Turns out fighting for our relationship was easier said than done. No matter how hard I tried, I could not contact Bennett. He blocked my number. He blocked my work number. He refused to answer any calls from Sebastian's phone. When I stopped by his house, his car was never there. It was like he hadn't been home once since he'd decided to cut me out of his life. He was doing everything he could to avoid me.

I had no doubt in my mind his mother was behind this— especially considering the fact Curtis had coincidentally decided to drop his lawsuit the same day Bennett disappeared. But that didn't mean I was only pissed at her. How could Bennett have given up on me so easily? Why didn't he even try to fight? Why couldn't he just tell me what happened? Why couldn't he have at least ended it face-to-face? There was so much I wanted to say to both of them. There was so much I wanted to say to him... but I just couldn't get to him.

I groaned, dropping my head into my hands. Thinking about it gave me headaches.

"Just forget about him," my brother said, leaning across the counter and snapping his fingers to get my attention. "He used his secretary to break up with you. Why would you want to stay with him after that?"

Lifting my head, I glowered at him. "He didn't end things with me because he wanted to. I know that much."

Brandon folded his arms over his chest. "Still. I can't take his side knowing he's doing this to you."

"Yeah, I'm not sure about this either," Ariana said, wetting a rag so she could clean the espresso machine. "I really like Bennett... but I can't understand why he would do this."

"It's his mother," I said, feeling defensive. "She has something over him. It must be bad. He wouldn't do this."

Ariana bit her lip. "I didn't think he would either, but..."

"I just need to talk to him."

Brandon and Ariana exchanged glances, but I hunched my shoulders, ignoring them. I knew they were just looking out for me. If this were any other situation, I would have agreed with them. But with Bennett it was different. They didn't understand what Bennett's mother was like.

Yet a part of me hated the fact I was making excuses for him. There were definitely better ways of dumping me than this. That part of me didn't think he deserved to have me fighting for our relationship when he didn't want to. How did he even think I would accept this? We may have never officially declared ourselves a couple, but I knew he had to feel something for me. He had to care about me. Which is why I had to talk to him. Just to make sure. If he really wanted me gone, I'd leave. But if he didn't...

"Ughh."

Ariana sighed, patting my shoulder. "There, there."

"I could hook you up with some of my friends from the jail," Brandon offered.

"Ariana, please take out the trash and make Brandon help you."

She giggled and nodded, gesturing for Brandon to follow her into the back room. The best thing about Brandon not having a job yet was having him around to do all the heavy lifting.

After the pair went outside, the bells above the door to the store jingled, signaling the arrival of a customer. I turned to greet them, plastering a smile on my face. "Hi, welcome to—"

My voice caught in my throat.

There, standing at the threshold, was Mrs. Calloway. Her bright red lips curved up into a sinister smirk when our eyes made contact. "Ah, I finally get to see you in your natural surroundings. That apron suits you well."

"What are you doing here?" I asked, fighting the embarrassment that threatened to show on my face.

"Is that how you treat your customers?"

"Customer. Noun. A person that buys goods from a store or business. I thought you would know that?"

Her eyes slanted. "I'll have a medium hot. Black."

Twisting on my heel, I walked over to the coffee pots and poured her drink, trying to take the time to level myself. Why was Mrs. Calloway here? What could she possibly have to say to me? She already got what she wanted. Was she just here to belittle me?

I placed her drink on the counter and slid it over to her. "Thank you," she said, placing a ten on the counter. "You can keep the change."

"Don't want it," I responded, tendering the transaction and dropping the money on the counter. "Have a nice day."

She didn't touch the money. "I'm not here to patronize you. In fact, I'm here to thank you."

I cocked an eyebrow. "For what?"

"Letting Bennett end things cleanly. I'm glad you've come to terms with the fact you two were never supposed to be together to begin with."

Oh boy, here we go.

"Oh sure, it's my pleasure," I said sweetly.

Her smile widened. "I see you're taking this far more easily than I thought you would. Then again, I understand that you only dated Bennett for the money he offered you. Did he give you what he promised? If not, I can make up the difference. I told him that if he paid you there wouldn't be any problems. I can tell I was right. He will be glad to know."

So that's why he deposited the money? He couldn't really believe that, could he? His mother was just trying to trick me. There was no way Bennett would believe that. Not after how many times I'd had to make it clear I wasn't with him for the money.

"Ah, excuse me. I'm getting off topic. There is one more reason I came here." She held up a plastic garment bag that I hadn't realized was in her hand. "I believe this is yours. Henry must have forgotten it when he cleaned out your belongings from Bennett's house."

As far as I was aware, I hadn't left any dresses at Bennett's house. After losing the one he had bought me on our first date, the amount of dresses I owned totaled zero. Still, I took the bag from her. "Thanks."

"I'm surprised at your taste."

"Yeah, usually I don't spend thousands of dollars on a curtain that goes over my shoulders."

Her lips twitched and I felt a twinge of pride. It felt nice to be able to get to her as she could to me. "Well with that, I do believe any business you had with my son is finished. Neither he nor I will be stopping by to see you again. I hope you've had fun with your little break from reality."

My whole body tensed in an effort to keep myself from snapping back at her. I knew it was what she wanted. To see that I still had interest from Bennett. This was her trying to test me. It was for her to know whether I would still try and be with him or not. And things would be easier for me if she thought I didn't care.

"Can't say I'll miss you," I managed.

She laughed once, a high-pitched bark of laughter. "Your high spirit is remarkable. Perhaps hearing how quickly you moved on will help Bennett adjust."

My defiance faded. Before I could respond, she gave me once last simper, showing her back to me as she exited the store. I made a move to chase after her, being stopped only when she crashed into my brother, who was coming back inside. Her coffee dropped, spilling across the hardwood floor.

"Oh, sorry!" Brandon apologized quickly, reaching out to stable her. He froze mid-stretch, recognizing her. "You—"

Mrs. Calloway put her head down, attempting to move past him, but he moved in front of her.

"Why are you here? Did you come to yell at my sister again? Who are you?" he demanded, blocking the exit.

"Move before I call the cops on you for harassment," I heard her say.

Annoyed, I came around the counter, ready to kick her out. I appreciated what Brandon was doing, but it wasn't worth a fight. Brandon backed up and Mrs. Calloway lifted her head for the slightest second.

Brandon's eyes suddenly widened. "Wait. I've seen you before."

"Move," she ordered again, forcibly elbowing him out of the way and hastening out of the store. The door slammed behind her, the bell rattling loudly.

Brandon stared after her as Ariana came in through the door, looking confused. "I know I've seen her before."

"What just happened?" Ariana asked.

"She's your old lawyer's client," I told Brandon. "And nothing, just Bennett's mother being crazy like usual," I added for Ariana.

Brandon shook his head. "No. It wasn't in passing. Where have I seen her?" He mumbled under his breath, looking out the window to try and get another glimpse of her.

"What's that?" Ariana asked, pointing to the garment bag in my arms.

"She said I left it at Bennett's." Curious, I opened up the bag. It seemed to be a simple, black dress. Unzipping it further, I felt my heart drop into my stomach.

It was the dress. The dress from Bennett and I's first date. The one that had been stolen when I'd been robbed.

My hands shook as I unraveled it completely. Everything about it was exactly the same. The brand, the size, the color. A slip of paper fell out and I picked it up, reading its contents. Henley, I know you were upset about losing this dress. Though the night you wore it may not have gone perfectly, I think you looked beautiful. I want to create more memories of you in it that we can both look fondly upon - Bennett.

"How could he do this?" I whispered, staring at it, my heart beating like crazy in my chest. When had he bought this dress? When had he planned on giving it to me?

"What's wrong?" Brandon asked.

Zipping the dress back up into the garment bag, I tossed off my apron. "I need to see him. I have to go. Ariana, can you close up? Please?"

She nodded, seeming bewildered. "Of course. Where are you going? To his house?"

"Yes." My whole body was trembling. This didn't make any sense. If he was going to end things with me, he wouldn't have bought this dress.

"Are you going to be okay alone?"

"I—"

"I'll bring her."

My eyes snapped to the door, where Henry stood, hair matted down from the rain that had just started falling. He pushed his glasses up and gave me a nervous smile. "Hey, Henley."

"Henry? What are you doing here?"

"I'm sorry, I haven't had a chance to come see you," he apologized. "Mrs. Calloway made Bennett and I go to Hawaii last week. We just got back today."

"Wait, what? You guys have been in Hawaii?"

"I think it was mostly to get him away from you."

I pressed my lips together. No wonder I couldn't hunt him down. Just how far was Mrs. Calloway willing to go? Shipping Bennett off to another state? What was next, a different country?

Henry cleared his throat. "He's at the office now, but he'll be home in about an hour."

"Why are you telling me this?" I asked cautiously.

"I'm rooting for you two," he told me. "If we hadn't been gone for the past week, I would've gotten you to him sooner. He needs you."

Ariana squealed. "Aww! Henry! That's so sweet! I'm so using this in my book."

Henry blushed a little and then htilteded his head to the side. "Wait. You write?"

"Yeah! Main in Spanish though. Why? Do you?"

"Yes, in fact, I was going to put that line into my story—"

"Is that what is important right now?" I interrupted them.

"Right. We should head out now so I can get you there before he arrives," Henry said. "Come on."

Nodding, I hurried to the employee room to grab my windbreaker. "Okay, let's go."

Ariana gave me a quick, tight hug. "Good luck!"

By the time we arrived at Bennett's house, the sun was setting. I felt sick with nerves as Henry dropped me off, deciding it would look too suspicious if his car was around. Since I knew there were surveillance cameras on Bennett's front steps, I chose to wait at the forests edge. I couldn't take the chance of him seeing me as he pulled in and driving away. So I huddled up in my jacket and waited, trying to stay dry from the light rain.

And I waited.

And eventually the air turned from warm to cool and I heard the rolling of thunder in the distance. The last rays of sun were fading and I checked the time on my phone. What was Bennett doing? What was taking him so long? Henry had said he'd be back in an hour and it was well past.

The thunder grew louder and the sky opened, dropping buckets of rain all around me. I groaned, moving closer to the trunk of a tall red oak tree, hoping the leaves would deflect the rain. Part me of me debated asking Henry to come pick me back up, but the stubborn part decided I was staying.

After what felt like a lifetime, I finally saw the flash of headlights down the driveway. I watched as Bennett pulled up to the front of his house, cutting the engine, and leaving the vehicle. As soon as he stepped onto his porch, I made my move.

"Bennett!"

He froze upon hearing my voice, his back to me. Then he quickly pressed the code to his door. My mouth nearly fell open— was he trying to run from me? I sprinted the rest of the distance between us, shoving myself between him and the door, using my foot as a doorstop so he couldn't open it any wider.

"What are you doing?" I snapped.

He fixed his gaze on the door. "You're not supposed to be here."

I wiped my wet hair away from my forehead, huffing. "Really? That's what you have to say?"

His jaw tightened and he remained silent.

"Why are you doing this? Why did you tell Henry to tell me our relationship was over and then disappear for a week?"

"Because it is."

The sharp tone in his voice caused me to lose some of my bravado. He wasn't serious, was he? "What?"

His Adam's apple bobbed before he spoke in a strained voice. "I've come to realize that we aren't compatible. Our lives are too different."

"You're kidding, right?"

Finally, his gaze met mine. Cool and distant. "I am not kidding with you."

A shiver ran down my spine and it wasn't from the cold rain dripping down my back. "I know your mom has something over you. Why are you pretending she doesn't?"

"I made this decision on my own. I've been thinking about it for a while now. It might have come as shock to you, but—"

"I don't believe you."

He let out a frustrated sigh. "You don't have to believe me. Just leave and forget it."

"No!"

"Henley!" he snapped. "It's over!"

His sudden increase in voice caused me to flinch. I tried to say something back, only to find myself tongue-tied.

"Please," he begged again, his controlled features finally breaking the slightest bit. "Just leave."

All I could do was stare at him, trying to find my voice. This wasn't what I had been expecting when I came to see him. I thought he would explain everything to me. I thought he would apologize. I thought he would promise to fight for our relationship.

I blinked rapidly, feeling a lump on my throat. My chin quivered and I swallowed hard, holding his gaze. "Then why did you buy me that dress?"

His eyes widened a fraction and I knew I'd caught him.

"Why did you buy me that dress?" I repeated. "If you really had planned on ending things, why did you buy me that dress?"

"That's—"

"Don't try to tell me it wasn't for me."

He looked away from me again, eyes flittering around nervously.

I moved closer to him, challenging him. "You told me to fight for our relationship and I did. You promised me you would fight for our relationship. Is this what you call fighting?"

"Henley..."

"You're a coward," I accused, my voice breaking.

Without warning, Bennett slammed his door shut, his arms on either side of me, trapping me between them. He hung his head, hands forming fists. "I can't help it!"

I flattened myself against the door, startled.

When he lifted his head, I could see wetness in the corner of his eyes. "You are important to me. I don't want to lose you. But I had a choice to make... and I couldn't choose you. I can't ever choose you. So please. Just. Leave."

Unable to help it, my eyelashes finally brimmed with tears. "Fine. I'll leave. But just know, that once I leave here, I won't come back. I won't spend my time fighting for a relationship you don't even want. But I mean, we were never really anything to begin with, right? Just a girl you hired to pretend to be your girlfriend. It almost seems fitting it ends like this. It was supposed to anyway."

His mouth opened, but I didn't give him a chance to speak.

"But here's the difference between how I see it and how you apparently see it." Reaching into my purse, I pulled out a stack of hundred dollar bills and waved it in front of his face. "I never wanted this money. Once I liked you—

that was it— the contract was void. I wanted to be with you for you. Even if you're ending it like this, it doesn't change that. So here. Take this back."

When he didn't reach for the money, I threw it at his feet, letting it scatter.

"You seem to care for it more than me," I added.

I knew my last comment was low. I knew I didn't even believe it myself. But it was the last thing I could get out before I choked on the lump in my throat. I shoved his arm out of the way, ducking under it so I could escape. It had been a mistake to come here. I should have just let it be—

My thoughts were cut off as I crashed hard into a solid form. My nose felt like it broke and I hissed in pain, stepping back to see what I had bumped into. To my surprise, it was another person. The night had set and I had difficulty discerning the man's face as he hovered over me.

"Are you okay?" he asked, his voice filled with concern.

"Um," I responded, squinting my eyes against the rain. The man stepped forward so that his umbrella shielded both of us. Now that he was closer, I found he looked vaguely familiar, even in the darkness. Slightly curly hair, a fit physique. He smelled warm, a mix of cinnamon and some other natural spice.

A sharp intake of breath came from Bennett. I glanced over my shoulder back at him. He looked as if he saw a ghost— his jaw slack, body rigid.

Then he uttered a name I thought I'd never hear from him.

"Lee."

_______________________________

AHHHHH!! I'VE BEEN SITTING ON THIS SECRET FOR OVER A YEAR. I'M SO EXCITED TO FINALLY BRING LEE INTO THIS BOOK. *HEAVY BREATHING*

Okay, okay. Tell me. Did I convince you guys he was dead?? I tried my best to always avoid answering any questions with the word "dead/died" in it. I always just said gone. But did you fall for it? AND PLEASE, IF YOU ARE GOING TO RE-READ THIS AT ANY POINT, DO NOT SPOIL IT FOR THE PEOPLE HAVING THEIR FIRST GO AT IT. It ruins the fun! (but then again, I'll probably be talking about Lee all over Twitter, so......hmmmm.)

And in other news, in case you haven't noticed the hubbub on Twitter or fancy new sticker on the cover- WE WON A WATTY AWARD!! WOOO!! Thank you all so much!! You're truly amazing and I LOOOOVE YOU!!!! I can't thank you enough! Congratulations to all of us!!