The Parent Trap

Chapter 19: Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Chase Jacobs

POV

I was at Carly’s apartment less than twenty minutes after I stormed out of the house leaving Carly in the dust.

The entire drive,to her apartment I kept thinking about the same thing over and over again.

I couldn’t believe it really was Koah, nine years away was a very long time. After she moved away Enzo changed. He kept working, and he is working himself into the grave. Pushing himself, running from her. I knew it. He didn’t want to go looking for her.

Now she was back.

Looking at Carly’s apartment I’m reminded that Enzo lived in this apartment maybe nine years ago. Right after high school.

I knock on the door and waited. I didn’t have to wait long, she opened the door and I knew. I just knew...

Koah Harbor stared back at me. She looked older, thinner, and tired.

But I knew it was here.

My eyes stayed on her face.

And every other thought of bashing her for returning now after so long vanished.

The bruising had started to heal, but it was still obvious, the dark purple was faded to shades of green and yellow. There was a cut near her eyebrow.

My stomach turned at he sight. "What the hell happened to you? Fuck Koah..." The slipped from my lips before I could stop them.

Koah looked away from me. I knew she was embarrassed. I didn’t mean to make her embarrassed.

God she had nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. "Koah there is nothing for you to be ashamed about. You didn’t do this to yourself." I had to tell her.

She still wouldn’t look at me. "I’m not ashamed of what happened to me Chase. Is Enzo okay?" she asks.

The question caught me off guard, not because she asked me how he was, but because I didn’t know how to answer her.

Because not even I knew if my friend was okay. Nothing about Enzo was okay after she left.

I didn’t answer her. How could I explain my friend’s heartbreak in one sentence? If I told her he was okay and he later found out he’d be angry at me. I knew he’d been longing for her over the last nine years.

I didn’t want to get involved in their relationship, no they didn’t have a relationship. I didn’t want to get involved in whatever they were now. But I wanted to protect my friend from further heartbreak.

I sighed. "Can I come in?" I ask.

Koah looked at me disappointedly, but stepped aside for me to enter.

I walked in and two dogs started barking at me.

"I’m sorry they don’t really do well with men..." Koah says before calming her dogs.

The two dogs stood by her feet eyeing me suspiciously.

The dogs were protective of her. Which means they probably witnessed what happened to her face.

I took a seat on the sofa, she followed me sitting beside me. There was only one three seater couch in the apartment. The place was so small. I could see her bedroom from over my shoulder.

The apartment didn’t look or feel like a home, I wasn’t sure if it was because of Carly or Koah.

The apartment looked more like a hideout than a home. Then again she probably wanted it that way.

"Is Enzo okay?" She asks again...

I rubbed the back of my neck, unsure of what she wanted me to say.

Did she want the truth or did she want me to lie to her? She probably deserved the truth, but she hurt my friend.

I clicked my tongue and decided to be honest. I didn’t like lying. "No."

Koah froze.

"Enzo is alive..." I tell her.

Her shoulders relaxed after she heard that..

"He’s successful, working hard, making his way up the ranks, but he never got over you."

Koah flinched like I’d slapped her.

My chest tightened. I didn’t want to hurt her. But I wanted to be honest. I didn’t what there to be any misunderstandings between the two.

It seemed like the two have been to hell and back.

Tears filled her eyes. "Nine years ago, after we broke up, I got my admission letter and I thought Enzo was done with me. I was ready to move on with my life." she starts, her voice barely above a whisper.

I wanted for feel bad for her, but I remembered Enzo and what he was like when he heard from her parents she’d left for New York with no return date.

He’d broken down in tears, he went out to bars stayed out all night until he enlisted and he became numb. I’ve never even brought up her name or even talked about her. I watched my friend run from his feelings for far too long. I tried to convince myself he wasn’t running from her, that he’d moved on. It’s been almost a decade and he still loved her.

"I didn’t want to hurt Enzo, I loved him, a part of me still loves him. I was eighteen Chase, I thought my life was over. I threw myself into dance. I missed him so much." she sounded pained.

I nod. "I know."

She let out a bitter laugh. "There are times when I sat in my house wondering what would have happened if I’d stayed. Where would Enzo and I be now..." frёewebηovel.cѳm

"It’s too late for that now..." I remind her.

Koah stared at her hands. "I met Austin when I was twenty two. He was charming. He charmed all of my friends. Would come to all my shows. He would even come to my rehearsals and clap like he loved me. Then it took a turn for the worse. He started with a slap. He apologized immediately after. He promised he would never do it again. But every time it got worse. It just kept getting worse. After some beatings I couldn’t go to rehearsals. He’d put in leave for me without asking. I’d lived my life in constant fear, and then I just felt numb afterward..." She confesses.

I frowned. "And then?" I ask.

"And then my parents died and he was forcing for us to get married. I told him know..." Then she points to her face. "I was scared he’d kill me for my inheritance. I couldn’t stay with him..." she told me.

My gaze drifted back to her face, I was looking at he faded bruises and the healing cut by her eye.

My jaw clenched. "What’s Austin’s last name?" I asked.

"Why?" She asked.

"So I can teach him what happens when you beat up a woman..." I say through gritted teeth.

"No, Chase. I just want to forget about him. I don’t even want to speak about him..."

My stomach twists, at the look at the fear in her eyes. She feared this bastard.

"Does he know where you are?" I ask.

Her eyes widen and she shakes her head. "No."

It sounded more like she hoped he didn’t know where she is than she was sure he had no idea she was in Chicago.

"Why didn’t you call me?" I asked.

She looked at me in surprise. "What?"

"I know you and Enzo have unresolved issues. But you could have called me for help. I would have dropped everything to help you. You were my friend too Koah. I wasn’t your friend because you dated Enzo."

"I was afraid you would tell Enzo and he’d come running to save me and get into trouble..." she says.

"Jesus Koah. He could have killed you. He could file a missing person’s report and inherit your assets once you are declared dead." I shake my head.

Koah looked away. "I contacted my lawyer before I left. He knows I’m okay. I didn’t even tell him where I was." She says softly. "I didn’t call you because I didn’t want you to look at me differently..."

"Differently how?" I asked.

Her eyes filled with tears. "I’m ashamed of who I’ve become, I’m embarrassed that I’ve become weak. I thought if you saw what I’d become..." She swallowed hard. "You’d look at me with pity or disgust."

I shook my head. "I wouldn’t look at you with pity or disgust and Enzo wouldn’t pity you either."

Tears ran down her eyes. She looked relieved.

After that Koah and I talked, really talked. For the first time in almost a decade it felt like I got one of my closest friends back.

Before we knew it almost three hours had past. I stood up to leave and Koah followed me to the door.

I looked around the apartment it didn’t look all that safe.

"Chase?" Koah called.

I turned toward her.

She hesitated. "Will you call him and ask him if I could see him?" she asks softly.

She didn’t say his name but I knew she meant Enzo.

I sigh and nod. "I will."

Her eyes light up with hope, before it dimmed. "I don’t know if he’ll want to see me."

I sighed. I opened the door and noticed it barely had enough locks to to keep her face.

"Koah I can’t promise you how it will go with Enzo. He has to leave in a few days..." I tell her.

She met my gaze.

"But I can promise you something else." I tell her.

She waited.

"If Austin comes looking for you... He won’t touch you again I promise you."

I watched the dear in her eyes. She didn’t say anything, but I saw the way her body trembled when hearing his name.

"I’ll call Enzo in the morning." I tell her.

Tears pool in her eyes. "Thank you Chase."

I nod. "Lock up behind me Koah..." I say.

I walked down the stairs and out the building toward my car.

I couldn’t help but wonder, what exactly I’d tell Enzo in the morning. How I’d explain Koah and why I waited until the morning to tell him.

But that was tomorrow’s problem.