Chapter 25 – Faster And Faster I Should Run

Brushing tears from her cheeks Izzy strode through the house, she couldn't leave things like this. This wasn't how things were supposed to turn out. As she walked into the kitchen she spotted Stephen outside sat down by the pool. She slowly made her way to the large French doors, the sound of her heels on the stone floor echoed around her. However it didn't break the tension.

"Stephen we need to talk about this." She was surprised she could even find her voice.

"Don't make it harder than it already is." She shook her head in disbelief; he hadn't even turned around to look at her.

"Yeah, you sure look like you're taking this hard." Her usually soft voice was now bitter, sadness was gradually building into anger. He looked over his shoulder at her, his gaze travelled across her body then back to the ocean. "So that's it, you're giving up?" The silence that followed answered her question. She took a step back towards the house.

"I put myself on the line for yeh so many times," She swallowed hard; he was still staring out into the ocean, "Too many times."

So this was the straw that broke the camel's back, she didn't for one second regret standing up for herself and their relationship. "I hope you're happy. I never imagined you would take the easy way out." Stephen shot up as soon as those words left her mouth. She didn't recognise the look on his face, it was distant. She was utterly confused; this was a side of him she hadn't seen before. She didn't like it one bit.

"Not everything revolves around yeh, Iz." His once soft grey eyes were now icy cold, "Yeh know, sometimes I wish I had never moved to New York."

In a split second all the air rushed from Izzys lungs. Her vision blurred as she tried to catch her breath. She quickly turned around and reached for the door handle. As soon as she was inside she dashed through the house and upstairs. She pulled her shoes off and threw them into her suitcase. She had to go. She had no other option but to get away from Stephen. She quickly changed out of the dress, which she folded and placed on the bed assuming Stephen would return it to Jess. After pulling on a pair of jeans and a loose cotton tank top she picked up her blackberry and eventually found the number for Jacksonville airport. After the longest 20 minutes of her life talking to a very unhelpful woman she finally got booked onto a flight leaving at 8pm. That meant she needed to leave right now. She again used her blackberry to find the number for the local cab service, thankful that Stephen had Wi-Fi. All she had to do now was pack the rest of her stuff and wait 10 minutes for the cab.

She grimaced as her reflection came into view in the bathroom mirror; mascara streaked her cheeks and her eyes unsurprisingly were red and puffy. She took off her makeup and cleaned her face before packing her toiletries into her suitcase. After checking the room one last time for anything she may have forgotten, she zipped up her case and slipped her sandals on. Her mind was still running a mile a minute as she carried her case down the stairs. With a lot of effort she made it down unscathed. She peaked out of the window next to the front door to see the cab pulling up next to the house. 'Perfect timing' she thought.

"Iz." Stephens Irish brogue floated through the air. She froze on the spot; her hand was already settled on the door handle ready to leave. Her mind and her heart were battling with each other. She squeezed her eyes shut not wanting anymore tears to fall. She pulled the door open and walked out, slamming it shut behind her. He'd got the satisfaction of watching her leave; she didn't want him to have the satisfaction of seeing the broken look on her face as she walked out of his life. She got into the back of the cab as the driver put her suitcase in the trunk of the vehicle. Forcing herself not too look at the house, she gripped onto her bag tightly as the cab sped off.

The journey felt like it lasted forever, she knew she now had an insane cab fare to pay. But as always she had packed emergency money in her suitcase which she put in her bag before she left the house. She made the check-in on time and was now sat waiting for her flight to be called. She let out a sigh as she grabbed another handful of M&M's, she had thought of a million things she should have asked and said to Stephen before she left. But that was always the case. She rooted through the mass of chocolate she had bought in her bag to find her blackberry.

She stared at the screen, 11 missed calls, 2 voicemails and 1 message. She checked the message first; her heart quickened as she saw it was from Stephen. 'You left your dress. Will drop it off when I'm next in NY.' She frowned at her phone then read the message again. She felt like a stranger to him. She then remembered what he had said earlier, she was obviously just regret and a stranger to him now. She sighed and deleted the message. She looked at the list of missed called, all from her Mom. She'd told her she would be out of town with work for a few days. She quickly dialled to check her voicemail, she figured it would be her Mom and she was right. She didn't think her day could get any worse but it had, her Dad had been rushed to hospital. She tried to call her Mom back but there was no answer, she left a message letting her know she would be home as soon as possible. She looked around her; the loneliness was just beginning to settle along with more tears in her eyes.

The flight to La Guardia airport was silent, trapped with nothing but her thoughts. She didn't know what was wrong with her Dad, and she wouldn't know until she could get off the plane and ring her Mom. As usual everything took longer than necessary, her bag was the last out and some bitch stole her cab. Finally she was stood outside The Majestic, she wished she had put a sweater on as the cool air whipped around her causing her skin to shiver. She walked through the empty lobby, she wanted to feel at home but she didn't. She felt nervy and uncomfortable. The instant she opened the door of her apartment she knew she couldn't stay there. She emptied the contents of her suitcase and filled it back up in record time. She checked the phone clutched tightly in her hand, 11.30pm and no received calls. She made her way back down through the lobby, and yet again into another cab. This time headed towards Brooklyn Heights. She paid and thanked the driver as he stood her suitcase on the sidewalk in front of her.

She stared up at the familiar large 4 story house then down at the small gold key in her palm. She silently cursed herself, between Stephen and work she hadn't visited for a while though she did make time to call. She dragged her suitcase up the stone stairs leading to the front door and pushed the key into the lock. She set her suitcase in the hallway as she flicked the light on and turned off the alarm. Everything was meticulously placed; she didn't expect anything but though. She jumped as her phone vibrated in her hand; she closed the door behind her before looking at the screen.

"Mom?" Her voice was desperate as she answered the phone.

"Elizabeth sweetheart, where are you?" Her Moms voice was a god send.

"I'm at your house, where's Dad? Is he okay?" Her impatience was kicking in again.

"You stay there sweetie. We're at Long Island College Hospital, you're fathers had a heart attack." Izzys hand immediately covered her mouth.

The hospital was literally a few blocks away from the house on State Street; she could run there in minutes, "Alright, I'm coming now."

"No, you stay there. He's in recovery now, I'll come home in the morning and we can go back together." Izzy sighed, her Mom sounded exhausted. "Josie's on her way over too, she catching the next flight she can."

"Okay, I love you Mom."

"I love you too, honey. Get some rest and I'll see you in the morning." With that her Mom hung up leaving a cold silence.

Izzy set her handbag down beside her suitcase and locked the front door. She moved through to the large living room filled with art deco furnishings, she flicked the lights on and slipped her sandals off before her feet stepped on the deep plush red rug sitting on the dark polished wooden floor. She curled up into the corner of the cream couch, her gaze travelled around the room then landed on the picture on the tall wooden table next to the couch. She picked the picture up and stared at it for a moment. Her Mom, Dad, Josie and herself were sat around a picnic in Prospect Park; it was only a few years ago when the picture was taken. She couldn't wait to see her sister; she had moved to Paris three years ago and was now head of PR at the Christian Louboutin headquarters. After what should have been a yearlong internship, she met her fiancé Paul and was offered a full time job.

She sighed; her sister was only 22 and was already getting married. Izzy wasn't even close, she had been a tiny bit closer this morning, but now she was back to where she usually was. Alone. She placed the picture back on the table and wrapped her arms around herself. She wanted Stephen. She wanted his arms around her, his voice whispering soothing words next to her ear. But he was right, he didn't need her. He didn't need the baggage, stress and drama that she carried around with her. She didn't blame him though; in fact he must be an idiot for not leaving her sooner. She would be fine. Her life would be just like it was before she ever set eyes on the stupid giant.

A/N – Thank you MissShelz, Y2Erin, poisenousprincess and wwemagpie for the reviews, so glad you guys are still enjoying the story :D. Hopefully you won't have to wait too much longer for another update ;)!