Chapter 17
Chapter 17
“What?” I asked, still a little dazed.
“You came to Alaska for an adventure, right? Arctic winter. Working in the middle of nowhere. Flying in a bush plane. Do you need to sleep with a local before you go back to reality p>
I yanked my hand back and retreated to my side of the seat.
Humiliation washed over me like a cold, sticky wave.
“I don’t understand why you’re so mean to me,” I choked out. “I’ve
never done anything to you! I just want to do my job and be left
alone. Is that so wrong p>
Declan stared at me, his dark brows drawn together. “Why did you
come to Graytooth? Tell me the truth p>
“You won’t want to hear it.” My tone was heavy. Certain.
“Let me guess. You wanted to escape the troubles of your old life. You craved adventure.” He said the last sentence with a hint of mockery, an unfriendly smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “You wanted to live somewhere wild and untamed. You wanted p>
“I wanted to get as far away as possible from my stalker
ex–boyfriend!” I shouted in anger.
He shut his mouth. The smirk disappeared from his face. “What p>
“I have a restraining order. But he keeps violating it. The police can’t do anything. I just wanted to run. Run as far away as I could. So I didn’t come here because Alaska is great. I came because out of all the remote places I applied to, Tikkonnit Valley was the first to offer
Chapter 17
me a job p>
I used to think the worst thing about Alex was how boring he was.
He didn’t hit me. Didn’t insult me. Didn’t yell at me. Wasn’t cruel. But being with him was exhausting.
It took me a long time to leave him. I wasn’t afraid of him–I just didn’t have the courage.
There was no clean reason to give him for the breakup. No last straw. No obvious wrong. I was just tired–of him, of myself, of
everything.
When I finally worked up the courage to break up with him, Alex just frowned and stared at me in confusion, repeating my words like
an old macaw. “It’s over? We’re over? You’re leaving me? Leaving
me p>
After the breakup, that’s when he started scaring me.
After I packed up his stuff and took back my key, he kept showing up at the places I frequented–coffee shops, grocery stores, my favorite bookstore–and talked to me like we’d never broken up.
When I didn’t play along, he acted like I was being unreasonable. Confused about why I was uncomfortable.
When I hid away because of relationship problems, the friends who hadn’t given up on me were happy I’d broken up with him.
They dragged me to bars and clubs, saying I needed to “forget” him. But every time, I’d see him in the crowd, staring at me.
I’d never liked clubs to begin with. After all this, going out made me panic and scared. When I wasn’t at school, I stayed home alone.
Miserable. But didn’t want to do anything.
Chapter 17
The last straw came one day when I got home late after working at school until late at night. I found him sitting calmly on my couch in the dark, waiting for me. “What are you doing here?” I asked, pressing my hand against my racing heart.
♡ (8)
Cedella
Cedella is a passionate storyteller known for her bold romantic and spicy novels that keep readers hooked from the very first chapter. With a flair for crafting emotionally intense plots and unforgettable characters, she blends love, desire, and drama into every story she writes. Cedella’s storytelling style is immersive and addictive—perfect for fans of heated romances and heart-pounding twists.