You left her. You left her. You left her.
The words rang in his head as he sped away, refusing to let himself look in the rearview mirror and see her face. Because he knew if he did, he would probably turn around and go right back to her.
He did the one thing he had promised, the one thing he had sworn, that he would never do to her.
One thing.
He couldn't do it.
One promise.
He couldn't keep.
One. Single. Thing.
And he couldn't.
Tommy pressed the pedal further towards the floor, causing the car to accelerate even more. Adrenaline is what he needed. It would clog his mind and make him forget about what he had just done. Adrenaline was just a body's own form of alcohol and drugs, just another way to numb the pain. But it was legal, and free.
Lights, sounds, and buildings blurred, as did reality. The mantra was permanently on repeat in his head, and he didn't know how to turn it off.
You left her. You left her. You left her.
It was the same thing every single time. When something went bad, he ran. Always had, always will.
You left her.
No. Not this time. This time was going to be different. No more running, no more hiding from his problems. Not anymore.
If there was one thing in the world that could make him change his ways...it was her.
The highway was crowded and busy, but he didn't care. In one swift motion, he yanked the wheel sharply to the left and cut across several lanes of traffic, oblivious to the blaring horns directed at him by the people he cut off.
To him, there was no sign with a big U crossed out in red. There was just a dirt path connecting the two lanes of the highway that he intended to use, regardless of what some law might say about it.
Tommy heard the faint siren of an emergency vehicle, but since there were no flashing lights behind him he dismissed the noise. He had more important things to worry about, like getting Jude back.