3: 3
The next morning was the third stop on our trip.
I'd lost the excitement I used to feel, and I'd gotten used to John not being at my side.
After folding the last shirt, I tossed John's old clothes off to one side.
A man who no longer belonged to me had no business taking up my space or my world.
He walked in just then, and the words he opened his mouth to hurry me along turned into surprise.
"Evelyn... are you done packing... did you just throw my clothes on the floor?"
His eyes went wide in disbelief, like it had never occurred to him that I would refuse.
Fair enough. The old me had always given in to him completely. If he told me to go east, I'd never dare go west.
But now I seemed to have become someone different.
John froze for a second, before he could get a word out.
Then Sophie called him over in that syrupy voice of hers.
"John, come look, does this outfit go together?"
His soul seemed to be pulled straight toward her, and he trotted over.
Just as I was about to close the suitcase, I saw Sophie's skimpy swimsuit sprawled across my modest one.
I thought back to the beach a few days ago, the way John's eyes had stuck to Sophie.
She was slim, curved in all the right places, and next to her I looked like a block of wood without a shred of desire.
Throwing the swimsuit in front of me now was a bare-faced dare.
I sighed, picked up the swimsuit, and went to return it.
I'd barely reached the door when I heard something I didn't want to hear.
"Stop it, you almost tore my strap right off!"
John laughed, low and flirtatious. "Isn't this exactly how you like me?"
I cleared my throat, cutting off whatever the two of them were about to do next.
"Your things. Here."
John's face went darker than a storm. When I turned to leave, he grabbed my arm and held on tight.
"You did it on purpose? Stealing Sophie's clothes?"
I couldn't help laughing.
"I don't have that kind of time to spare, spying on things that don't matter to me. You two do whatever you want. I'm going."
When I said I was going, I meant leaving for good.
My suitcase was already outside the hotel.
And his Maybach had been waiting a good while.
John didn't take it seriously. He still thought I was throwing a fit the way I always did.
As I turned to go, my bag strap caught on Sophie by accident, and she took the opening to fall.
She hit the floor with a thud.
I gave it one glance and walked off, baffled.
But John reacted like it was some emergency and yanked me back by force.
"Apologize to Sophie! You did that on purpose, didn't you!"
He pulled hard enough to hurt, and I fought my way out of his grip.
"Why should I!"
With that, I ran for the door without looking back.
Until Jim Sanchez appeared beside the car and caught me steadily in his arms.
Behind me, the color drained from John's face in an instant.
"Evelyn, you've actually been in contact with him!"
It didn't surprise me that John still remembered Jim.
The two of them hadn't seen each other in eight years, but Jim had always stood right there between John and me.
Jim lifted his chin, the look he gave the man across from him full of contempt.
"It surprises you that Jim and I are in touch? Besides, there's nothing between you and her now, is there?"
I thought John would nod it off like it was nothing, then turn and leave with Sophie.
Then he'd never have to keep up the empty pretense with me, and he could be with his true love Sophie out in the open, no shame about it.
Jim finished speaking, took my hand, and moved to help me into the car.
But then John suddenly stepped in front of me, and the look in his eyes as he stared at me was full of injury.
"You're my girlfriend. Don't tell me you don't want me anymore?"
The moment the words were out, everyone was stunned.
Sophie included. Her face turned unbearably ugly.
She must not have expected it. That John would declare, in front of everyone, how much he wanted to keep me.
Jim's mouth curled with mockery, like he'd just heard a joke.
"Your woman? You who kept one on each arm, who ordered her around like a servant?"
"Your woman, huh. Go ask the friends standing next to you. Eight years, and who among them even knew she was your girlfriend? Not only did she do everything you said, she had to watch you drop her, again and again, and run off to another woman."
"John, I used to think you were brave back then, that you'd truly be good to her. Turns out I had you wrong."
Jim looked at him, contempt all over his face, gripped my hand tighter, and took me away.
