she stepped away from her meeting to come see me, even though she was just digging for details.

"You were there with me; there is not much to tell." I said, trying to cover how red my cheeks were getting with the all of the casualness I could muster. "We just walked around an art gallery together. Pretty underwhelming."

"Celeste..." she pressed.

"I'm not sure." I blurted out, throwing my hands in the air as we continued our stroll. "I mean, he was wonderful. He was actually paying attention to the art and not just his phone which I thought was impressive. And we had a good conversation I guess, but I haven't been on a date in so long I'm not sure if it was actually good or not. Like maybe I think it was so wonderful but he is cringing at home because of it. But I just really think that it turned out nicely."

"And he's very cute." Sophie interjected, "So he's good t look at and good to talk to. Sounds like someone that is definitely worth taking on a second date. And he sounds much better and more attentive than my date was."

"I noticed she wasn't really pay attention to anything. And she seemed kind of peeved that she had to be there at all. I thought she was going to throw a fit when you asked her to stay with you in the café afterwards." I said, encouraging the conversation away from my night. It brought on too many mixed feelings to talk about it. Maybe in a couple weeks I would be more decided, but I hated the feeling of uncertainty that ate at me. He captivated my interest so completely, but I was absolutely horrified of what could happen if things went wrong.

"I know what you're doing." Sophie warned, as always, latching on to the slightest bit of anxiety in my voice. "Tell me why you can't make yourself text him for a second date."

We passed one of my creativity rooms, filled with drawing boards and modelling clay. Two of my employees were laughing as they stared at their strange creations. Another woman was in the back of the room, focusing very intently on whatever she was drawing, her tongue jutting out the side of her mouth. I absently reminded myself to check and see what they had all come up with later.

"I've been the well-dressed route before, you know, with the nice hair and the expensive clothes and the power. Not to mention governmental status." I stated as we continued on our way.

"And it didn't end well for you." Sophie agreed, "But not every guy who dresses well will be Josh. If anything, you should be really happy that he doesn't dress like a typical straight guy."

"I'm just not sure if I'm ready." I denied with a shake of my head, "He's great, but it almost seems like he's too great. I don't know how to explain this rationally. But I feel like if I had someone completely different than Josh I would be more at ease. You know? Someone who didn't always dress so well, someone who stuck out at art galleries and didn't know so much about history. Alistair is great, but he's too perfect."

"Are you worried that you would have to tell him the truth eventually? Or are you worried about his job?" Sophie whispered.

"No, I don't think I would tell anyone about what really happened. The fact that he is a government agent- or at least he claims to be- doesn't help. I know that he works for Canada and Josh was all American, but I just don't want to make any mistakes after being free for so long. I would never forgive myself if I slipped up over a cute guy and told him everything."

Sophie rolled her eyes, "You don't sound as sure as you should. I would give it a couple days, and if you still feel like you're unsure then just commit to a second date. Now that you have his number you control the amount of contact and when it happens, not him. And it's better to try then to throw in the white towel and wonder. Besides, he knows who I am now, but I don't really care. I can still lurk around, without Sandra this time."

"She is not the one for you." I stated, wrinkling my nose.

"No, she's not." Sophie agreed with a laugh, "But I'm only certain of that because I tried and now I don't have to wonder anymore."

I laughed a little, "You're too logical for me." But she was right, I would let it rest in my mind for a couple of days, then I would decide if I could see him again. Besides, I was twenty four; it was time to start putting out feelers again. I didn't want to be alone for the rest of my life.

A few hours later I was carefully painting my toenails in my own bedroom, in my own home all by myself. I was still antsy, but I was forcing myself to remain there regardless. It was my home and if I packed up all of my belongings and left not only would Josh simply find me again, he would also win. He would have conquered me without even laying a single finger on me. Besides, I knew that Sophie had eyes and ears on my condo at all times. She would be the first to know if anything happened to me and she was working diligently on a plan that would help me out of this disaster before it blew up into something larger. I trusted her beyond anything.

While I waited for the bright red nail polish to dry I selected one of my favorite old books, one I hadn't read since I was in eleventh grade. But I loved so dearly that I had actually taken the book with me when I had fled from Josh, unable to leave it behind. I smiled softly to myself, thinking that it would be the perfect thing to ease my restless mind, but when I opened the front cover my eyes met an old photograph that was wrinkled and torn at the edges.

It was the day that my parents had bought me my first car. It had been a beautiful Mercedes SUV, brand new of course, because anything else would fall below my parents' status. And nothing in the world had been more important than how successful the rest of the world thought they were. And I had been blind to the toxicity at the time. I was smiling, with one arm around each of them and the gleaming black SUV behind me, my elated expression clearly showing that I thought it was the best day of my life.

Even though I was quite young in the picture my face was coated with the highest quality foundation, I had lash extensions, and my glossy brown hair tumbled down my back in a glorious wave thanks to the hundreds of hair products I didn't pay for. I was dressed in the most expensive clothing and I spent my days in the most luxurious house money could buy. My mother was grinning, showing off her pearly white teeth and her hand was propped on her hip, showing off her freshly painted nails and her tiny waist. My father was wearing a suit, always looking so sharp and serious, even during his down time. We looked like a powerful and influential family, a family that people dreamed of becoming or having.

I thought I couldn't have been happier. I had everything a girl could possibly want. Then I had met Josh and everything started to slip away from me faster than I could hold on, though I hadn't always seen it. he was charming with a hundred watt smile and the clearest blue eyes. He spoke well and I had loved the way that other people looked at him, like they respected him more than they respected themselves. He didn't charity work and loved his job, making tremendous amounts of money for his age and I just thought he was wonderful. Not nearly as wonderful as my parents thought though.

They seemed to love him more than they loved me. At first, I told myself it was good, that I was lucky they got along, but then it became much more than that. I had always known that being perfect was deeply important to my parents, but I hadn't realized that they would risk my happiness for it. I certainly never dreamed they would put my safety over it. And I never thought that I wanted their approval so badly that I would let it happen. But I had almost married an awful, cruel man just to sate them. If it hadn't been for Sophie, I could've been his wife and pregnant with his child by now. That was a terrifying thought.

And now, I had run away, probably infuriating them. But I wondered if their fury would be stronger than their pride if they knew what kind of an empire I had built by myself for myself. I had followed in my father's oilfield footsteps and made a wonderful business from the ground up all by myself. I wondered if he would smile at me and if my mother would wrap me in her arms. Because, even though I knew I should've been disgusted with the way they treated me, I still wanted them to be proud of me. I wanted my dad to pat my back and tell me how good I had done and I wanted my mother to gush to her friends about me like the terrible gossip she always was. But now, I wondered if they were even worried about me, if they ever thought about what could've happened to me since I had disappeared without a trace. Or if they just shrugged it off and removed the black smudge that I was from the pristine marble that was their life.

I was a little surprised when I felt tears running down my cheeks. I hadn't cried over my old life in so long, probably because I never let myself think about it anymore. But the amount of pain that festered in my heart still stunned me. I had been gone for years. The sharp pain had dulled to an ache, but the ache never left, it seemed I just got used to it in the background.

Unfortunately, I had to get my emotions under control because the doorbell rang through my house. I quickly snuffled and wiped my tears off my cheeks, hoping that my face hadn't gotten too red already. I took a deep breath to calm down my shaky lungs and stood up, adjusting my oversized hoodie and baggy sweatpants. With any lucky it would just be little kids looking to raise money for something, like their hockey team and they wouldn't know who I was or ask why I looked like a gremlin.

But when I bumbled down the stairs and pulled open my front door, I was stunned to see Alistair. And he wasn't wearing his casual sweater and nice jeans. In fact it looked like he was wearing a bullet proof vest, the gun that had been so discretely tucked away the first time I met him was now prominently attached to his belt. And there were several men and women behind him, all wearing deep green uniforms with the words 'tactical team' across the chest.

"Alistair." I whispered, feeling dread pool in my stomach.

"Ms. Lopez, you need to come with me." He stated flatly.