Three days later I'm alone at the Taylor mansion for the first time. Grace has taken the girls to an appointment with the dentist, Jason has taken Caleb with him to the office, and Christian who is at the office as well has taken CJ, who wanted to see his dad's company, with him.
I'm bored and frankly uncomfortable knowing that there are probably hidden cameras everywhere watching me. Which is also why Christian is a bit mad at me. We haven't had sex since we returned from his parent's cabin, but I just can't relax knowing that his mom is most likely watching us while we are being intimate.
Christ, at this point I'm so paranoid, I wear a bikini to take a shower. I just wish we could have stayed at the cabin. For the first time it was like I had my Christian back and not the version of him whenever his mother is close by. It's just so emotionally exhausting but I don't want to give up on him just yet, but I don't know how much longer I can fight.
I'm just about to change and go for a run when the doorbell rings and I hurry to open the door. When I do, I find a young woman, maybe my age or even a bit younger. Very beautiful, petite with honey blonde hair and big hazel eyes.
"Hi... um... are you the nanny or something?" She asks.
"No, I'm Ana Steele, Christian's girlfriend."
"His... oh wow, he hasn't told me. Sorry, I'm Erin, hasn't Christian told you about me?"
"No... umm... do you want to come in?" I ask her and when she nods I lead her into the kitchen and get something to drink for both of us.
"So, how do you know, Christian?" I ask.
"We met when he moved here. My mom and his mom are best friends. We hit it off right away..."
"Hit it off?" I murmur.
"Yes, we dated for almost five years."
"Five years?" I murmur shocked.
"Yes, he asked me on a date about three weeks after he moved here... he was my first everything you know... it was love at first sight for both of us. We even got engaged but decided to end our relationship and be just friends."
"Why?"
"It just didn't work for us anymore. It was a really hard decision but it had to be done. He doesn't know I'm back in Vancouver, I went do the US for my last year of college and only returned back home yesterday. Will he be home soon?"
"I don't know, he is at his office." I murmur... any second now I'm either going to scream or succumb to tears and I don't want to do any of that in front of this woman.
"Oh, well... I'll just stop by later. It was nice meeting you, maybe we can hang out some time soon." She says and I just nod blankly and watch her get up and leave the house.
He lied to me... he could have told me that there was someone else but he chose to lie and worst of all he was already dating her when he came to see me at the hospital... he just moved on and dated another girl for five years... proposed to her... I cannot take this.
Leaving the kitchen I walk into his apartment and start to rummage around in some of the drawers until I find a collage of framed pictures all showing them together, happy, smiling, in love and while he was here living his life and finding love my life was tortured by questions I had no answers to.
I'm done... I can't stay here a day longer and fight for someone who lied to me... most likely forgot about me... I just can't.
With that thought on my mind I pack CJ's first and then my belongings, carry everything to my car and put it into the trunk. For the next hour I just wait and then I see Christian's car come down the drive way. I wait for him to park and walk to his car opening the backdoor and unfasten CJ from his car seat.
"I want you to get in the other car, sweetheart." I whisper to him and wait until he is inside the rental car.
"What is he doing?" Christian asks and tries to kiss me but I step back.
"There are no cameras here and I just wanted to kiss you." He sighs.
"And I don't ever want to kiss you again..." I tell him desperately trying not to cry.
"What is wrong, Ana..."
"Everything, but I'm going to fix this now. I'm going home, Christian."
"What... no, baby, please... look I talk to my mom about the cameras..."
"You do that but it doesn't matter... do you know why I always loved you so much?"
"Why?"
"Because I knew without any doubt that you are the one person who would never lie to me... turns out I was wrong you are a liar."
"I have never lied to you, Ana."
"You have just now."
"I have never lied to you, Ana!" He insists.
"Erin stopped by today to surprise you... you remember her, the girl you've been in a relationship with for five years... the girl you asked to marry you... the girl you asked on a date just three weeks after you got here..."
"Shit... Ana, look it's not what you think... I didn't tell you because it doesn't matter... she never mattered to me."
"You asked her to marry you... how does that not matter?" I yell at him.
"Look her mom and my mom are best friends... my mom really likes Erin and when she said she would be happy if I would date her I just... fuck... it was never about love."
"Oh my god! Listen to yourself... I can't do this anymore... Jesus Christ, you are so far up your mom's ass I can't even see you anymore."
"That is not true."
"Yes it is... look at you... look at your life. You have become her puppet. You date who she wants you to date, you do what she wants you to do, and no matter how crazy she acts you defend her... you even gave up your career for her or do you really think I believe for one second that you just realized you like being home all the time."
"You make this sound so bad..."
"Because it is... just tell me one thing do you still want to be with me or was that a lie too?"
"No, I love you so much, Ana, I want to be with you, marry you, and have more children..." He says and even though I'm so hurt and upset with him, I decide to give him one last chance.
"Then come with me... I can't be here Christian, but you can come with me. You have to make a decision now, either you stay here with your mom or you come with me to be with CJ and I." I look at him, see the desperation in his eyes and then resolve.
"I can't do that, Ana. I can't move out and leave my mom." He says and with that I can no longer hold back my tears.
"Then you have to let me go because I can't stay here and watch this woman ruin your life. You can see CJ whenever you want, but I'm asking you not to contact me so I can finally move on with my life because I need someone who is willing to choose me. I can't keep fighting for you when you fight me at every turn. I'm so sorry... but I just can't. Goodbye." I sob, kiss his cheek and walk to my car.
Christian doesn't stop me, he just watches as I get into my car and drive away...
"Mommy where are we going?" CJ asks when we arrive at the airport and I try to think about where to go. We could go back to Boston, most of our belongings are still there but even though I love my friends and family there right now I need my parents and with Elena gone and Carrick in jail there is nothing stopping me from going home.
"How would you feel about living with gramps and grammy for a while, darling?"
"Yeah, can I go fishing with gramps?"
"Sure darling."
And so, I buy the tickets for the next flight to Seattle. When we finally arrive at my parent's house it's already after ten pm and CJ is sleeping in my arms as I ring the doorbell.
"Ana, darling... what happened?" My mom asks as she calls out for my Dad and ushers me inside.
"Can you please put CJ down in my old bedroom, mom?"
"Sure, are you alright, you look like you've cried."
"Later mom." I murmur because I feel fresh tears burn in my eyes. So my mom takes CJ from me while my dad leads me into the kitchen and starts to make tea, which is his answer to any sort of crisis.
"Did you know?" I ask.
"Know what, Annie?"
"That Christian was engaged."
"He was what?" My dad asks.
"He was engaged, he started to date a girl just three weeks after he left and they were together for five years, he even asked her to marry him."
"Ana, I had no idea. Jason and I didn't talk much about him, all I ever asked was if he was doing fine. Did you break up with him because of it?"
"Yes... no... Grace Taylor is insane! She controls and dictates her entire family and she even has cameras around the house to know what everyone is doing at any time. Christian has turned into her puppet, Dad... I gave him the option to leave with me... he chose her... he's not the boy I knew and I can't believe that I lost him again." I say and my dad pulls me into his arms where I can just hold onto him and cry.
After I managed to tell my mom what happened, I step outside to get some fresh air and start walking down the street. Suddenly, I know where I want to go. It's a place I never even wanted to see. I don't even know if it's still there but right now it feels fitting to visit the grave the Grey's set up for Christian, because the boy I knew is truly gone and the man he is now is merely a shadow of the person I knew.
Walking down the path that leads to the plot where all of the Grey family members that have passed are buried, I take a deep breath and then I see it. A simple grave stone with the name Christian Grey on it.
I sit down in front of it and just stare at it for a while until I hear a soft sniffle and look to my right where I see someone sitting in front of a grave close by. I get up and step closer until I realize it's Elliot.
"Elliot?"
"Ana... hey why are you here?" He asks and gets up not even trying to hide his tears and just seeing him cry starts my tears again.
"I tried so hard to bring the Christian we all knew back... but he is gone... all he cares about is his mom and she has turned him into a person I hardly recognize..." I sob and he pulls me into his arms. And so we stand there in the middle of a cemetery at night both crying him about losing the only mother he ever knew and me about the love of my life that I had lost and found only to lose him again...
Up next another time jump 5 years into the future...
