A Christmas Betrayal

New Hair, New Life

Dawn

A day later

Dave Willaims,

If you are reading this I have already left. I am tired of this marriage and putting up with your s**t. I can’t take more violence anymore and nothing I do will ever make you love me. So this time I have chosen myself, I am putting my happiness first. Don’t bother to look for me, you won’t ever find me.

I hope you will be happy with Tara.

Yours, Dawn Terry

I fold up the letter and put it on top of the bedside table top then take off my ring and put it on top of the letter. I hope he sees it, even if he doesn't I don't care.

Ever since he left the previous day, he hasn't been back, and because of that, he has given me enough time to prepare for my departure. During the time he has been away, I was able to contact my distant cousin, who is hated by the whole family simply because they failed to control his life like they controlled mine and Tara's. I know no one will suspect I am at his place for the time being as I try to figure out what I will do with the rest of my life.

My love for Dave blinded me so much that I dropped my studies in my final year as a software engineer. This time I will take the lead. I won't let anything come between me and what I want.

While the sun is yet to rise, I take my already-packed suitcase and head out of the house.

Outside the house, the Uber I called was already at the gate waiting for me. I take one last look at the house and then get into the taxi.

It takes me straight to the airport, where I catch my flight to West Virginia.

When I get to the airport in West Virginia, my cousin Reed is already waiting for me.

“Dawn!” He waves his hand, and I walk over to him. He hugs me grabs my bags from me and puts them in his sleek black Mercedes.

Reed has changed so much since the last time I saw him. With platinum blond hair and sexy green eyes, it’s enough to say that ladies are swooning at him. He has grown taller and more muscular since I last saw him and his platinum beard is covering a sexy, sharp jaw that gives off dangerous vibes.

“You have grown so much, Dawn.” My cousin says now that we are finally in the car. “And last time I saw you, your hair was long.”

“Oh,” I mutter. I swipe my bangs, only for them to cover my forehead once more. “I cut it short yesterday. New life, new hair,”

I almost dyed my blond hair to a different color, but later decided that cutting it short was still alright.

“Women!” Reed shakes his head before he finally starts the engine.

He doesn’t know the full story yet. I called him over yesterday because I knew he was the last person my family would ever contact. None of them will suspect I have been in contact with him. By the time they begin to suspect I would have left to live on my own in a different town.

“Hey, it’s a whole thing; once a woman cuts her hair to start a new life, just know she isn’t going back to the old one,” I express with a smile. It’s been a long since I ever really genuinely smiled. My face was forever itched with a deep frown that Dave mentioned he hated on countless occasions, and yet he was the cause for it.

“I don’t want you going back. Why didn’t you tell me sooner about what was happening?!” His arms grip the wheel tighter.

“I didn’t want to worry you,” I stare at my palms resting on my lap.

“Don't do that ever again.” He growls out, and I nod as I pout.

We finally reach his home, and it’s in a quiet neighborhood with tall wall fences. I bet everyone is in their world in this neighborhood, and honestly, I like it already; I see myself gaining that peace of mind I want here.

My cousin's house is simple, with only two stories. It suits him a lot, not that he doesn’t have any money to afford an even bigger one. I believe he prefers the simple, quiet town life as compared to the extravagant one I left in Miami.

He parks in the garage, and we hear inside the rest of the house. He shows me the room I will be staying in for the meantime. It’s a simple room with a bed, gray walls, and a single wardrobe. Reed proceeds to place my suitcase near the wardrobe. I only packed one and left most of the things behind. I don't want traces of Dave on me, even if it still breaks my heart that I have left him.

“We can decorate it according to your liking tomorrow. I left it plain because I didn’t know what you would like.” He lightly bounces on his feet as his emerald iris observes me with causation.

“It’s perfect; I will add some decor to beautify it, so don’t worry,” I assure him with a bright smile.

"As for the bathroom, it's across the hall. This floor has two bathrooms, so I left the one across for you." He says it casually, and I nod my head. That is fine with me; I don't mind, after all.

“Thanks once again, Reed, I don’t know what I would have done without you.”

“Hey, you don’t have to thank me for anything. We are family for a reason.” He grabs and rubs my shoulder before he drops his hand.

He proceeds to show me the rest of the house, and the simplicity of it is so different from Dave’s big mansion.

For the rest of the day, Reed spends time with me, and we chat and laugh at the old times before he was the relative who only shows up at important family events and disappears before anyone can ask him any questions. In this little time together, I learned that he is a good person as compared to what the family says about him.

When evening comes, we order pizzas and laugh through the night as we watch movies.

The next day I am up early, and as I head to the kitchen, the doorbell rings. I change course and head to the door.

I pull it open, and my breath gets caught in my throat.

The man standing in front of me is mouth-watering. He is freaking tall and so f*****g handsome. He licks his lips, and my eyes follow the small action.

“Hi,”

His voice makes me stumble backward. So deep and rich. I meet his gaze, and his face is spotting a sly smirk that only adds to his beauty. His perfect set of white teeth is on display, and he runs his tongue slowly over them, the smile only growing wider.

“Uh, hi,” I stumble upon my words.

“Is Reed here?” His smirk is mocking me. I know that for sure.

“Ye…yeah. He is around.” I answer, and he chuckles.

He takes a step closer, and I stand my ground. Leaning closer, he places his arm above my head on the door frame, and now his face is inches from me. His chocolate brown eyes scrutinize me closely.

“Then would you let me in or at least call him for me?” He whispers, narrowing his gaze while a smirk remains.

I blink a few times as I openly stare with my mouth wide open. I cough and step back.

“I can do that. I will tell him you are here to see him. Who should I say is here again?”

“If you want to know my name, all you have to do is ask.” He chuckles; his chest grabs my attention.

The white muscle shirt shows off what lies beneath.

“Your name is irrelevant to me.”

He laughs, and the sound has me swallowing hard.

“Even better.”

He pulls back, runs his fingers through his short black, and later folds his arms.

My eyes get glued to the muscles on his arm and move to the ones on his chest that are tightly clinging to his shirt. I drop my gaze to look lower, and a finger stops my little journey.

A low snicker, I am expecting anything.

“Tell him it’s urgent.”

I rush back inside the house at the same time Reed makes it downstairs.

“Someone is at the door looking for you,” I tell him, and he peeps his head towards the door.

I turn to look back at the same time the hot male stands at the door while smirking.

“Vin, you can come in. You know you are always welcome.” Reed tells him with a smile of his own.

Finally, his friend steps in and walks towards us.

“I didn’t want to be rude since the lady over here didn’t want to let me in.” He says casually with a frown.

“The lady is my cousin; she is Dawn, and she will be staying with me for a while, so you might as well get along with her and Dawn; this is one of my best buddies, Vincent.”

“Nice to meet you, Vincent.”

He smiles, “The pleasure is all mine.” The way his lips move, and the words tumble out of that mouth is distracting. His pink lips are too juicy for me to ignore.

I offer a small smile after seeing his eyes darken.

Reed is the first to take the step, and the rest of us follow him.

“I don’t know, but something about you seems a little familiar,” Vincent whispers close to my ear, making me shiver. I can feel some goosebumps forming.

“What’s that?” I mutter low enough for him to hear.

Reed is carried in a world where he's oblivious to what’s happening right behind him.

“I think I saw you enter a mistletoe booth,”