He Made Me Feel Lost, So I Became Someone He’d Never Find Chapter 01
My boyfriend’s ex had no sense of direction—except when it came to finding her way back to his place.
Neither the fact that I was running a 104-degree fever nor the proposal that had been cut short mattered to Grant Mercer as much as getting his lost ex home.
I insisted we move, and Grant eventually gave in.
On moving day, I followed the route Grant had sent me, circled the entire city three times, and still couldn’t find the new house.
As dusk settled in, the GPS led me down a dead-end road. I lost control of the car and plunged into a ditch.
My hands shaking, I called Grant. Before I could say a word, he said, “Not so fun being lost, is it?”
Then my best friend’s voice came through the phone.
“I changed the destination in your GPS. There was never a real address. I just wanted you to know what Camille Sutton goes through all the time.”
My parents chimed in, “We bought that house for Camille. We never intended for you to move in.”
Their words left me numb and cold.
Fine.
If that house was never meant to be mine, I wasn’t going back.
…
They sounded smug, pleased with themselves for finally getting even on Camille’s behalf.
The people I had once thought were closest to me had just stabbed me in the back with smiles on their faces. I never saw it coming.
A violent pain ripped through my lower abdomen, and warm blood gushed between my legs.
Grant’s voice came through the phone.
“I sent you the real address. Put it in the GPS and come over.”
I was pinned against the steering wheel. I couldn’t force out a sound.
When I didn’t answer, Grant clicked his tongue in irritation.
“What? You want me to come get you now?”
“Elena Whitaker, don’t start. You have a perfectly good sense of direction, so you don’t deserve the same special treatment Camille gets.”
“I left Camille’s birthday present in the car. Bring it over right now.”
Before hanging up, he added, “Just drop off the gift. Don’t come inside. Seeing you would only put Camille in a bad mood on her birthday.”
I remembered the gift box I’d seen before getting into the car. Inside was the ring I’d been talking about to Grant for ages.
I’d been so happy then, convinced he was going to propose again at the new house. Just like that, every bit of hope I’d had was gone.
By the time the rescue crew reached me, blood had blurred my vision.
My phone kept ringing in the ambulance. One of the paramedics answered it for me and held it to my ear.
“Elena, where are you? I’ve been calling you over and over. I was worried sick!” my best friend said anxiously.
“Camille’s birthday party is almost over! The ring Grant bought for the proposal still isn’t here. Hurry up!”
A sharp sting pricked my fingertip as the paramedic took a blood sample. My heart ached too.
“I can’t bring the ring.”
I forced the words out through the pain.
“Where are you? I’ll come get you.”
Grant sounded urgent, completely oblivious to the fact that I was already hurt.
“Are you coming for me, or for the ring?”
I already knew the answer.
“The ring, obviously.”
“Don’t overthink it. I promised Camille a long time ago that I’d propose to her. I’m just keeping my word.”
“The ring’s in the car. The car went into a ditch on the south side of town.”
Grant hung up almost immediately.
I let out a quiet, humorless laugh. Even a ring meant for his ex mattered more than I did.
We reached the hospital soon after.
A nurse steadied my hand while I managed to sign the surgical consent form. Then I was wheeled into the OR for an emergency procedure after the miscarriage.
Grant loved children. He had even set up a child’s bedroom in the new house.
I never got the chance to tell him I was pregnant. Before I could, the baby slipped away quietly, as if it had never been here at all.
Lying in the hospital bed, I pulled out my phone and submitted my resignation.
I opened the folder where I’d saved everything I needed for my graduate-school applications abroad.
Grant and Camille had broken up years ago because she’d gone overseas to study. That was why I had never brought up studying abroad myself.
Now I could finally move forward with the plan I’d put on hold for years.
