Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 86710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 86710 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 434(@200wpm)___ 347(@250wpm)___ 289(@300wpm)
I lost too much. I sacrificed the love of my life to get ahead and I can tell you now that it is nowhere near worth it.
I wrap up for the day and carrying my laptop case, I wave goodbye to my colleagues who are working late and head to the basement parking.
I’m glad that I’m invited to dinner at Marcus and Charlotte’s place as I can’t bear my own company tonight. I can handle weekdays but weekends are horrible. The loneliness really kicks in no matter how busy I try to make myself and on days like today, nothing works.
I go straight to the house and after I park my car, I trudge to the front door. The door swings open before I knock and Charlotte appears.
“Oh, honey,” she says. “I hate seeing you like this.”
I frown, completely lost. “What are you talking about?”
“I was watching you walk up from your car. You look as if you’re carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders.”
“That’s how I feel.” I step into the house. I’m so tired. I can’t explain the exhaustion I feel. When I’m not tired, I’m craving Jace with such intensity that all I can do is cry.
“Can you not talk to him? Make him understand that you might have been undercover but the feelings were real,” Charlotte says.
“It’s been two months. Jace has had a lot of time to think things through. He still believes I made a fool of him. I don’t blame him. I’d think the same.”
I lead the way to the kitchen which is where we all gather to eat and talk. Marcus is at the stove, stirring something that smells delicious. I go to him and hug him from the side.
“Hey, big brother,” I say. “How is it that you two are home on a Friday? Don’t you have an event?” I slide onto a stool.
Charlotte and Marcus exchange a look that makes me feel like an interloper. Then she turns to me. “We’ve learned how to delegate. The company grew but we didn’t put systems in place. Well, Marcus and I have changed how we do things. We’re determined to spend more time together, especially now.”
They exchange another special look. That never used to bother me in the past but after my affair with Jace, I see things through different lenses. I know how it feels like to have that special person who thinks about you all the time. The person who worries about you and asks you if you got safely to where you’re going. I feel lost without Jace.
“We have some great news, Olivia. I hope it’ll cheer you up,” Charlotte says.
My spirits lift as a seed of suspicion grows in my mind. I really hope that it’s what I think it is. “Tell me.”
Charlotte’s hand goes to her belly. “You’re going to be an Aunty.”
I scream so loud it only hits me later that the neighbors might think that someone is being murdered. I jump from my stool and go to Charlotte, and throw my arms around her.
I pull away and break into a dance. “I’m going to be an Aunty.”
Charlotte joins in and so does Marcus after some coaxing from his wife. I want to emulate Jace. I remember how Ryder shouted when his Uncle entered the house and raced downstairs for a hug and to see what was in the shopping bag. The memory makes me smile.
“I am going to spoil my niece or nephew,” I declare. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Chapter 37: Jace
They think I don’t notice how they keep looking at each other. Coming for dinner at Ivy and Alec’s was a mistake.
I can’t even pretend to make conversation. I didn’t know it was possible to miss someone the way I miss Olivia. I thought that by the eight-week mark, the pain would have lessened. It feels like it’s multiplying. Eating me up. I can’t remember the last time I was interested in anything. For the last two months, I’ve been going through the motions, hoping after a while, I’ll start living.
I should have stayed at my apartment and kept my misery to myself but I couldn’t bring myself to say no to Harper’s pleas. It’s her first evening out of the house since she gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl in the world as far as I’m concerned.
“You should call her,” Ivy says after dinner when we’re having wine.
“She lied to me,” I say.
“I’m so jealous,” Harper says. “I’m the only one who never got to meet Olivia. She sounds so intriguing.”
“She was wholesome and smart,” Alec says. That’s a hell of a compliment coming from him.
“I’m with Ivy,” Dylan says. “I don’t mean to sound disloyal but I kind of understand her position.”
I look at Dylan. “Tell me what you understand. About why she lied to me.”