23. Book 2 preview

LARA'S POV

Two years later

The moment those words come out of Cameron's mouth, I let him go for his bottle of rum and I just stood there and struggled to get air into my lungs. Cameron and I have been married for almost two years and at first it was great, but since the accident, Cameron has changed and even though I want to help him, he always thinks I'm doing it out of pity, which isn't true, but I'm also fed up with his attitude. I don't know what else to do to try to help him. In these two months I have tried everything to make him understand it's not out of pity we're with him, that I'm not with him out of pity.

I let Cameron do what he wanted and went to our room to start packing, because even though it hurts me more than anything to leave Cameron, I have to think about our child. The situation I'm in right now isn't the best, and the doctor already warned me it's not the best thing for our child, so I'm going to go somewhere else where I could be calmer and right now, there's only one person I can trust, so I picked up the phone and called her.

"Lara, is everything okay?" she said the only person on the other end of the line who could help me right now. "I can't take it anymore, Eli... I try to do... I do everything I can to help him, but... but he doesn't allow himself to be helped..."

Tears were streaming down my face, and I couldn't do anything to stop them from falling. Cam's words had hurt me more than I could bear, and I couldn't go on like this. "Do you want us to leave as we talked?" She asked, practically whispering, but I could hear her.

"It's the best... All of this stresses me out... I can't be like this for the whole pregnancy..." Eli sighed on the other end of the line and I heard her do something in the background. "I know. Pack your bags and go to your grandmother's house. I'll come get you in a moment." She said, "I'm sorry to bother you with this..."

I felt bad about having to bother her and ask her to come with me to Santorini, but I think it could also help her clear her mind a bit from Bianca. I knew my sister enough to know she would do whatever it took to get her wife back, but Eli needed to get away from her for a while to know what she needed and what she would do with Bianca.

"You don't bother me, Lara, and you know it's good for me to be gone for period of time. Now do me the favour of not worrying. Pack your bags and go to your grandma's house, it won't take me more than an hour to get there, okay?" I nodded even though she couldn't see me, so I ended up answering. "Thank you." I said, listening to the door to her apartment close, "You're welcome, I won't be long, I promise."

With that, Eli hung up and I started packing. When I came downstairs, Cameron wasn't anywhere I could see him, which is the best thing, because I'm not sure if I'd bear to see him before I leave, but right now, it's the best thing for our family.

ELI'S POV

After Lara's call, I took my apartment keys, car keys, suitcases and quickly went down to go get Lara, but not before I went to visit Cameron, because now, I'm going to be clear with him on how he's ruining everything around him, but, above all, his marriage.

On the way to their house, I thought about telling Bianca, but I decided not to because I'm pretty sure she'll do whatever it takes to stop me, and even though I'd love to be with her, I can't help but think about the other guy she was with, the one she cheated on me with.

When she told me, I couldn't believe it, and I really appreciate her telling me, in fact, I still love her regardless, but it hurts to think she was with someone other than me. Even though she was drunk, that doesn't explain anything to me or make it hurt any less.

After she told me, she said she would do whatever it took to get me to forgive her and get back with me, and I know, but right now, I have to get used to the idea and heal myself after that and then I would go back to Bianca to fix our relationship. Second, Lara needs me right now. She was with me from the moment she found out what her sister had done, in fact, she helped me and supported me more than she did with her own sister. Now it's my time to give back all the help I've received from her over the past few months.

Forty minutes later, I left the car in front of their house and once in front of the door, I didn't even bother to knock. I went into the house and started looking for him. When I find him, I see him with a bottle of rum, which makes me angrier if possible.

"Lara, I told you I want to be alone." He said, taking one more drink and not looking in my direction. "And believe me, you will be." The moment he hears my voice, he turns and looks at me for a couple of minutes, but soon turns and takes a swig from the bottle.

"I don't need your grief today, Eli." Apparently, he was still in the mood of grief, when none of us really felt sorry for him, I don't know where that had come from and I don't understand what happened to the Cam at the hospital who was fine and happy to be alive.

"And you won't have to see me anymore. I just wanted to tell you Lara is leaving, and if you keep up this shitty attitude, you'll lose her." I said, "Like I care." I knew the usual Cam is around, I just had to find out what had happened to him to make him become like this, but in all this time, I still didn't know what had happened to him, and he didn't say anything.

"Oh, of course you'll care, because you'll end up losing the woman you love just because you're an asshole, and I assure you, without her, you'll lose the rest of us." I said angrily. I'm fed up with all this, and even though I had been the one who had told Lara she better stay away from him for a while so she could think clearly about her and their child, I hoped it would somehow open Cameron's eyes and change.

"It's what I want, so great." I took a deep breath so I wouldn't go next to him and crack his face for the stupid thing he was saying. He had fought so hard for Lara that now he was throwing everything away for whatever was on his mind.

"You know? Right now, I'd love it if Lara didn't love you the way she does, because all you do is hurt her. I just hope she finds someone better than you and gets a divorce, because right now, you don't deserve her."

"You think I don't know. I know I don't deserve my wife. I'm not even a shadow of the man she fell in love with and married." Cameron began, closing his eyes for a moment, and if it were another time, I would have comforted him because I'm pretty sure that's what was bothering him mostly, but I'm too angry about whatever I said to Lara to make her want to leave.

"You're not because you don't want to." I replied seriously, "I'D LOVE TO BE THAT MAN, BUT I REMIND YOU I CAN'T WALK WITHOUT ANYONE'S FUCKING HELP." He yelled and that made me angrier, because it's been almost a month since he'd stopped doing the physio that was good for him for the simple fact, he was angry with life in general and whatever it bothered him.

"BUT YOU DON'T FUCKING LET ANYONE HELP YOU. WE ALL WISH WE COULD HELP YOU, BUT NOT OUT OF PITY, CAMERON, WE DO IT BECAUSE WE LOVE YOU, LARA THE ONE WHO LOVES YOU THE MOST AND YOU ARE LOSING THE WOMAN OF YOUR DREAMS BECAUSE YOU HAVE THE IDEA, WE'RE DOING IT OUT OF PITY." I screamed, tired of repeating it to him for I don't know how many times, "I don't want to ruin her life by being with me."

"You disappoint me, Cameron. I just hope you react before it's too late." I said, turning around to leave the house, "Isn't it already?" he asked, I don't know if ironically or what, "Luckily for you, it's not. I just hope you think of your family before yourself."

"And what do you think am I doing?" he said, exasperated by the argument, I suppose "Anything but worrying about your family, which you will have in a short time. I assure you the longer you continue like this, you won't have the opportunity to meet the family you two wanted during these years."

"What are you talking about?" he asked, turning in my direction with a frown. "Now you'll have all the time in the world to think, you'll be alone, just like you wanted." I said, resuming my way to the exit, "Lara will be back tonight." He said convinced, but I refused, because she wasn't going to "You're wrong if you think she'll come back. Right now, I'm going to take her to the airport."

"Airport?" he asked confused and I could hear how he got up from his chair and started following me, so I turned around to see his face and his reaction for what I just told him. "I just came to see if I could make you think about what you're doing, but I see I can't."

"Where is she going?" he asked worriedly, invading his gaze, "That's something you don't care about. You want to be alone after all. Now I'm leaving, I don't have to waste any more time with you." I said, resuming again to leave the house "Eli..." My best friend starts, but I'm sick of it all and him at this point "Eli shit, Cameron. I'm not going to tell you where we're going, I just hope you'll think about what I've told you and change your attitude before it's too late and you lose Lara and your child forever."