Alyssa paused. There were some things that she didn't want to bring up. Elias' behavior was strange, and she still wanted to figure out why.

Now, she was supposedly dealing with vampires too. She didn't know which problem to try to handle first.

"He said that he believed leaving was the best thing for me,

" Alyssa replied.

Zoe scoffed over the phone.

"Sounds like a liar,

" she muttered.

"He might be. I still have a lot of questions,

" Alyssa admitted.

"Can you get into contact with him?

" Zoe asked her.

Alyssa grimaced when she realized that she had no way to find Elias. Maybe that was a good thing, but she knew that he could easily find her.

"Maybe,

" she replied.

"Then, try to talk to him and get answers. You deserve them. Refuse to leave until he tells you,

" Zoe said.

Alyssa figured she could try to push a little harder. Elias could be intimidating, but she could get angry.

She was going to demand answers whenever she saw him again, and she was going to try to forget about Stella.

She didn't need to get caught up with Elias besides the information that she deserved to know.

"Thank you, Zoe. Damn, I miss you,

" Alyssa sighed. She was happy for her friend, who was a great psychologist that helped a lot of people. She just wished they weren't on two different sides of the country.

"I miss you! Keep me in the loop!

" Zoe said warmly.

Alyssa bid her friend goodbye before heading back into the hospital to grab her things, feeling a bit more motivated than before.

This was her life. She refused to let Elias storm in and take it over. He had no right.

She was going to figure out how to protect herself, and then he didn't have to worry about looking after her. He could go back to his fancy tech company.

She didn't want to admit it, but she did look him up the other day. He didn't say anything about it to her, but he was on his way to being a billionaire due to the success of his company.

His company was innovative and had a huge grasp on the future of tech and business. He did well for himself.

But so did she. They obviously did well for themselves when they weren't together. Maybe they needed to keep it that way, and she had no problem continuing on with the life that she had worked so hard to build after he nearly destroyed it.

"There she is! Coming to the bar?

" Micah called to her as he walked down the hallway with Eva and a few other doctors at his side.

Usually, Alyssa would pass and go do some research or head home, but she didn't need to hole herself up.

She needed to get out there and live her life without letting Elias always distract her or derail her. That wasn't fair to her.

"Let me grab my things,

" she told them.

"Yay!

" Eva cheered, clapping her hands excitedly.

Alyssa smiled and grabbed her things before joining the group. Since the hospital was in the city, there were plenty of places that were walking distance to them.

They walked down the sidewalk and across the street to a busy bar, taking their seats at the wooden bar.

"Cosmopolitan,

" she said to the bartender.

"My girl is partying tonight!

" Eva teased her as she nudged her.

"Like two drinks,

" Alyssa said pointedly, not wanting to completely lose her mind tonight. She just wanted to forget about her worries and have a good time.

Also, she didn't feel like dealing with a hangover tomorrow. She needed to be somewhat on her game.

"Boo. At least three!

" Micah said from her other side.

"You guys have to stop instigating,

" Alyssa smirked at them. Once they all got their drinks, they clinked their glasses together and got to drinking. There was no better way to end a long day.

"I've been trying for so long to get you to have a drink with me,

" Micah said as he leaned close to Alyssa's ear.

Alyssa laughed awkwardly. Technically, she was getting a drink with the group, but she didn't say that.

He was just being nice and trying to flirt a little. Eventually, he would get the hint that she wasn't interested. Maybe.

"Guess you got me at the right time,

" she replied before turning to Eva.

"How was that procedure you did today?

"

"No, no! No work talk,

" Micah chuckled as he hopped off the stool. He downed his beer before placing the bottle back down on the bar.

"Let's dance or something.

"

"Oh, I'm good,

" Alyssa said sheepishly, not wanting to dance. She just wanted to drink and chat, but she didn't want to hurt Micah's feelings either. She felt so torn.

"Nah, come on!

" Micah said, taking her hand and trying to pull her off the stool.

"She said no,

" a voice boomed from behind Micah.

Alyssa peered past Micah with wide eyes, staring right at Elias, who was glaring at Micah. She hopped off the stool to get between them, not wanting any drama to get started. She came here to relax!

"It's fine,

" she said, narrowing her eyes at Elias.

Elias looked down at her before grabbing her hand.

"Come on,

" he said firmly.

"What?

" Alyssa asked, giving him a confused look. She didn't expect him to show up at all. Now, he was whisking her away without an explanation.

She was tired of always being so confused. When she wasn't with him, she was so clear about what she needed or wanted to do.

"We need to talk,

" Elias said, dragging her away from the bar.

Alyssa waved her friends off, letting them know that she was fine. She didn't like being dragged off like this, but her curiosity got the best of her.

She wanted to know what was on his mind, but she still hated how she let him just drag her along. She had no idea where she was going to end up.