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I ran my hand over my face. This wasn't a conversation I wanted to be having right now. She didn't know the half of it. Instead of answering her, I nodded.
"Did you ever wonder what would have happened had I not left?" she questioned, rolling over and propping herself up and looking at me.
"Did you?" I asked, looking into her eyes.
"All the time," she whispered, turning her eyes away from mine.
Something about the look in her eyes when she turned them down to the floor had me wishing that she would look at me again. It was as if someone else took over my body, and in slow motion I leaned forward, placing my hand under her chin. I tapped her chin with my fingers. She looked up into my eyes and slowly I leaned forward and met her lips. Slowly and gently at first, my lips grazed over hers, barely even touching them. Then, with a little more intensity, I kissed her again. When we parted, the only words on my lips were a mumbled, "I never once stopped thinking of you."
Chapter 14
Jessica
The first thought on my mind when I woke this morning was the kiss that Ben and I had shared last night. I felt lighter than I had in years and was excited to get this remodel finished. I had a ton of ideas for how to decorate the place to make sure it would sell. I spent the morning boxing up some of my grandfather's things. I had rented a storage unit, and once the place sold, I would take my time going through everything, deciding what I wanted to keep and what I wanted to get rid of.
I had taken a break and stood in the kitchen eating a piece of toast and dialing Kate's number. I was hoping Kate would be up for some shopping today, but she was busy this morning. I thought about calling Ben to see if he wanted to accompany me, but I didn't want to appear needy or pushy. Plus, I was sure he was working all day.
Armed with a travel mug full of coffee, I ventured out and now stood sifting through items at the home decor store. In an hour, my cart was overflowing with candle holders, centerpieces, and a ton of other things that were probably nothing but money wasters.
I turned the cart and headed into the pillow section. Tons of accent pillows lined the walls. I picked neutral colors, throwing four on top of my insanely packed buggy. When I was content that I had everything, I began wandering through the aisles to the front of the store where a box of wine glasses caught my eye. They weren't something I needed, but wanted, and I reached for them, picking up the box and reading the funny sayings on them.
I was about to throw them into the cart when someone gripped my elbow harshly, causing me to jump and drop the box. The second the box hit the floor, the glasses shattered, drawing a lot of attention to myself.
"Well, well..." was all I heard. The familiar deep voice whispered in my ear, "Don't make a scene, Jessica." Kendrick's voice drawled as he tightened his grip on my elbow, "Just come with me, easy as that."
I was tempted to fight him, tempted to scream, but instead I froze. Surely, someone in this store would see what was going on and would help me, I thought. I was about to say something to Kendrick when he tightened his grip on my arm, causing me pain. Instead of my original plan, I ripped my purse from the seat of the buggy and walked away from the cart, leaving the mess of broken glass all over the floor.
I heard women murmur as I walked through the store with Kendrick close behind, still gripping my arm. They all looked my way, but none of them did anything.
Kendrick finally loosened his hold, and I took a of couple steps in front of him, hoping to get away. Kendrick had already noticed, and he gripped my bicep, pulling me back towards him. People continued to stare at us as he marched me through the store like some five-year-old child who had done something wrong.
The second we were outside, he shoved me in the direction of his car, his fingers digging harder into my arm. "Fuck, Kendrick, you are hurting me," I tried stating forcefully. "Let go of me."
"You've humiliated me!" he barked, shoving me against the side of his car while he pulled the door open.
"You've humiliated yourself!" I spat. "If people really knew what you were like, you would have nothing. Hitting on young, innocent women and screwing them over. Just like you did me. You probably ruined my career on purpose. No one else is to blame."
"Get in the car," he gritted through his teeth, his body invading my space as he stepped in closer, looking down into my face.
I glared at him, preparing for a fight, but then I saw the flash of anger in his eyes, and I knew I didn't stand a chance against him. His six-foot frame stood over me, and he outweighed me by about ninety pounds. Hewould finish me. Instead of creating any more of a scene than we already had, I complied and crawled into the front seat. He slammed the door, running around to the driver's side and getting in.
"So," he barked as he fired the engine, "I had to find out the hard way that my wife left me,huh? You stupid bitch," Kendrick said, flicking my wedding ring at me. "Leaving it in a dish on a table. Either you were praying I wouldn't see it, or secretly you wanted me to find it. Which was it?"
"It shouldn't come as a shock to you, Kendrick. You are always off with other women. I shouldn't be treated that way, and frankly, I don't want your ring anymore, so I gave it back to you."
"Ha, you gave it back? That ring you tossed cost me 1.2 million dollars. Surely, you could use the money. Where are you staying anyway? The article said you were spotted outside of 425 Madison Avenue, isn't that right?" he said, driving in the building's direction.
I said nothing. I crossed my arms over my chest and sat there tight-lipped.
"You humiliated me in front of everyone. My career has gone down the drain. Do you know that when clients started seeing the news that we could be over, they wanted to leave." he yelled, swerving to miss a car.
"What is it, Kendrick? Are you afraid that they see you for who you really are? A nasty, nasty man, a liar and a cheat," I screamed as his tires screeched to avoid hitting someone.
"You bitch! You are coming back with me. You will pay for everything you have caused me to lose." He pulled into a parking spot on the side of the street and jammed the breaks on. He wasted no time getting out of the car and running around to my side.
He opened the door and reached in, pulling me out roughly. "Where are we going?" I screamed.
"You are getting your things, and we are going back to LA. No questions, and don't make a scene. You're not calling Kate. You're not mentioning anything to anybody. Just do as you’re fucking told."
