Perfectly Lonely - Jessica Marin Page 0,10

was. As the consequences of my actions started to rear its ugly head, I vowed to make a wrong situation right by trying to protect her and Avery. I warned her about the paparazzi that were going to say vile things to her, to get a reaction from her, especially the notorious Danny Salari. I followed her every move from a distance and when she was safe in the confines of her apartment, I followed Danny and the other paparazzi to hear what their next moves for her were. With my loyalty toward Jenna growing each day, my disgust for Cal Harrington, and the notion of him not wanting to be part of his daughter’s life, grew to the point that when he finally arrived in town to meet his daughter, I confronted him on what on despicable human being I thought he was.

Imagine my surprise to find out that he was actually a victim in this narrative.

With this new found knowledge, I agreed to his offer to pay me to watch over Jenna. He needed to know where she was at all times for her safety, especially since unbeknownst to her, a death threat was made against her and Avery. From her viewpoint, I was just another wolf in the pack of paparazzi, but in reality, I was now supplying Cal with information on her whereabouts without her knowing. It made me feel better that I now had a purpose of good, especially when her opinion of me started to soften each and every time I came to her rescue from the “evil” paparazzi. I started to believe that I could redeem myself from bringing all the chaos into her life by protecting her. I believed the lies that I told myself every morning I got out of bed to follow her.

Because in reality, she and Cal Harrington still had no idea that I was the one that made the pact with the devil.

I kept this charade up by avoiding Layla at all costs, despite my longing to talk and apologize to her. When I wasn’t following Jenna and the other paparazzi, I would try to follow Layla when she was in town. It angered me to see her get drunk and throw herself at men. I read about her husband’s death when I researched her and it made her actions understandable. She was still in pain and I wish there was some way I could take it all away from her. I knew this couldn’t be the normal behavior of someone Jenna would call her best friend as Jenna seemed to be the polar opposite, behavioral wise, than Layla. I wanted to save her from herself and reassure her that she didn’t need to be doing what she was doing. I had no idea if Layla would even remember me from that night. I hoped she did, but I couldn’t risk her knowing that I was here and revealing to Cal and Jenna that it was me who sold their story. So, I kept myself hidden from her when she was around Jenna. But when I watched them together from afar one night and saw that they were in trouble, I decided that I could no longer keep running from the truth.

The silver lining in this was that Cal and Jenna got their happily ever after together because of my original actions. They have realized this and forgiven me. I’m even still temporarily employed by Cal to follow Jenna and watch over her — with her knowledge of it this time. The only one who has not forgiven me is Layla. Since she has been practically living with Jenna this past month, I’ve seen her every day, blossoming. She’s becoming healthier, her beautiful smile now an everyday occurrence. A smile that I want to see more of, preferably aimed toward me.

My time in Chicago may be running out soon and I realize now that my new mission before leaving is redemption.

Redemption in the eyes of Layla Sands.

5

Layla

“Can we please leave for lunch already?”

I glance up at Robert as he continues his constant whining about how hungry he is and how he wants us all to take a lunch break. I look over at Jenna in her home office, typing rapidly on her keyboard, and can tell she is nowhere near ready to break for lunch. As soon as Jenna and I got back from our walk, we got ready for our day and decided to work from her