Chapter 2

-Skylar's POV-

"Phil?" I called out in a sleepy tone. My eyes were half closed and my vision was fuzzy. As I sat up in my bed, my eyesight went to normal. I looked over to the side of me, hoping to see my boyfriend of a few months next to me. I knew he wasn't going to be there, he never was, but every Saturday morning I had hoped for it. I picked up the note that was lying on his side of the bed.

'Had to catch my flight back to Chicago. I'll see you this again this Friday, baby.'

-Love, Phil.

I sighed deeply and tossed the note in the waste bin, along with the other ones. I loved Phil with all of my heart. There was no doubt about it. But I can't stop the feeling that he's hiding something from me or the fact that it seems all he wants from me is sex. I find myself questioning his intentions with me 24/7. However I can never let him go. I love this man and I'll never really understand why.

Phil is captivating. When he looks at me, I turn to mush and when he touches me, my body goes numb. He has this type of 'control' over me and I can't stop it. But I necessarily don't want to. I reached over my night stand and took my Blackberry off its charger. I scrolled through the contacts until I got to my boyfriend's name and hit the 'call' button. I listened to the phone ring a few times before he finally picked up.

"Yeah?" Phil greeted bluntly. I smiled when I heard his voice.

"Hey," I said quietly. "I miss you."

"I miss you too," He whispered softly; very softly.

"Why don't I get to see you until Friday?"

"I, uh, have a special appearance to do." I could tell he was lying. His voice was low and his words came out so fast I'm surprised I understood what he said. Though I didn't question anything; I just went along with it. It's better that way with him.

"All right, well, I'll make sure to swing by the mall and pick out something sexy to surprise you with." Phil let out a small chuckle but before he could respond, I heard him mutter, 'Shit' and then the line went dead. I looked at the phone and the call was still ongoing. Clearly, he put me on mute. After a few moments, he came back on.

I'll call you back," Phil whispered into the phone. My heart sank. I hung up the phone and laid back on the bed. I ignored how he always left me alone in the mornings. I ignored the lies in the morning. I also ignored the fact that I heard another woman's voice in the background. Why does he do this to me?

...

"Sky, why do you put up with that man?" Karen Rae, my mother, questioned while placing a piece of 'sweet potato pie' on the plate. I took a long sigh and shrugged my shoulders.

"I love him," I answered quietly, knowing that wasn't what she wanted to hear. My mom has disliked Phil since we started dating. Mainly because when she first met him, he had on a ring. He had said it was for 'decoration', but she didn't buy it one bit. Since then, she has pretty much hated him with a strong passion.

"The two of you have been together for 3 months. You don't know what love is," Karen remarked before taking a seat in front of me and cutting herself a piece of pie.

"Phil is wonderful to me and we care a lot about each other, Mama."

She shook her head, "That man don't care about you, Sky. I'm not trying to hurt your feelings, baby; I'm just telling the truth. If he really cared, he'd be here all the time with you. Hell, he'd move down here and start a family with you." I stared at her in disbelief.

"You just said that we've only been together for 3 months. We're taking things slow and I like it this way," I said defensively, my mouth full of pie. Even though she's terribly annoying, she can make one mean dessert.

"Are you taking things slow or is he stepping out on you? The man probably has some girl up there in Chicago he's seeing," She countered, taking a bite out of her pie. My eyes watered up with tears but I wiped them away quickly.

"Thanks, Mom. That makes me feel so much better." I stood up from the table and looked around for some aluminum foil to wrap my pie in. Karen sighed and stared up at me with loving eyes.

"I'm not trying to make you feel bad, Sky. You're my first and only child and I don't want anyone to hurt my baby. You're a grown woman and can make your own decisions but I just feel obligated to warn you."

I smiled slightly and let out a small sigh, "I understand, Mama. I can take care of myself; I'm a big girl." My mom stood to her feet and pulled me into a warm embrace. I returned the hug and scooped up the rest of my pie.

"I'm going to head to the mall. I'll see you soon." I took my car keys off the counter and left my parents' house. I knew my mom had my best interest at heart but Phil did care about me and he definitely wasn't two-timing me. I knew I could trust him. Right?