Authors: Bethany Daniel
Disconnected
Copyright 2013 Disconnected by Bethany Daniel
Cover design © Arijana Karčić, Cover It! Designs
Amazon Edition
Amazon Edition, License Notes
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Disclaimer: The persons, places, things, and otherwise animate or inanimate objects mentioned in this novel are figments of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to anything or anyone living (or dead) is unintentional. The author humbly begs your pardon. This is fiction.
Table of Contents
Prologue
A party ruined my life. It was supposed to be all about making a name for myself and showing everyone that I was the new kid on the block, but my wife was in the background and she left me.
When I got home from shooting the day after the party, I thought she would be there waiting for me with a home cooked meal like always. She had told me she wanted to keep something normal while everything else was so make-believe. But when I came in, all that was there was a note:
"I'm leaving. I hope you have all the successes you've ever wanted. I won't be along for this crazy ride. Goodbye.
Love, Katy"
I didn't believe her when she said she would leave. I thought she was just mad about all the girls in the house. I never thought she could really just be gone.
After I read that note, I tore the house apart. I ran through every room yelling her name and then I grabbed the phone and tried to call her over and over again. When she didn't answer, I called her parents. All Mrs. Parker would tell me was that she was safe and really upset. She said she was sure we could work things out, this was just the first of many fights married couples have. But she was wrong. Katy never came back home to me.
So I started drinking. I drank and drank until I could hardly move anymore. Mitchell Fallon said he was going to fire me if I didn't get over it because she's "only a girl" and there's plenty more where she came from. But he never got it. She's still more than just another girl to me, she's everything. And I blew it.
One morning I woke up and made myself think with a clear head. I was going to find her. Filming was on a break, so I took a few days and I drove home to my parents' house first.
"Sweetie, are you sure you're alright?" my mom asked me for the hundredth time after I got there.
"Yes, because I'm going to find her, Mom. I have to. I'm going to go talk to Mr. and Mrs. Parker and make them understand that I need her! I'll apologize and Katy will come home with me."
My parents exchanged a look and I sighed with frustration. "Look, I'll be back later."
I walked out, hopped into my car, and sped down the route I knew by heart until I got to Katy's child hood home. I tapped my fingers on the steering wheel until I had the courage to get out and walk up to the door and knock.
A few moments later, Mr. Parker opened the door and crossed his arms as he looked at me. "Liam."
"Mr. Parker, I need to know where Katy is." I wanted to sound like I meant business but it came out more as a plea.
He shook his head looking down at the ground. "I'm sorry son, I can't tell you that."
I glared at him. "She is my wife! I have every right to know where she is!"
He glared right back at me and stepped closer. "And she is my daughter. Do you have any idea what you put her through when you took her to that city? All you did was party and you forgot all about the wife you had that was right there with you!" He yelled through clenched teeth.
I flinched and stepped back as Mrs. Parker came around the corner to see what was going on.
She crossed her arms and came to stand next to her husband. "Hello, Liam."
"Please--please Mr. and Mrs. Parker. Tell me where she is so I can fix this," I pleaded with them.
Mrs. Parker looked at me sadly as she stepped forward and took my hand. "Liam, sweetheart, she needs her time." She turned to look at her husband. "Katelyn's not in Nevada anymore."
My eyes widened and I had to bite my lip to keep from yelling and getting hit by Katy's dad. "She left the state? Just up and left?" I shouted, frustrated, and started pacing.
I couldn't believe this was really happening. If she wanted to teach me a lesson, well, she did.
"Where did she go? You have family all over the place! Who did she go to?" I yelled, and stormed back towards the door.
"Son, I think it's best if you get in your car and leave. Now." Mr. Parker glared at me. "You're just going to cause a scene, and I doubt that's real great for your… what do they call it in Hollywood? Image?" He shook his head. "Go on back. If Kate wants to come back, she will."
"And what if she doesn't? What if I already screwed this up too bad?" I gulped and looked down at my simple black wedding band. When we ran off to Vegas to get married right after graduation, our parents were furious. But we were in love and this was supposed to be forever.
Maybe forever isn't forever when you live in Hollywood.
The whole drive back to L.A I started making a plan in my head. Any free days I got, I was going to spend contacting Katy's friends and family that I had information on. One of them was bound to know exactly where she was. Or maybe Katy's parents would slip up when they were talking to my parents. They're best friends. My parents are practically Katy and her brother Derek's other family. They couldn't keep her away from me. I just had to hope she'd come around. “We've known each other our whole lives, she has to know how much she means to me,” I thought as I smacked my fist against the steering wheel and turned into our very empty home.
There I saw the car of my new friend, Scott Adams, another up-and-coming actor that Excite had taken on. We got along good, and he liked to hang out-- especially since everything that had happened with Katy.
"Hey man, how's it going?" he asked as I got out of the car.
I shook my head and leaned against the door. "Not good. She's not even back home. She left the state. Her parents won't even tell me where the heck she went!" I kicked some rocks from the driveway into the grass.
"So now what?"
"Every chance I get, I'm going to contact all the people I know connected to her and figure out where the heck she is." I shrugged. "I really screwed up."
"I'll tell ya what, I'll help you." Scott smiled at me as we walked inside. "You really love her don't you?"
I plopped down on my very expensive leather couch and nodded. "I do. This city makes me different. I'm not the Liam that came from a theater in Nevada anymore. Here I'm Liam Warren, movie star, and I feel like I need to act the part." I ran both hands through my hair and squeezed them into fists. "I just forgot to stop acting when I came back home."
************************************************************************
A year later, I was still no closer to figuring out where she might be. Hope was slowly slipping away of ever getting another shot at things.
After yet another dead end phone call to a friend, I threw my phone across the room and watched it hit a wall.
"What was that about?" Scott asked as he came around the corner. He'd taken up residence here. I'd figured he might as well.
"The same freaking answers over and over and over again." I gritted my teeth. "I don't....I don't know what else to do Scott." I slipped into a chair and covered my face. "If she was going to forgive me, she would be back already."
Scott came and sat on the coffee table in front of me. "You need to let go. I know you don't want to," he added in when I gave him a look, but he just shrugged. "Come out with me tonight. Mingle with some of Hollywood's newest and brightest. You have noticed your co-star, Alexia right?" He raised an eyebrow at me.
I shrugged. "What about her?"
"She's beautiful. And she wants you. It's in her eyes every time you guys are near each other. Marriage or not, she'll make you forget the hurt you're feeling right now."
"I don't know, man. I don't think going out partying is good for me right now."
"So don't think, get changed and come to the new club everyone's been talking about. A bunch of people will be there, you won't think about Katy and that mess at all. We'll just relax and have a good time."
After some internal arguing, I finally gave in to Scott. Having a good time wouldn't kill me, and a little bit of distraction was welcome.
I quickly got changed into some dress slacks and a button-up white shirt and just ran some gel through my hair before I walked down the stairs to where Scott was waiting.
