Chapter 9: NOWHERE ELSE TO GO

“Get out of my house. Tonight.”

The words came out flat from his mouth. I got on my knees again.

“Ethan, please. It’s already late. Where am I supposed to go?”

My voice cracked. I was still naked. The wetness between my legs had started to dry and feel sticky. The smell of the delivery man was still on my skin.

He did not look at me when he answered. “I don’t care. I don’t want to see you for another second.”

I stood up immediately, shaking. “Just let me take a shower. Please. I can’t leave like this.”

“No.” His voice stayed flat. “Pack your things and get out. Now.”

I had no fight left. I walked to the closet on unsteady legs and pulled out a small bag. My hands moved without thinking. Underwear. A pair of jeans. A t-shirt. A hoodie. I did not even choose them carefully. I just shoved them in. I pulled the t-shirt and jeans on, over my sticky skin. The fabric clung to the wetness between my thighs. I still smell like sex because I did not have time to wash it off.

I zipped the bag and walked back to the bedroom doorway. Ethan was still standing in the same place. I set the bag down at the door and took one more step toward him.

“Ethan… please. Just listen one more time. I’m sorry. I’ll do anything. Please don't send me out like this.”

He moved so fast I did not see the slap coming.

His hand hit my face hard. The sound cracked through the room. My head snapped to the side. Heat and pain bloomed across my cheek. Tears spilled instantly.

“I said I don’t want to see you for another second,” he shouted, voice high and cold. “Get out.”

I held my burning cheek. I dare not speak again. I picked up the bag, walked past him, and left the mansion.

The night air felt cold on my skin. I got into the car, threw the bag on the passenger seat, and started the engine. My hands shook on the wheel. I drove across the city with the windows cracked open, trying to get rid of the smell that still clung to me. My face still stung. My pussy still felt used and empty at the same time.

I called my sister while I drove.

She picked up on the second ring. “Riley? It’s late. What’s wrong, why are you calling by this time?”

“I need a place to stay,” I said. My voice sounded broken. “Ethan kicked me out. Can I come over?”

There was a short silence. “Of course. Come. I’ll leave the door unlocked.”

That was all. No long questions. Just those words.

I parked outside her building twenty minutes later. I grabbed the bag and walked up the stairs. She opened the door before I could knock. She took one look at my ruined makeup, the red mark on my cheek, and the half-packed bag. Her face changed, but she did not ask anything yet.

“Come in,” she said.

I stepped inside. The apartment smelled like her usual vanilla candles. She led me to the small guest room without talking much. She set a towel and a bottle of water on the bed.

“You can stay as long as you need,” she said. “We’ll talk in the morning if you want.”

I nodded. She closed the door and left me alone.

I sat on the edge of the bed. The room was quiet. I closed my eyes. I could still see Ethan’s face when he walked in. I could still hear the slap. I lay down on top of the covers without changing clothes. Sleep did not come easy. Every time I closed my eyes I saw the same things on repeat, the way the stranger had fucked me, the look in Ethan’s eyes, the moment he told me to get out. My mind kept spinning until exhaustion finally pulled me under.

Morning light woke me.

My phone was buzzing on the nightstand. I reached for it with dry eyes and a sore face. Notifications filled the screen. Numbers I had blocked months ago. Old industry contacts. Former co-stars. Messages that should not have been able to reach me.

I opened the top one. It was short.

A location.

And four words:

‘I can make the ache stop.’

I stared at the message for a long time. My thumb hovered over the reply button. My body reacted before my mind did. A familiar heat started low in my belly.

From the kitchen my sister’s voice called out, soft and careful.

“Riley? Are you okay?”