Read Online Right Girl by Lauren Crossley - Free Book Online Page A

in her daughter’s life whatsoever. I know this is heart-breaking for Zack
but all I can feel is relief.
    I
don’t want to see her. I don’t want to hear about how beautiful she is
or how much she’s grown. I don’t want anything to do with her and for this… I’ve
come to hate myself.
    I
know Zack wants to believe that it will get better. He remains optimistic that
Rachel will eventually come around to the idea of me getting to know Amber.
He’s hopeful and reluctant to accept that things will stay like this forever.
    I’m
far more realistic.
    He
doesn’t seem to understand that the situation we’re struggling with is
hopeless. How can any of us move forward from this when we’re still stuck in
the past? It’s impossible and the harder I try to figure it out, the more
frustrated I become.
    It’s
taken me a long time but I’ve finally come to a decision. I know what must be
done and it has to take place tonight.
    I’m
doing this for the man I love and the daughter he’s recently discovered.
    Zack’s daughter.
    She’s
also my niece and the one thing which threatens to tear us apart forever. I
can't be the reason that she grows up without a father and I refuse to be the
obstacle which stands in the way of Zack getting to know his own child. The
kindest thing I can do for everyone is disappear and I'm more than willing to
sacrifice my own piece of happiness for Zack's if that's what I must do.
    This
also means I must leave him... for good.
    I
just pray he will let me go.
    He’s
out with them tonight, leaving a couple of hours ago so he could meet up with
Rachel. I hate the fact that she has to be there whenever Zack wants to spend
time with his child. However, I also understand that it’s the way it has to be.
As much as I’m jealous of what Rachel has, I know that none of this is her
fault. She’s still angry with me and won’t ever forgive me for what I did. I can’t
blame her for any of this and want to make amends.
    This
is the only way I know how.
    The
only person who knows what I have planned is Audrey. She’s reluctant to go
along with it but I’ve managed to convince her it’s the right thing to do. It
took a lot of persuading on my part but she’s agreed to help me, deciding to
put my friendship with her above the guilt she’s going to feel when she’s
forced to lie for me.
    My
bags have been packed for half an hour and the letter I’ve wrote for him is on
the coffee table. I’m pacing back and forth, wringing my hands together while I
wait for my friend to get here.
     This
is killing me. It’s actually killing me and I don’t know how much longer I can
hold it together. My decision to leave Zack has been weighing on my mind and my
heart for weeks, stealing every ounce of happiness I once had. I’m a shell of
the woman I was all those weeks ago, before I found out the truth.
    The
sound of a car pulling up outside causes me to race to the window, peeking out
through the curtain so I can see who it is.
    Audrey.
    I
breathe a sigh of relief, struggling to control my trembling as I make my way
to the front door. Picking up my bags, I take one last look around our
apartment. I want to savour every single moment before I leave.
    For
good.
    My
heart is breaking as I open the door, closing it behind me for the final time.
Each step I take feels like a knife is being plunged into my chest. I can’t
think about him or how he’ll react when he comes home to find I’ve gone. I
can’t think about his face, his voice, his touch or the love he still has for
me. II do… I’ll never leave.
    One
year ago, I met a man who changed my world. He saw through the façade I wore
like armour and recognised my scars, healing them one by one. He took the
shattered pieces of my soul and promised me he would fight for us.
    He
did.
    He did fight for us and saved me from myself. He rescued me from a past where
I was drowning, drowning in my own sadness before he threw me a lifeline.
    It
wasn’t enough and I