Chapter Twenty-One

The AIDS benefit was being held at one of the most elite hotels in the city. The dining room alone was to die for; Caroline had been there to dine on more than one occasion, and the food was exquisite. She smiled as soon as she walked into the hotel, feeling good about being out again. She was very blessed to have the life that she led and grateful that she could be a part of benefits such as that. It was quite the lifestyle. Tickets to the AIDS benefit ran to a thousand dollars each, but it was all for charity, so Caroline didn’t mind the cost. She knew she would never have the time to go back to a place like Africa and invest lengthy time there to work with her hands, so events such as that one were the next best thing.

When they arrived, she spotted the popstar that had become her first celebrity client, and she smiled at the sight of her. She was very much pregnant and waved at Caroline when she spotted her. She would be after the couture line as soon as the baby popped, if not sooner. The pop star made a beeline for her and hugged her tightly.

“Caroline, you look stunning. You must tell me how you got the baby weight off.”

“Oh, it wasn’t easy let me tell you.” She smiled, proud of her accomplishment.

“I have heard amazing things about your couture children’s line. I must have it when this little one pops out. I’m going to wait until we find out what we’re having, and then I will be putting in an order.”

“Of course. Just let me know. I’m surprised you’re waiting to find out.”

She giggled. “I know. I wanted to find out right away, but my man insists on waiting. I can’t believe it myself; I think he likes torturing me. But either way, I will be all over the junior line of yours.”

“That’s wonderful. You have been one of my most loyal clients. I really do appreciate it.”

“Oh, please; you are insanely talented. Your clothing is a work of art; I would be foolish not to grab it when I can.”

Caroline thanked her again and excused herself from the conversation. She wanted to make sure that her assistant sent a gift basket to the pop star for her baby shower. She liked adding little touches like that for her best clients.

As Caroline and Mike made their way to their table, they were approached by Joshua. She had wondered if he was going to be at the event as he usually found his way to these sorts of things. She was surprised, however, that he had the balls to approach them, but he may feel safe since there were a lot of people around. She refused to have a scene at the event, however, so she plastered a smile on her face and vowed to be polite, just hoping that Mike would do the same thing.

“Hello, Mike, Caroline ... how are you both? I’m glad to see you here. I bet it brings you back to Africa doesn’t it?”

She smiled warmly. “Yes, I think about it often. I would love to go back one day but not in the foreseeable future, I’m afraid. Maybe when Bella is old enough to come with me, that would be a wonderful lesson for her.”

Joshua nodded, “Indeed. You should have brought little Bella. I would have loved to have met her.”

Caroline nodded. “Not at this age; it probably wouldn’t be much fun for anyone. Babies and benefits don’t typically go together.”

Joshua chuckled. “Yes, I guess you’re right.”

Caroline periodically glanced at Mike while she talked with Joshua. He didn’t once speak or even break into a smile. He just stared hard at Joshua, and she hoped to God he wasn’t going to say something awful. She grew more annoyed as the conversation continued. Why couldn’t he just smile or be amiable? Would that be so terrible? He could at least be polite, show her that he had put things about Joshua behind him. Their future depended on it, and yet there he was acting like a stone wall, not doing anything normal.

Joshua turned to Mike. “I’ve noticed that your team is doing quite well out there these days. Congratulations, you must be one hell of a manager.”

Caroline looked at Mike to see how he was going to handle the situation and was shocked to see him glaring at Joshua. Oh dear, he was going to make a scene, and that was the last thing that she wanted or needed. She just wanted to enjoy herself for one evening without any drama. If that night went badly, she knew that she would hear about Joshua on the way home and dreaded having that talk for the hundredth time.

“I have stayed quiet long enough, Joshua, and I think it’s about time that I make myself perfectly clear to you once and for all. I want you to stay the hell away from my family! You have no reason in the world to need to talk to Caroline, and I want it to stop immediately.” Mike practically hissed out the words, spittle coming out of his mouth.

Caroline gasped, shocked by his words, her face burning with embarrassment. Joshua just stared at Mike, his mouth a thin line. She could just imagine what was going through his head. Caroline took a deep breath and turned to Mike.

“What are you doing? You are acting completely untoward. Joshua has been nothing but polite to us this evening.”

Mike turned to her, and it didn’t appear as if he was about to back down for a minute. She didn’t like the look that he had in his eyes. He was certainly angry, and just the sight of him was causing her heaps of embarrassment. She felt humiliated that the man she had married was behaving in such a way in front of Joshua. What he must think of her and her choices.

“What I find interesting, Caroline, is that you defend Joshua every chance you get. Now why is that, do you think?”

She looked at him, appalled. What the hell was the matter with him? She looked at Joshua and saw that he was biting his tongue in a big way. He took a deep breath and nodded to the both of them. “If you two will excuse me, I think I need a drink.”

Caroline watched Joshua walk towards the bar, and then she turned to Mike. “How could you behave in that way? After all the talks we have had about Joshua, and you think it’s okay to behave this way? How am I ever going to be able to deal with this? It’s too much.”

He rolled his eyes. “Please don’t start with me, Caroline; I’m not in the mood. The guy had a lot of nerve walking up to us, don’t you think?”

She shook her head. “He was just being polite, and it’s okay for me to speak with the man in social settings without you pitching a fit. Joshua and I were together almost two years ago. Two years! It wasn’t even a long-term relationship; it was over before I knew it. You are behaving like a fool over someone that I dated a lifetime ago. When are you going to grow up?”

Caroline didn’t wait for a response from him, she just turned and walked away. She needed some time away from him. She was disgusted by his behavior and required some immediate distance from him. Things weren’t getting better between them, that much was obvious. He was never going to be able to let go of his feelings about Joshua, and those thoughts were destroying them. They were going to continue to have these same fights endlessly, and Caroline didn’t think that she could bear it any longer.

She headed to the bar, wanting a drink as well and wanting to down a few shots. She wouldn’t, of course, but she couldn’t help feeling that way. When she sidled up to the bar, Joshua was still there, and even though she had no right to be, she was annoyed with him.

“I just can’t seem to get rid of you, can I Joshua?”

“It’s not like you to be mean, Caroline. I’m sorry for approaching you. I keep making mistakes around you, it seems.”

She ordered a glass of wine and sipped at it, finally turning to him. “Yeah, saying hi probably wasn’t the best idea. But it’s not your fault. You were just trying to be nice, and I couldn’t control Mike’s behavior even if I wanted to.”

“I guess I’m just a nice guy,” he said laughing.

“Let’s not get ahead of yourself there. You’re not really that nice.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, you’re probably right about that one.”

“Mike’s pretty pissed at me. God, I don’t know how we’re going to salvage this night. But I probably should go and find him and try to talk to him.”

“I’m sorry to have to tell you this Caroline, but Mike left.”

“Excuse me?” she said, taking a sip of wine. She felt panicky and suddenly fear started to crawl up her spine as she tried to understand what Joshua was saying to her.

“Yes, I’m afraid your husband has left the event. I was watching you guys argue after I left, and as soon as you walked away from him, he left the party. My driver told me he walked right out to his car, but he never came back in, Caroline.”

“You’re lying to me. Why are you saying this?”

“Caroline, I’m not lying. He left you again; he keeps leaving you.”

She stared at him in shock. He couldn’t be right; she would not believe that her husband would abandon her at an event, leaving her with no way to get home. He just wouldn’t do something like that to her. She refused to believe it. Caroline took out her phone and dialed his number, but the phone rang for a while and then finally went to voicemail. Her stomach fell out, and she didn’t know what to say. Mike never ignored her phone calls, not ever. He never shut off his phone, especially if they were out somewhere together. He was deliberately ignoring her, and she couldn’t believe it. What had come over him? He always kept his phone on just in case they got separated, then she could just call, and he would come and find her. She tried the number again, and it once again went to voicemail. She looked up at Joshua, who was watching her, and her face burned with embarrassment. Her husband really had walked out on her leaving her at an event alone. She would have to call for a driver, and that was just a shitty thing for Mike to have done to her. He didn’t even say goodbye to her; he had just walked out. She was in shock when she took a seat at the bar. She was clearly not going anywhere anytime soon and couldn’t believe her miserable luck. It really took very little to set Mike off these days.

Caroline gulped her glass of wine and quickly ordered another one. She decided to take it easy on the second one so that she wouldn’t get poured out of the event. She turned to Joshua and made a poor attempt of smiling at him. He knew her husband was behaving like a jerk, and it made her feel stupid that he constantly saw Mike at his worst.

“You are gorgeous tonight. If that makes you feel any better, of course.”

Caroline chuckled; she knew he was trying to cheer her up and appreciated it. She had a hard time smiling, however; all she wanted to do was get her hands on Mike and strangle the life out of him. Mike just kept on disappointing her, and she didn’t understand why he couldn’t just let go and be the husband that she needed. Instead, he continued to be a buffoon. It was embarrassing, to say the least.

“Well, I guess it can’t hurt being stunning when your heart is breaking. At least, I have something.” She finished her drink and motioned to the bartender to bring her another.

“That’s a lot of wine in a short period of time, Caroline. I know you are upset, but don’t get carried away.”

“I don’t need you to tell me what to do; I already have one husband that does that.”

“True, but I assure you that getting wasted is not going to make this situation any better. You need to deal with it, Caroline, once and for all. You need to face it head on, and you can’t do that if you are drunk or hungover. You’re better than that, Caroline.”

She looked over at him and felt grateful that he was looking out for her. But wasn’t that what he always did? He was always there, even in the background, watching out for her. “Can you please take me somewhere else? I can’t be here right now at this place, and I can’t go home right now. I don’t want to see Mike.”

He looked at her and held her gaze before saying, “Are you sure that’s really what you want?”

“Yes absolutely. I can’t be here right now. I have to get out of here.”

He grasped her hand, and she followed him out of the main dining area. She hadn’t even had a bite to eat of the exquisite meal that was to be served that evening. Everything had just spiralled out of control that night, and her head was still spinning from it all. She felt foolish every time she thought of Mike and just wanted to be anywhere but there. Somewhere that could allow her a few moments to think of something else. She was pretty sure that her marriage was over. She couldn’t stay married to a man that was bound and determined to make her miserable. Leaving her alone at an event that they had gone to together was just too sickening to think about. Did he even love her at all? What was she supposed to say to the other guests about his rapid departure? It was foolish, and she was tired of feeling the way that she did.

“Can you wait here a moment?” She stood outside the door to the dining room and waited while Joshua disappeared.