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I clench my fists, ready to punch the fucking screen. I leave her alone for one minute, and she’s giving that fucker head in the movie theater? Who the fuck is she now? This isn’t the Charlotte who’s the love of my life. The Charlotte I’ll fucking move heaven and earth for if she asks. I bury my face in my hands, trying to get a grip on my anger.
On impulse, blinded by rage, I type profusely in a text.
Me: Why are you still seeing him?
I sit there for exactly thirty-four minutes and twenty-one seconds with no response. I’m losing my sanity, and to make it worse, I have an important meeting at the Hilton in less than an hour. What the fuck am I going to do? Every second I’m gone, the closer she’s getting to him. For all I know, she could be at the courthouse saying ‘I do’ right this minute.
Charlotte has always been mine.
And now isn’t the time to be complacent.
I need to go now.
I have to fucking see her.
Pressing the intercom, I call Kate into my office.
“Kate, please book the next flight to New York City,” I command, neatly organizing my papers while shutting down my computer.
“Um… sir, sorry, I d-don’t understand,” she stutters, narrowing her eyes. “The meeting at the Hilton starts in forty-five minutes. We actually need to leave now.”
“I have to go back to New York. Something urgent has come up, and I must to be there now,” I tell her, irritated by her lack of direction to follow orders.
“Sir, this meeting has taken months to organize, and we have a lot riding on this merger.”
Fuck, does she think I’m an idiot? Of course, I know that, but this can’t go on any longer.
Every second that passes, Charlotte will slip further away from me, and I refuse to allow that to happen.
“Have Brooks replace me. He’s done the groundwork. I’m heading to the airport now. Please book the Waldorf indefinitely. I expect you to fly in tomorrow.”
“But, sir, I can’t stress enough the importance of your presence at this meeting.”
With a pained and watery gaze, I think she’s going to cry on me. For fuck’s sake, she just needs to do the job she’s paid to do.
“Kate, do as I say, or you can find yourself another job,” I warn, placing my laptop into its case.
She races out of my office, probably ready to burst out crying for all I know. Following her, I lock my office door behind me and head out to Reception. I don’t say goodbye to anyone, bowing my head and walking straight for the elevator. When it arrives, I embrace the quiet solitude. Exiting the elevator, I rush toward the street and hail a cab while sending a quick text to my sister asking her to arrange some clothes for me as I have no time to pack.
By the time I arrive at Heathrow, Kate has booked my business-class seats with the flight leaving in one hour. The flight isn’t as crowded, and by the time we board, I get comfortable in my seat and wait for the plane to depart.
Charlotte: He is my fiancé. He treats me the way I deserve to be treated. I don’t have to fight with him every time I see him.
I don’t respond to her straight away, making her suffer in silence like she did me. Placing my phone in my pocket, I close my eyes, desperate for some sleep to shut down my racing mind. I barely slept last night on the plane to London, not to mention I was hitting the gym twice a day to get rid of this tension that constantly hangs on my shoulders.
The announcement comes on that we’re about to land shortly at JFK. I rub my face, trying to wake myself up. I can’t believe I slept the whole flight—that’s very out of character. Fastening my seat belt again, I stare out the window.
I’m accustomed to flying, rarely spending enough time in one spot. London is home, but even then, I rarely spend much time there. Mom and Dad are still living in Carmel but spend most of their time traveling abroad, and Adriana has moved to Brooklyn with Elijah.
As we deplane, I make a quick detour to the men’s room to wash my face. Contemplating a quick session in the stall, I decide against it, my hand needing recovery time.
Making my way through the airport quickly, I hail the first cab on the rank, giving Charlotte’s work address praying she’s still there.
Me: I don’t share. You must know that by now. I will be back in Manhattan next Friday when we can discuss this face to face.
I force the lie with a plan in mind. In just twenty minutes, she will find out the truth.
