Chapter Twenty Nine
I’m at work the next morning and it’s a really slow day. I still haven’t heard anything from Chase. I hate feeling like this; unsure, lost, confused. Vulnerable. I need to go and talk to him, sort this out. Ask him if he’s okay, why he didn’t come home. I leave work early and head for his office. I’ve been in here only once before, when we were out and Chase had to stop by to drop something off. I look in my rear view mirror and add a little lipstick, and make sure I look okay. I walk out to the door of his office, open it and step inside. The cool air conditioning hits me, and an older woman wearing a beige blazer stands behind the reception desk, a different woman from when I was last here.
“Can I see Mr. Jackson, please?” I ask her politely.
She gives me a stern nod, “Third door down the hall.” I nod and thank her. I know where his office is, but I couldn’t just walk down there. His door is half open, and I glance inside. And get the shock of my life. Chase is standing with his back to me, leaning on his office desk. Aubrey is standing up, facing towards me, arms wrapped around Chase. And she is kissing him. She sees me, smirks, and pushes herself closer to Chase.
My heart shatters.
Betrayed.
By the love of my life.
I make a quick exit.
*****
I’m home for about thirty minutes, when there is a knock at the door. I open it and there stands Aubrey.
I’m shocked as hell by her audacity, I try to appear emotionless but fail. I take a step towards her and slap her across the face. Her head snaps back, and I can’t help but feel satisfaction.
“You bitch!” She yells, but doesn’t try to fight me back.
“I guess we are going to add stalking on your list of many faults? What, home wrecking not enough?” I say belligerently.
Her face pinches, even more so, and by the look on her face, I can tell this conversation isn’t going to go well.
“You think your all high and mighty, but you don’t know anything. Chase keeps so much from you.” She hisses vehemently.
“Apparently.” I hiss bitterly. “And I suppose you’re here to tell me?”
She smirks now, evilly.
“Do you even know where he was yesterday? Because he was with me.” I want to slap that smug look off her face.
“If you don’t believe me here, read our texts.” She hands me over her phone, and I can’t help but glance down. And there it is, right there.
Chase: I’ll meet you at the normal spot.
Sent yesterday morning, around nine am. My heart stops. The bitch continues talking.
“Did he tell you that he got me pregnant?” She chuckles at the look that must be on my face.. “Yes it was while we were together. It wasn’t planned, but I knew he was going to be a great father.”
“How did he know it was yours? Didn’t you have an open relationship?” I ask quietly.
She raises her eyebrow at me. “Is that what he told you? Yes, he had an open relationship. I couldn’t make him commit to more than that. But that doesn’t mean I was allowed to be with anyone but him, you know Chase, he can be possessive like that.” I think I was going to be sick. “I lost her. My baby. I had a miscarriage, at five months.” Her voice is soft, and my heart breaks for her, for the loss of Chase’s baby. I wouldn’t wish losing a baby on anyone.
“I’m sorry.” I almost whisper. I think of Ed Sheeran’s song ‘Small Bump.’ Such a hauntingly sad song.
“No, you’re not,” she sneers, “And that’s not why I’m here, for your pity. I’m here to tell you that he will never fully let go of me, because we went through so much together, losing our little girl. We will always have something that you will never be able to erase. When I went to his office today, we were reconciling. As you could see.”
She’s taking in my reaction, feeding her hate on it, enjoying it. Before she leaves, she strikes one last parting blow.
“He told me he doesn’t even want children anymore, since losing our child hurt so much.”
Then she leaves, taking my heart with her. I pick up my phone and call Chase.
“Hey baby, I was just thinking about you.” I can hear the smile in his voice.
“Were you with Aubrey yesterday?” I get straight to the point.
A few moments silence.
“Layla, it’s complicated..”
“Yes or no, Chase.”
“Yes, but...”
I clear my throat. “She was pregnant.” My voice still comes out croaky.
There was a moments silence before he answers.
“Who was pregnant?” He knows exactly who I’m talking about.
“Aubrey.”
He sighs, sadly. “Yes she was. We lost her, we lost.. Lilly.”
Lilly. It was a beautiful name, for what would have been a beautiful girl.
“I’m so sorry for your loss, Chase. I would have loved to hear it from you, not Aubrey. Why didn’t you want to share that part of you with me?”
“Layla, it’s not that, it’s just..”
“You didn’t tell me that your ‘open relationship’ was one sided, that you cared for her that much to be possessive of her. You also never mentioned you didn’t want any children in the future.” A few tears drip down my face.
“Aubrey visited you? Baby, I can explain everything. I’m going to come home now, okay?” he sound slightly panicked.
“No, tell me now.” I demand my voice still shaky.
“Babe, we never spoke about kids. Losing Lilly was really tough on me, and yes I said that I didn’t want to ever go through the possibility of that again. But...”
“Okay.” I sniffle, cutting him off.
“Okay? Fuck it breaks my heart to hear you cry. I’m leaving now. No running baby.” I can hear shuffling noises.
“I saw you today,” I almost whimper. I know he can hear the hurt in my voice, and the accusation.
“What, Layla?” he demands.
“I saw you fucking kissing her, Chase. I came to your office! I can’t believe I trusted you! How stupid am I?” I yell. “If you wanted her, you should have just told me, Chase, not string me a long like this!”
“Listen to me Layla, fucking listen to me a moment!” He says, his voice panicked.
“I guess I wasn’t the only woman you have slept with without a condom after all,” I say flatly. I don’t even know why I think of that.
I hang up.
Then I pack my suitcase. I stare at the huge pile of money in my drawer, the rent and bills money they never let me pay. Chase kept saying he would take it, but he never did. Screw it. I grab the money and shove it in my purse. As I’m loading up the car, Kade pulls into the driveway. He hops out and runs towards me.
“Where the fuck are you going?” He demands, looking full of concern.
“I’m leaving,” I say closing my car boot.
“What? Why the fuck are you going?”
“Maybe you should ask your brother,” I spit out.
“I’m asking you, Layla. Tell me.” His voice has softened now.
“I think Chase is cheating on me with Aubrey.” I say, tears now running down my face.
“There is no way in hell he would do that to you, Layla.” He sounds like he believes it.
“I saw him kiss her, Kade! I went to his office, and..”
“That fucking bastard.” Kade says lividly, interrupting me. He kisses my head and says, “Go to Nikki’s. I’m gonna talk to Chase.”
I nod, jump in my car, and get the hell out of dodge.
Chapter Thirty
Chase
“Babe, we never spoke about kids. Losing the baby was really tough on me, and yes I said that I didn’t want to ever go through the possibility of that again. But...”
But I would love to have kids with Layla, I would love to build a family with her, marry her. I would take that chance for her. I would do anything for her. Before I can tell her that, she cuts me off.
“Okay.” She whispers. I can hear in the voice that she is crying, barely holding it together.
“Okay? Fuck it breaks my heart to hear you cry. I’m leaving now. No running baby.” I say desperately, already standing up grabbing my briefcase, ready to leave.
“I saw you today,” she tells me and the hurt in the voice, Fuck, It’s breaking me.
Please, oh fuck, let her not have seen that. Aubrey had shown up unannounced and attempted to seduce me.
When that failed she had jumped on me and kissed me. I pushed her away and told her to leave.
But apparently not soon enough.
“I saw you fucking kissing her, Chase. I came to your office! I can’t believe I trusted you! How stupid am I?” She’s yelling now, the hurt giving way to anger. Her anger is easier to take. “If you wanted her, you should have just told me, Chase, not string me a long like this!”
“Listen to me Layla, fucking listen to me a moment!” I’m freaking the fuck out.
“I guess I wasn’t the only woman you have slept with without a condom after all,” she says flatly, randomly.
She thinks I’m a liar, but I haven’t lied to her once.
Evaded, yes.
Dodged, maybe.
But never have I lied to her.
She hangs up. I’ve fucked up, big time. She never said she won’t run, like she always does when I say that line.
Fuck.
She’s going to run.
I run to my car and jump in, almost speeding all the way home. I hope she’s there. If she’s not I will fucking track her down. Aubrey, fuck! Why can’t she just let me be happy? It hurts to think about the child I lost, that’s why I didn’t tell Layla. I didn’t tell her that I didn’t allow Aubrey to fuck anyone else either, because I knew she would take it the wrong way. It wasn’t that I was possessive, per say, with Aubrey, but I was not going to allow what I had at that time considered mine, to just fuck around. I told Aubrey the rules, she agreed. Hell, she would have done anything to be able to claim me as her man. I’m pretty sure she used me more than I used her.
When I found out she was pregnant, I was not pleased. Only because I was pretty sure she did it to trap me. She said she was on the pill, but I still used a condom each time. One time though, the condom broke, and she became pregnant. Clearly, she wasn’t on the pill after all. But it was my child and I would love him or her regardless. Just when I was getting used to the idea of being a father, she lost the baby. I was devastated. But that is all in the past, and Layla is my future. I was with Aubrey yesterday, but only because we went to Lilly’s gravestone. I always get depressed on those days, and I know it was fucked up of me to shut Layla out like that. But I’m going to fix this; I’m going to explain everything to her.
I pull into the house, Layla’s car is gone.
I run into the house, into her room.
Empty. Some of her things are gone.
She ran.
And the worst thing, her cell phone is on the table.
Fuck.
Kade rushes into the room and he’s pissed. His jaw is tense, and his hands are curled into fists. Before I can say anything, his fist connects with my lip and I’m knocked against the wall. I don’t bother fighting back, I seriously fucked up.
“What the fuck did you do, Chase? She couldn’t leave here fast enough, fucking crying!” He spits out vehemently.
“Fuck! You let her leave?” I lift my hand to my bloodied lip, and I can see it shaking.
“Of course I did. You fucking hurt her, and she needed space.”
“Nothing fucking happened, Kade, Aubrey tried some shit, I pushed her away. Layla walked in at the worst possible moment. You think I would fuck it up with Layla for Aubrey? You know how I feel about Layla!”
Kade looks into my eyes, searching. It hurts like hell that my own brother doesn’t completely trust me.
After a few moments, he nods, his stance relaxing. “Bring her home, Chase. You need to fix this.” He puts his hand on my shoulder, squeezing it once, before leaving the room.
I fall to my knees when he leaves the room. I take a couple of deep breaths, allowing myself a moment of weakness.
Then I get back up.
Time to get my woman back.
First, I’m going to make sure Aubrey leaves me the fuck alone, once and for all.
******
Aubrey
I watch Layla walk into the store, and head straight for the pharmacy section. Curious, I slowly head over, following her. My gaze looks over her from head to toe. I suppose she is beautiful, if you like that kind of thing, but many women are beautiful. I’m beautiful. So what’s so good about her? What does she have that Chase can’t get enough of? It can’t be sex, because the sex between Chase and I was always... wild. Chase is mine, and he will always be mine. Our fathers have wanted us to get married for years. They were business partners, still are. I am close with Chase’s father. Very close.
My heart misses a beat when I see her stop in front of the pregnancy tests. She picks one up. Shit. No, this can’t be happening to me! I’ve been trying for months to get Chase back, and this little bitch is not going to stand in the way, pregnant or not. I will never admit defeat when it comes to him.
I met Chase this morning. Same spot as usual, out the front of the cemetery. We both bring flowers and then walk together to the gravestone. Our little girl would have been a year old. Well, my little girl. Chase and I had an open relationship. He told me that if I wanted him, I had to be faithful to him; always there for him when he decided he wanted a taste of me. But the rules were different for him of course; he got to fuck around if he felt the need to. Trying to have his cake and eat it too. I would have agreed to any of his regulations to be his woman. The title brought many things, jealousy from other women, wealth, amazing sex and the pride to be on the arm of a man such as him.
I told him I would only be his. However, after being neglected time to time when he felt like he wanted another woman, I decided that I couldn’t take it anymore. If he was going to screw around, so was I. I am a very desirable woman. It didn’t take much for me to entice other men, ones willing to be discreet. I will never let him find out that Lilly isn’t his. Lilly is my last link to Chase.
I pull up to Chase’s work, dressed to kill. A tight dress, a lot of cleavage and fuck me stilettos. My man always did have a thing for sexy high heels.
“Hey Chase.” I purr, as I enter his office.
“What are you doing here, Aubrey?” He growls in an angry tone.
“Thank you for coming with me yesterday.” I tell him.
“Don’t thank me; I would have gone either way, with or without you.”
“Chase honey…” I’m cut off.
“Don’t honey me, Aubrey. We are done. I will always love and remember Lilly, forever, but you and I, we are done,” his tone is harsh.
“She doesn’t know, does she?” I ask smugly, knowing my answer already.
“It’s really none of your business.” Chase hisses.
“Now, Chase, you don’t have to be so rude. We were good together honey, we could have that back.” I walk towards him, swaying my lips seductively.
“Aubrey! Take a hint, we are over. I fucking love Layla, I’m not going to change my mind. You need to move on,” he says tonelessly.
I turn to leave, and then see Layla in the lobby talking to the receptionist. She couldn’t have had better timing.
Without warning I walk up to him, wrap my arms around the back of his neck and shove my lips on his. He grabs my hips and pushes me away roughly and I hit the wall.
“Get the fuck out, Aubrey. Don’t come back,” he says angrily. I glance at the half open door, no Layla. I smile smugly.
“We will never be done, Chase,” I say as I depart his office. I know exactly where I’m going to go to next.
When she opens the door, she slaps me across the face. Maybe I should have expected that… “You bitch!” I yell. That fucking hurt.
“I guess we are going to add stalking on your list of many faults? What, home wrecking not enough?” She sneers at me.
“You think you’re all high and mighty, but you don’t know anything. Chase keeps so much from you.” I hiss at her.
“Apparently.” She says bitterly. “And I suppose you’re here to tell me?”
` I smirk. Oh boy am I, and I’m going to love every minute of it.
“Do you even know where he was yesterday? Because he was with me.”
She looks like she wants to slap me again.
“If you don’t believe me here, read our texts.” I had her my phone, and she looks like she’s going to be sick. Good. “Did he tell you that he got me pregnant?” I chuckle, seeing the look on her face. “Yes it was while we were together. It wasn’t planned, but I knew he was going to be a great father.”
“How did he know it was yours? Didn’t you have an open relationship?” she asks quietly.
“Is that what he told you? Yes, he had an open relationship. I couldn’t make him commit to more than that. But that doesn’t mean I was allowed to be with anyone but him, you know Chase, he can be possessive like that. I lost her. My baby. I had a miscarriage, at five months.” It still hurts talking about this sometimes.
“I’m sorry,” she says quietly.
“No you’re not,” I sneer, “And that’s not why I’m here, for your pity. I’m here to tell you that he will never fully let go of me, because we went through so much together, losing our little girl. We will always have something that you will never be able to erase. When I went to his office today, we were reconciling. As you could see. He told me he doesn’t even want children anymore, since losing our child hurt that much.”
My works done, I walk out. Chase may be mad at first, but he will get over it. He needs a strong woman like me.
I’m in bed, when I hear a knock on my door. I look at the clock, right on time. I’m not wearing anything, just my robe. I open the door and invite him in.
“I knew you would come to me, honey.” I smile, opening my robe a bit, so he can see what he’s been missing. Suddenly I’m up against the wall. Ooh, foreplay, my favorite. But when I look up at his face, I flinch at the coldness in his eyes. His lips are pursed together, and he is so intense in his fury. A whimper escapes my throat.
“You fucking bitch. Why can’t you leave me alone? How dare you say that shit to Layla, that wasn’t your fucking business Aubrey,” he spits out.
“Honey, I only told her the truth,” I say shakily.
“What truth would that be, huh? That we’re reconciling? That sure as fuck ain’t happening.” He sneers.
“Honey…” I’m cut off.
“Stop fucking calling me that. I’m not your honey.” His hold is starting to hurt.
“Let go, you’re hurting me.” I plead.
“I’ll let you go when I’m done talking. As of now, you don’t exist to me. I’m going to get her back. I’m going to marry her. And yes, one day have children with her,” he growls.
“You said you would never have children after what happened to Lilly.” I whisper out.
“I was grieving when I said that.” He yells at me. “Layla is it for me. She’s everything I want. She has my heart, my respect, my love. Something you never had. I am done playing nice with you, Aubrey, I’m done placating you. The next time you come around, I won’t be so nice about it. Stay out of my fucking life.”
Well, that hurts.
He lets me go, and storms to the door, leaving, slamming the door behind him.