It was Monday morning and Heather had many suitcases and bags along the wall in her room.
"Checking out?" Carole laughed as she walked into the room.
"You could say that," Heather laughed as she took the last thing out of her closet.
"Heather, what is it that you're wearing?" Carole asked in disbelief.
Heather had on a green tank top with a black mini skirt and high heels. "I have to start my new life somehow."
"Well, I was hoping it would go in the other direction!" Carole jokingly said as she shook her head and left the room.
Heather glanced around the room and saw all the things that Ted had given her. She didn't want any reminders of Ted so she planned to leave them off by his apartment door and maybe put a note with it… or maybe not. She didn't want to revert to her old ways but she didn't want to hold on to Ted's things. She made a mental list in her head of what she has to do before leaving.
"Bring that back to Ted's apartment, clean out my office from work, say my good-byes here, and then off to the Sunshine State. Oh, I have to pick Aunt Nora up first," Heather figured out.
That morning, Kevin was in his kitchen eating breakfast while locked in deep thought as Vivian came in.
"Did James make it back to the airport okay?" Kevin asked his mother.
"Yes he did," Vivian answered. "He said he's coming back in two weeks. He's giving in his two weeks notice to his job when he gets back to Chicago and then he's moving back here permanently."
"I'll look forward to that," Kevin told his mother. "Mom, you were right."
"I was?" Vivian asked surprisingly. "What was I right about?"
"Lalie," Kevin started. "I was taken in by Heather's manipulation into the engagement and wedding that I didn't see what was important to me."
Vivian sat down next to Kevin and smiled. "I knew you had to feel the same way about Lalie too."
"She has changed me," Kevin explained. "I know this is right this time."
"I do too," Vivian firmly said. "When are you going to see Lalie?"
"It might be too soon," Kevin sighed. "I'll wait."
Vivian nodded as she looked through her purse sitting on the counter and threw it over her arm. "I have to go somewhere but I'll be back later."
Heather packed the trunk of her car as her family helped her. "I'll be back before I leave," she assured them, as she still needed to head over to Ted's and then her office to clean her desk out.
Ted was lifting his barbells when the apartment buzzer rang.
"Didn't think I'd see you again," Ted told the person standing there.
"I came to give you a reward for helping me out in our quest," Vivian opened her purse and took out a check she had written.
"I can't accept that," Ted replied as he looked at the check.
"What would you like as an honest token of my appreciation, then?" Vivian asked with a smile as she still held the check in her hand.
Heather arrived at Ted's apartment building and walked up to his door. The door was slightly open but she didn't care, she was just going to place the items down and leave. As she put the items down, she heard a voice that sounded like Vivian's coming from the other side. She leaned close to the door to hear what was going on.
"Ted, I told you that kiss we shared was just in the heat of the moment and is something that will never happen again," Vivian told him.
"I know you want to kiss me again and again," Ted tried to convince her.
Outside, Heather's eyes popped out as she screamed, "Oh, my God! Vivian and Ted are having an affair!" to herself and left the apartment building, leaving those items next to his doorstep.
Heather drove to her soon-to-be-former place of employment to pack up her things. All the while, she was thinking about that conversation she overheard between Vivian and Ted.
Heather gave in her letter of immediate resignation to Mr. Franklin and headed back to her floor. She saw Marcy packing a couple of bags.
"Where are you going?" Heather asked her as she looked at the bags.
"I'm transferring to another agency," Marcy replied as she ran a paper towel through her drawer.
"Are you worried that this company is going to get a bad reputation because of what I did?" Heather asked her in a serious tone.
Marcy looked uncomfortable and didn't respond.
"It's okay," Heather told her in a comforting tone. "Today's my last day, too."
"You're resigning, Ms. Mills?" Marcy looked up surprised.
"Yes," Heather truthfully replied. "Do you know if Tracy is on her floor?"
"She's on an extended vacation, Ms. Mills," Marcy replied.
Heather looked disappointed about Tracy but told Marcy, "Call me Heather. You're not my receptionist anymore."
Marcy smiled a little as she walked around the desk and gave Heather a hug. "Good luck, Heather."
Heather told her the same and went into her office.
It took her a while to clean everything out. As she was preparing to tell the maintenance man what he could throw away, there was a man standing in the doorway.
"Mr. Neelan," Heather acknowledged.
"I'm not here on a social visit," Mr. Neelan told her in an angry tone. "I just came to withdraw my account from this company and I need your signature to finish the deal."
"Gladly," Heather walked over to Mr. Neelan and, without hesitation, took the paper and clicked the pen and signed the document requesting the withdrawal. "I'm glad my hands are cleansed of Neelan on all accounts."
"As if I'd take into account the opinion of someone from the likes of you," Mr. Neelan retorted as he prepared to leave.
"Likes of me?" Heather questioned with a laugh. "Please," she sarcastically said. "Oh, Mr. Neelan, wait a minute."
"I don't have time for games," Mr. Neelan replied. "I'm a busy man."
Heather took a blank piece of paper from the printer and wrote something down and folded it in half. "Here," she said as she handed it to him. "You should go there when you have a chance."
Mr. Neelan looked down at the paper and then looked at Heather with confusion and left the office for the last time.
Heather smiled contently as she sealed the last box and threw her pocket book over her shoulder and stood by her office door. She looked back at her empty office and reflected on the first time she stepped into the office and all the different times she's had in there. A tear came to her eye as she turned off the light switch and closed the door. She removed her nameplate from the door, as she knew someone would be replacing her soon enough.
Heather returned home and her family was sitting in the living room waiting for her to come back.
Heather teared up as she put the final bag in her trunk and her next stop was the hotel to pick up her aunt and then they were off to Florida.
"Call us the minute you get there," Harold told Heather as he hugged her tight.
"I will," Heather smiled with tears.
"We'll miss having you around," Carole sobbed as she hugged Heather.
"I'm only going to be a thousand miles away," Heather joked with a smile.
Carole managed to laugh between crying.
Heather and Lalie looked at each other as they both smiled and hugged each other with tears in their eyes.
"Good luck, Heather," Lalie told Heather while tearing up.
"I'm so sorry for everything that happened," Heather whispered to Lalie.
"I'll move on if you do," Lalie offered. "Okay?"
"Yeah," Heather smiled as she dabbed away her tears before looking at her whole family. "I'll miss every one of you."
"We'll miss you," Carole sobbed. "Please have a safe trip and wear a lot of sunscreen when you get to Florida."
"I will," Heather laughed as she walked toward her car and got into it.
Heather opened her window and waved. Her family waved back. Heather smiled and drove off to the hotel to pick up her Aunt.
Lalie, Carole and Harold went inside and Carole tried to compose herself.
"Mom," Lalie started as she sat next to Heather. "I made up my mind and I'm going to see Kevin."
Carole smiled, "Go," Carole encouraged her. "I love you!" Carole called out with tears in her eyes as Lalie left.
"I love you too," Lalie cried before she left.
Ted had put the moves on Vivian and convinced her for one last kiss. The kiss was passionate and eternal.
"I don't ever want this to end," Ted breathlessly told her as he went back in for another kiss.
"Don't let it end then," Vivian rubbed his arms and back as she continued to kiss him.
Mr. Neelan was in the hall looking at the paper Heather gave her.
"This is the address," Mr. Neelan glanced down. "Where am I? Where is this apartment?"
Mr. Neelan walked further down the hall and found the apartment that Heather wrote on the paper. The door was still slightly open and he pushed it open and saw his wife and Ted passionately kissing by the balcony.
Mr. Neelan clicked his shoes on the floor as he made his way into the room.
Vivian looked to her right and saw Mr. Neelan standing there. "Oh, my God, Bob," Vivian said sounding very startled and scared as she pushed Ted off of her.
Mr. Neelan walked up closer and looked at Ted right in the eyes with a very enraged statement on his face.
Heather and her Aunt Nora were on the highway heading south. The smooth ride of the car made Nora fall asleep. Heather looked at her watch and smiled contently and said to herself, "I bet Mr. Neelan is catching Vivian with that sleaze right about now," she laughed to herself, "At least a botched wedding didn't tarnish my touch. I'm a Mills now and forever. It's a shame I won't be able to see what happens when Mr. Neelan finds out about Vivian and Ted. Oh, well. I'll be sure to find out!"
Heather glanced over at her Aunt Nora who was still sleeping on the passenger seat. Heather read the sign on the side of the road, "Welcome to Maryland."
Heather smiled, "Goodbye, Pennsylvania. Hello, future. I'll be back!"
Lalie parked outside of Kevin's house and nervously walked up the path to ring the doorbell. Kevin opened the door before Lalie had a chance to ring the doorbell.
"Kevin," Lalie whispered.
"You're here," Kevin stared at Lalie as he walked down the steps to stand in front of Lalie.
"Heather left town," Lalie informed him. "Just a little while ago."
"I had no idea," Kevin admitted. "Lalie, I was coming over to see you."
"Looks like we crossed paths," Lalie smiled.
"And I couldn't be happier about that," Kevin told her. "Lalie, I want you to know how sorry I am that I didn't see what was in front of me."
Lalie teared up. "You don't have to apologize for anything," she assured him, "But I do."
"What?" Kevin asked her.
"I should have told you about Heather the minute I found out," Lalie replied as she felt bad.
"You were going to but she told you that she'd tell me before the wedding and she didn't," Kevin justified Lalie. "You were going to tell me in the vestibule but Carole interrupted us."
"I'm glad you understand," Lalie felt relieved.
"There is something I really need to tell you," Kevin looked right into Lalie's eyes as Lalie encouraged him to continue. "That day in my office, I wanted to tell you how much I felt the same way but I was just so brainwashed by Heather's manipulation," Kevin started but Lalie interrupted him.
"That'll never happen again," Lalie told him as she smiled at him.
"The truth is," Kevin started as he moved close to Lalie. "Is that I am and have been, since the day you arrived for that first interview, in love with you, Layla Mills."
Lalie teared up as she smiled widely. "I can't begin to tell you how much I love you too, Kevin Neelan."
Kevin and Lalie looked at each other and kissed each other with a passion and without a care in the world.
Obect of Captivity
Hosted {Fiction}
I'll Never Stop {Fiction}
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