Cheska Today is my second day in California. It’s early morning, and I’m setting up my new cellphone when Drake emerges in my doorway. He’s talking to someone on the phone before handing it to me, making me wonder who it is. “ It’s your friend Kate,” he says. “ She got my number from Prince.” The mentioning of such name still makes my heart drop. I sigh and take the phone from Drake. “Hello?” Kate’s cries fill my ear as soon as I speak, and she goes frantic. “Oh my God, Ches. Are you okay? How are you doing over there?” A soft smile tugs at my lips. I miss her. It feels like ages since the last time I heard from her. This girl is worrying about me like I’m dying. “I’m okay. Don’t worry.” “God, I never thought that – “ she stops talking and starts sobbing. “If only I’d figured it out earlier.” She’s speaking about Andrew. There’s a guilt in her voice, and I want to tell her that none of this is her fault. Before, neither of us realized that Andrew was such a psychopath. We thoug

Cheska As soon as Drake comes back from work, he visits my room. I sigh, closing my laptop. Drake leans back against my door frame, still in his office attire. “ Are you sure, Ches?” he asks me the question once again. I nod. This past week, I've been spending time with my laptop to figure out what I'm going to do with my life. And finally, I've found a light, filled with hope for my future. A way to achieve my dreams. "You know, I never thought that something like this would ever happen, but-" he falters, and I give him a hopeful look. A soft smile touches his lips. "As long as it makes you happy, I'm fine with it." Relief washes over me. I thought that he would be reluctant to accept my idea at first, butI always know that he's going to be supportive, as long as it's the best for me. I stand up from the chair, approach him and hug him, making him sigh. "Thank you, Drake. I always know that you're gonna be on my side." When we pull away, I do see the sadness in his eyes. Regrets

Cheska The moment I close the door behind me, my sobs finally break. I’ve never thought that I would say those words to him, but I had to. We can’t be together anymore. I’ve promised myself that I’m going to forget everything about my painful past, about him. I need to be strong, and I can only be so without him. I’ve planned my future, and he won’t be in the picture. Our future doesn’t work together. Mine will destroy his. Drake leans back against the wall, his arms crossed on his chest, his eyes closed. He has heard everything as well. When he turns to me and walks closer to hug me, I bury my face in his chest and cry my eyes out, hugging him back. I can’t bear the pain anymore. Hurting Prince breaks my own heart, worse than when he broke mine. He came all the way here for me. He waited for days, standing on the street outside. He still waited for me even when the rain had been pouring hard on him. He was crying when he said that he loved me. But then, I just crushed him with m

Cheska The thought of Drake purchasing a gun still bothered my mind the entire night, but I decide not to question him again about that. I keep wondering why he suddenly decides to carry it now. We've been living in California for two weeks, and so far, everything is fine. This morning, he leaves for work, as usual. While I'm about to finish blow-drying my hair inside my bathroom, I hear footstep sounds from downstairs. That makes my heart thump hard against my chest. Ever since the incident of Andrew breaking into our house in England, the smallest sound and the slightest movement can make me become a paranoid again. I'm sure that Jake has locked the door, so if it weren't him, who else would enter this house? Slowly, I step out of my room and head downstairs, almost tiptoeing so that I won't make too much sound. My pulse quickens as I finally reach the ground level. When I see the person entering the living room, I yelp in surprise. My eyes widen as I see Prince standing before m