Disconnected

by Bethany Daniel

  Copyright 2013 Disconnected by Bethany Daniel

  Cover design © Arijana Karčić, Cover It! Designs

  Amazon Edition

  Amazon Edition, License Notes

  This book is protected under the copyright laws of the United States of America. Any reproduction or other unauthorized use of the material or artwork herein is prohibited.

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Amazon.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  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

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Epilogue

  Bonus Scene

  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.

  "Ready to go?"

  I nodded. "I guess so."

  He patted my shoulder as we both went out the door and I slipped behind the wheel of my little sports car. "I'll try to have fun, I promise."

  Scott smiled and nodded as he turned the radio on. "Good, that's all I ask."

  A little bit later we drove up to a large building that had a line wrapped around the side. There were strobe lights going, masking the camera flashes of paparazzi that were just waiting for people like us to drive up.

  "Are you sure this is a good idea?" I asked Scott, looking at the long line before we got out of the car.

  He smirked at me. "Our pictures are all over the place right now, we can just bypass all this," he motioned to the lines. "You know what Mitch always says about the paps. Any publicity from them is good as long as we don't destroy anything." He shrugged and pulled me up to the front of the line by the bouncer.

  "Oh my God, Liam Warren and Scott Adams!" a redheaded girl that was flirting with the bouncer squealed when she saw us. "I can't believe I'm standing right beside you!"

  The bouncer shook his head as he looked us over. "You're both legal, right?"

  "Yep," Scott answered for the both of us and grinned as the bouncer stepped back and let us in easily.

  "See? No problems." He smiled over at me and directed me to a barricaded section where there were two different bouncers blocking the area.

  "Names?" one of the guys asked us.

  "I'm Liam Warren. This is Scott Adams." I pointed in his direction.

  The other bouncer looked over his list, nodded and let us go by. Immediately we were handed drinks, and I took a quick glance to see that it was beer before taking a swig and following behind Scott to a table in the back. Sitting there was Alexia Dalton and another actress I can't remember the name of.

  Alexia looked up at me with a big grin. "Liam! I'm so happy you decided to come!" She jumped up and hugged me before I realized what she was doing.

  "Um yeah," I ran a hand through my hair and sat down.

  The actress I can't remember looked over at me and smiled shyly. "I'm Josie." She reached her hand out and I shook it. "I'm an extra on the movie you're working on right now."

  "Oh, right." I nodded. "That's why you look a little familiar."

  She smiled a little bigger and nodded, "Yep. Alexia is showing me all the fun stuff to do around L.A."

  "Yeah, I wouldn't be here if I could help it. I'm kind of being forced." I looked over in Scott's direction. "He says I need to get out more."

  "Getting out can be good," she shrugged.

  I shook my head and glanced around until I noticed Alexia had her eyes glued on me.

  "So Liam, how do you like L.A?" she asked as she crossed her legs and sent the hem of her dress riding up.

  "It's alright, I guess. It would be even better if my wife was still here with me."

  She pouted as she set her chin on her hand. "I heard about that." She reached her hand across to pat mine. "I'm so sorry. Some people just aren't cut out for this life."

  I narrowed my eyes and pulled my hand away from her as Scott brought another round of drinks over.

  "Everyone know everyone?" he asked, taking a drink of his beer.

  "Yep," Alexia smiled and looked me up and down again. "You know Liam; our characters get very cozy over the next couple days."

  I just shrugged. "Great," I replied dryly.

  Scott kicked my foot under the table and sent me a glare. I just took another drink and sighed.

  Over the next few hours the four of us ended up downing drink after drink, and Scott was right. I forgot why I was so mad and hurting in the first place. Alexia had scooted herself closer to me and I didn't even mind her rubbing her fingers up and down my arm.

  "So, Liam," she whispered by my ear, and I looked down at her.

  "Hmm?"

  "How about we get out of here and get to know each other really well?" She raised an eyebrow at me suggestively and leaned in a little closer, until she had pressed her lips to mine and for a minute, I froze. But the alcohol was flowing through me, and it had been a whole year since I'd had the comfort of my wife, and I need this; I deserved this. I could find another way to be happy. I let myself kiss her back and smiled flirtatiously as I pulled her up out of her chair. "Let's go."

  But the next morning when I tried to roll over and was stopped by arms and legs draped all over me... it was then that everything came crashing down. I slept with Alexia, I betrayed Katy. Oh God, what had I done?

  Chapter 1

  3 Years Later

  Disconnected, that's how I've felt the last four years since Katy walked out of my life. I admit, when I found myself in Hollywood back then, I let it get to my head. There was just so much out there, and it gave me culture shock.

  Unfortunately, I took it out on Katy-- the one person who saw past all that crap and still loved me for just being Liam. That party that Mitchell Fallon and the other Excite execs talked me into having to "rub elbows" with Hollywood’s elite cost me my marriage. I haven't been able to forgive myself ever since.

  Now I'm on a plane to Georgia with my best friend, Scott Adams. We've been in this whirlwind together. He was picked up by Excite around the same time I was.

  "Ready to find us some Georgia peaches, man?" Scott asks from beside me in our first class seats.

  I just roll my eyes and run a hand through my hair. "I don’t know man, doesn't it ever get old?"

  He looks at me like I've lost my mind as he puts his hand against my forehead. "Are you sick, Liam?"

  I shove his hand away and sigh. "I'm just thinking about everything, ya know?" I shrug and look down at the floor.

  "You have to let her go sometime," Scott tells me in a whisper. "I know yo
u still love your wife, but she left you, man. You have to focus on your future. You're the big man now! You can walk into any building and have every woman in the place throwing themselves at you. Maybe there's someone you're really meant to be with out there."

  I just shrug, "Yeah, maybe."

  The next morning, Scott and I are heading over to a local college. Excite wants it to be a PR opportunity, show we are all about education or something.

  As soon as we step into the Dean's building, there are at least 40 girls that suddenly need to be in that building for something, of course.

  "Liam! Scott! Could you please--please autograph something for me?" a girl stammers as she grabs some paper and a marker out of her bag and lunges at us with bugged out eyes.

  "Sure." I flash a grin at her. "Who should we write it out to?"

  "Laney," she breathes, and after both Scott and I have signed she squeals and runs into the group of girls, who then join her in squealing.

  "I'm so sorry for that." A secretary shoots a look over at the girls. "Dean Paul is ready to meet with you in his office."

  We nod and follow her down the hall where there's a plaque with "Dean Paul" in golden letters. As we enter, he quickly stands and smoothes down his suit. "Mr. Adams, Mr. Warren," he reaches his arm out to shake our hands, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Would you like a tour of our school grounds?"

  "Sure," Scott pops in with a smile. I bet he has pictures of college girls rolling through his head. "We'd love to."

  While we're walking through the grounds, Dean Paul goes on and on about the history of the place and I halfway tune out. Anywhere I go, if I catch a glimpse of a girl with long brown hair, I always stop to see if maybe--just maybe--it's Katy. I know it's a really long shot, but I've never stopped looking. She's always in my thoughts and I can't ever just forget her like she seems to have forgotten me.

  We walk into the middle of the courtyard area and as the Dean is sweeping his arms around, I see someone that walks just like Katy, with a small bounce in her step and a habit of tucking her hair behind her ears. She's holding onto the hand of a tall guy with cropped brown hair. She has the same hairstyle as Katy, too... the same one she's had her whole life, since she always refused to cut it much shorter or dye it. My heart is pounding. There's no way, right? Here in Georgia on some itty bitty college campus?