Forever, For Always - Sabrina Quinn Page 0,1

that is puddled all around him. Falling to my knees, I gently grab his face as he stares into my eyes. “What happened?” I ask through sobs.

“He found out we were leaving,” he chokes out softly. “You’re late. Thank God you were late,” his voice trails off as he lightly pushes a strand of matted hair from my wet cheek.

I rip the quilt off the bed beside him and press it to his chest to try to stop the bleeding. Dominic grabs my wrist as I do, pushing the quilt away from him. “You have to leave. Now. He’s looking for you. Once he finds out you are not at the penthouse, he’ll come back here to find you. He’ll kill you too.”

“You are not dead, Dominic,” I say to him through my clenched teeth and tears. “Please don’t leave me,” I plead with him.

He reaches for my face and pulls it to his salty lips that are drenched with both of our tears. Out of all of the stolen kisses we’ve shared over the last few years, the one we had when we became man and wife yesterday, and the passionate ones that lasted all through last night; this will be the one forever seared in my memory. “I love you, my Adaline. Forever, for always. For all of time. Please, go.”

“I’m not leaving you!” I scream at him while gripping his shoulders as he fights to keep his eyes open.

“Everything you need is in the backpack on the bed,” he says through short, ragged breaths. “You can do this. You can still get away.” He inhales a deep breath and grabs my hand. “Promise me you’ll never let him find you. Go and live.”

I lean my forehead to his and weep with him. “I promise.”

A weak smile forms on his lips, “You made me so, so happy. Thank you my Adaline.” Just as soon as my name leaves his lips, his eyes peacefully close. The grip he had on my hand loosens and his body becomes still.

“No!” I wail as I lie over his chest, clinging to the other half of my soul. I lean up and kiss his lips and smoothly run my hand from his cheek, down to his still heart. The morning sunlight reflects from his golden pendant that is peeking from his shirt. Still sitting on my knees, I carefully remove his necklace and snap it around my own neck. I close my eyes as I lay my forehead down to his, tears dripping down on his beautiful face.

“Addy!”

I jolt as my name is angrily yelled from the distance.

My pulse triples as I jump up and grab the backpack off of the bed. I throw it over my shoulders and lean down so that I can tell Dominic goodbye. “Forever, for always, for all of time,” I whisper to him as I run my palm over his saturated cheek and kiss his lips one last time. Running to the window, I throw up the glass pane and jump out onto the fire escape. Taking two steps at a time, I run as fast as I possibly can down them, hands gripping the railing so I don’t fall and tumble ten stories to my death. I jump off the last metal step- a good five feet off of the ground, without thought, landing on my butt. I immediately spot the familiar black Cadillac parked on the side of the building with the engine still running. I look around and see a dumpster, so I climb into it and hide there until I hear the car pull away with squealing tires.

Leaning against the inside of the dumpster I try to collect my thoughts. My only reason for living is now gone. I have to get as far as I can from here. That was the last promise I made him and I refuse to break it. I unzip the backpack and pull out my only other set of clothing we had packed. I hurriedly change out of my blood soaked clothes, leaving them behind. Before I head out onto the busy streets of Manhattan, I put on Dominic’s Red Sox hat and my sunglasses. Luckily the coffee shop around the corner is still so busy that I’m able to make my way in to their restroom to clean up without any notice. Paper ticket in my hand, I make my way to the bus station as fast as I can.

Chapter One

Four Years Later

Even though it is