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26
Cece
I don’t hear anything. Or feel anything. I know I leave the backstage area, but I don’t really remember how I got where I am now. Standing in my elevator, on the way up to our apartment. Taken by surprise? Blindsided? Stunned? None of those things accurately describes what I was feeling listening to Maddox tell me … I don’t even know what he was telling me. That’s how much at a loss for words I am.
I kept a guard up in the beginning until he convinced me that he wasn’t what everyone says he is. But when my guard came down, I believed him. I trusted him. I almost wish I would’ve walked in on him kissing whoever that girl was, rather than him telling me what he did. Explaining it to me only means he knew exactly what he was doing the entire time. It never seemed like it was all an act. I believed that was the “real Maddox” like he kept telling me.
I’m so dumbstruck that by the time I get into the apartment, I just stand in the doorway. I haven’t closed the door in the dark living room, so a beeping echoes in the lightless, soundless room.
Beep. Beep.
How could he do this? How could I believe him? Why is this happening?
Beep. Beep.
Was it all an act? Did he really go out with me, meet my family, and act like he wanted something more from me just as a game? Is that all this was to him?
Beep. Beep.
And why now? Does he think he’s already made enough progress for whatever sick game he was playing that he’s calling it quits early? Did he think I’ll eventually see through it all and call him out?
Beep. Beep.
“Miss Mavin?” Esme’s words are like a shock to the system. Looking up, she tightens a robe around herself, then hurries over, shutting the door behind me. “Miss Mavin, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you at the club?”
I don’t know if it’s the concern I hear in her voice or that she’s the first person who’s checking on me. Whatever the reason, the dam holding back all of the dumbfounded questions breaks, and I wrap my arms around her, letting out a sob.
“Miss Mavin?” Her soft words float around me as her arms hold me up. “Miss Mavin, what’s wrong?” I can’t answer her. I clench my eyes tighter, not wanting to think about any of it anymore. “Come, come.”
She ushers me toward my room. Once inside, I fall to my bed, grab my pillow, and cry myself to sleep. When I wake up the next morning, I pull the blankets over me tighter. For a moment, I don’t remember last night, but it’s gone by the time I blink twice. The shock, the confusion, and the sadness all come rushing back.
I fall back asleep and don’t wake up until I hear a knock at my door, Esme peeking her head inside. “Miss Mavin, you should get up now.” I don’t answer her. “Cecelia, what happened?”
Her use of my name is enough for me to poke my head out from under the covers. Esme never calls Sebastian or me by just our first name; it’s as jarring as when my mom or dad says my full name when I’ve gotten in trouble in the past. Miss Mavin or Mr. Sebastian is always what she calls us.
She stands at the edge of my bed, still in her proper attire, but a concerned demeanor.
“I’m so stupid, Esme.”
“Arrête!” she scolds me in French. “Do not say things like that. You are not.”
“I am!” I counter, shaking my head at myself. “I thought—” The words choke off. The memories hit me like a bus traveling fifty miles per hour. Swallowing down the emotion, I blink away the tears. “I thought this guy—”
“Hein? A boy? Crying over a boy is no good, Miss Mavin.”
I know she’s right, but I still feel the pain from last night. I nod, hoping it’ll ease her concern, but I don’t know that it does. I feel her eyes on me. Giving my leg a squeeze, she turns and heads back to the door. “You are Miss Mavin. You gather yourself up after today and be Miss Mavin again.”
“Thank you, Esme.”
Try as I might, I can’t get back to sleep. I don’t want to, but I reach for my phone to check the time and any messages. I’m not expecting to see any from Maddox, but there’s a sliver of expectation when I turn on the screen, only to find three missed calls. Two from Leslie, one from Tina. There’s also a text message from Stephanie.
I don’t know who to talk to first. I really don’t want to go to the club tonight. I don’t even know what this new shift in the relationship I have with Maddox means for Luxe. Do I have to put up with him for this last month? Maybe I can avoid him the entire time. Should I fire him? No, I can’t do that. That has human resources nightmare written all over it. The last thing I need is for my father’s lawyers to tell him Maddox is suing Mavin International for breach of contract. All because his daughter fired him after he broke up with her.
Replying to Stephanie first, she asks if I want to go out and get lunch. I don’t, but if I stay in bed all day, I’m sure Esme will come back in and either try forcing me to get out or threaten to call my mother. That’s always been her go-to as the final straw. So, I tell Stephanie to meet me at Just Java, a trendy coffee shop around town.
Trudging my way around my room, I go to the restroom to shower and clean up before heading out. After parking my car, I wait inside with my hands still on the steering wheel. I feel like I want to tell Stephanie what happened, and at the same time, I don’t. While I’m deciding what to do, my phone rings. I know it’s not him, but I’m still hesitant to check it.
The screen has Leslie’s name across it, so I take a deep breath and answer it. “Hey.”
