Two Weeks Later

Lucas and I were in his office working on the plans for a new shopping mall in California.

“So, you and Jasper have been seeing quite a bit of each other.” I grinned.

“Yes. Thanks to you. He’s a great guy and I like spending time with him. Plus, he’s an amazing chef. I asked him about your boyfriend and he wouldn’t give me any details. Why are you keeping Mr. AJ such a secret?”

“I’m not. There’s not much to tell.”

“I’d say you’re lying, judging by that necklace he gave you. He must have some serious money. I’ve seen what that necklace costs in the window at Cartier.” He smirked.

“He does okay.” I winked.

“I'm going to take these specs up to Mr. London. Would you like to come with? I don't think you've been up to the top floor yet."

My face lit up at the thought of seeing Andrew and his office.

"Sure, I'd love to." I smiled.

We took the elevator to the top floor and walked down the hallway towards Andrew's office. I couldn’t believe I'd worked here this long and I'd never seen his office. As we approached it, there was an older woman sitting at the desk outside his door. She was petite, maybe early sixties with salt and pepper hair that sat in a bun. She was sharply dressed in an emerald suit that looked expensive.

“Hi, Maria. Is Andrew in?" Lucas asked.

“He just stepped out, but he’ll be back in a minute.”

“Addison, this is Maria, Andrew’s secretary. Maria, this is Addison. She works under me.”

“Nice to meet you, dear.” She smiled.

“You as well.”

“There he is." Maria pointed. “Andrew, Lucas and Addison are here to see you.”

Andrew looked at Lucas and then at me. His face was straight with no emotion or expression at all. In fact, he looked nervous as hell.

“We have the specs on the San Diego building,” Lucas spoke.

"Great, come in my office and I’ll have a look."

“You remember Addison, right?” Lucas asked.

“Umm. Yes, we met down at the Coffee Pod the day of her interview. Nice to see you again. I hope you’re enjoying your work here.”

“I am. Thank you,” I spoke as I took my bottom lip between my teeth.

Andrew walked into his office. Lucas followed, and as I was about to step inside, I heard Maria’s voice from behind.

 “Andrew, your wife is on the phone and she says it's urgent.”

I froze in the doorway, my legs feeling like lead trying to register what Maria had just said. Andrew quickly turned around and looked at me. He could see the pain on my face as well as I could see the panic on his. He stood there, not knowing what to say or do.

“I…I…I'll meet you downstairs, Lucas. I'm not feeling well all of a sudden and I need some air.”

 Lucas looked at me and then at Andrew. He knew in that moment what was going on. I turned and pushed the button to the elevator frantically before someone could reach me. My heart was pounding as if it was trying to escape my chest. I felt like I had taken a blow to the abdomen and I couldn’t breathe. Andrew grabbed my arm and spun me around.

“Addison, wait. Let me explain,” he spoke as he pulled me into an empty office and shut the door.

“Explain? You want to explain now, Andrew?” I shouted. “Too little too late, you bastard,” I said as I pushed him away, sobbing.

“You don't understand. I have to explain.”

 I grabbed the door handle and flung open the door.

“Fuck you, London. Fuck you!” I shouted as I ripped the necklace he gave me off my neck and threw it at him.

The elevator door opened, and I stepped inside and pushed the buttons before he could reach me.

Thank God I was the only one in the elevator, but not for long. As the elevator stopped on three floors, people crowded in. I stood back in the corner and composed myself as best I could. I got off on my floor, ran to my office, grabbed my purse, and then ran down the stairs and out of the building.

I ran down the streets of New York in the pouring down rain. My heart was shattered, and I felt numb. All I could hear in my head was, “Andrew, your wife is on the phone. She says it’s urgent.” I ran and ran until I reached my apartment building, opened the door, and fell inside, collapsing on the tile floor in the hallway, crying hysterically and curled up in a fetal position. Emma came running from the bedroom.

"Oh my God, Addison, what's wrong?" she asked as she got on the floor and hugged me. “You’re shaking. What happened?”

I managed to look up at her as she grabbed my face.

“Did something happen to you? Did someone hurt you?”

 The words would barely come out, but I finally managed to speak, “He's married, Emma. Andrew is married.”

I put my head down and sobbed in her arms.

“I knew something was off with him, that motherfucker,” she yelled. “You’re soaked. Let’s get you out of these wet clothes and into a hot tub. You’re going to be okay, Addy.”

She helped me up and took me in the bathroom, where she stripped me of my clothes and helped me into the bathtub. My phone was ringing nonstop with calls from Andrew. Emma finally grabbed my phone and answered.

“You two-timing motherfucker. You leave Addison alone. Do you understand me?" she yelled as she set the phone on the counter.

Once I settled down and got my crying under control, Emma went into the kitchen and poured me a glass of whiskey.

"Here, honey. Drink this. It will take the edge off,” she spoke.

Whiskey was always her go-to drink when she had a broken heart.

She grabbed a washcloth and soaked it with water. Bringing it up to my face, she began to wipe away the mascara stains from my eyes.

“Jasper just went to the store to pick up some things he needed to cook dinner tonight. He'll be back soon.”

I threw back the whiskey and the tears started flowing again.

“How could he do this to me?” I cried.

“I don’t know, Addy. He’s obviously fucked up. This explains everything.”

“I have to quit. I can’t work for him. Oh my God, what am I going to do?” I cried harder.

“Just calm down. We’ll figure it out. You have us.”

She helped me out of the tub and into my pajamas. After she pulled back the covers, I climbed into bed and curled up in a ball. About an hour later, Jasper walked through the door of the apartment and set his bags in the kitchen. He came flying into my room and sat down next to me, pulling me into his arms.

“Shh, baby girl. It's going to be okay,” he spoke as he stroked my hair.

“He's married, Jasper. How can he be married?”

I sobbed into his expensive polo shirt.

“He's an asshole for not telling you from the start. But, Addison, there were signs. Something wasn’t right, and you knew it.”

I sat up and blew my nose with the tissue Emma gave me. Suddenly, it all started to make sense, not going to public places together, not entering the LAC building together in the mornings, or casual visits to my office. The calls he ignored every time his phone rang, the trip to Chicago, which was safe because no one we knew would see us. It was right in front of me the whole time and I was too blinded by him and love to see it.

“I love you guys and thank you, but I really just want to be alone right now.”

Jasper got up from the bed.

“I'm cooking dinner tonight and you're going to eat it, understand?”

I gave him a nod as I blew my nose.

“If you need us, just holler,” Emma spoke.

I lay in my bed, wrapped up in my favorite chenille blanket, unable to move. It hurt to move. My heart was shattered into a million tiny pieces. I stared at the wall as tear drops fell from my eyes and down my face, soaking my pillow where I laid my head. I closed my eyes and somehow managed to fall asleep.

A couple of hours later, I heard Jasper calling my name.

“Dinner’s ready, Addison.”

I opened my swollen eyes and looked at him as he stood there holding a tray.

“Thanks, Jasper, but I don’t think I can eat.”

“Just try, baby girl. Emma and I are going to eat in here with you.”

I sat up with my back resting up against my pillows and the headboard as Jasper placed the tray over me.

“I’ll be right back.” He stroked my hair.

In my deep despair, I heard my phone ding. I picked it up from my nightstand and there was a text message from Andrew.

“Addison, please, I'm lost and I'm dying here. I need you to please let me explain.”

I couldn't respond. I wouldn’t respond. Just looking at his words made me sick. All I wanted to do was curl up in a ball and block out the world.

“Lucas called me,” Jasper spoke. “He’s very concerned about you.”

“Tell him I’m fine, but I won’t be into work tomorrow.”

“He already figured that and said to take as much time as you need.”

“You’re going to get through this, Addy,” Emma spoke as she took a seat on the bed with her plate full of food.

“I don’t know about that.” I picked at the chicken Jasper cooked. “I’m such a fool.”

“No, you’re not, sweetie. You were blinded by love. It happens. You’re human. How were you to know?” Emma spoke.

“All the signs were there. Every single one of them and I blatantly ignored them.”

***

I stayed locked in my room for three days. Lucas texted me every day to make sure I was okay. He didn’t ask any questions and I was grateful for that. I hadn't heard a word from Andrew. No calls, no texts, and no voicemail. Maybe he was already over it. He had his wife after all. But where was she all this time? As much as I wanted to cry, I couldn’t. I was all cried out. No tears could come even if I wanted them to.

I emerged from my bedroom and walked to the kitchen. No one was home but me. Emma was at work and Jasper was training a new chef at the restaurant. The front desk called and said there was a flower delivery for me. I asked them to please bring it up and set it outside the door. I heard my phone ringing and when I looked at it, the number was restricted. My thought was that it was Andrew and he blocked his number so I wouldn't know it was him, but I answered it anyway. "Hello.”

“Addison?” the voice on the other end asked. Then I heard a click.

I was startled because it wasn't Andrew's voice. I didn't know who was calling me, but it left me with an eerie feeling. Then to add to that feeling, there was a knock on the door.

“Delivery for Miss Belle.”

I opened up the door, took the flowers and politely smiled. “Thank you.”

I held two dozen beautiful red roses in my hand. I took out the small white envelope and removed the card inside.

“I love you so much, and I want to take your pain away. Please, Addison. Let me explain. I will tell you everything.”

I ripped up the card and threw the roses in the trash. Curling up on the couch, I fell asleep.