Chapter 6
Chapter 6
Layla calls Summer the next morning and goes to her motel room, where Summer gives her a ticket to Nashville and urges her to leave by noon. Layla returns home to find her mother waiting with a bag packed, and Ruth admits she has arranged an alibi for Layla to get out of the house. Layla packs a few belongings, writes a goodbye note, and walks out the back door with her mother's blessing, heading for the bus station.
The Greyhound schedule stared back at her from the dark phone screen. 6:17 AM. She could be on that bus. She could be in Nashville by afternoon.
But she didn't move. Her thumb hovered over the screen, and then she set the phone down on her nightstand. The digital clock on her bedside table read 9:47 PM. Outside her window, the streetlight cast a pale orange glow across her bedroom wall.
She lay down fully dressed, staring at the ceiling. Sleep didn't come easily. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Marcus's face—not angry, not threatening, just watching her with that steady, calm gaze. He hadn't raised his voice. He hadn't demanded anything. He'd simply said, I promise to treat you with respect.
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