Page 56 of Cured

As Colt held me, I felt that I was in a place that I had never been before. I had never wanted to be held after sex. I had never wanted the closeness of the person I’d been with. Colt made that all different. I fell asleep listening to the beat of his heart, knowing that my entire life had changed.

The next morning when I woke up, the bed was empty, but I smiled to myself as I stretched because even though I was alone, I didn’t feel alone.

I managed to wrap myself back up in plastic wrap and took a long shower. The area around my incision was sore, but it had been worth it.

I spent the morning thinking about all that I had gone through the last six years and all to which Colt had opened my eyes. There was so much about him that I didn’t know, and learning that he worked for children instead of vain adults made my heart want to explode with love.

Love… Yes, I guess I did love him. I couldn’t deny that. He had slowly chipped away the pain and hurt from my past, and I had no doubt that soon my heart would heal completely. I spent the afternoon dreaming about the future and wondering what would become of our relationship.

It was four in the afternoon, and I had yet to hear from Colt. In the back of my mind, I wondered if he regretted what had happened between us. There had been no note this morning, and no text or call since. The longer I went without hearing, the more nervous I became. I had sent him a text message around one o’clock asking if he was having a good day, but I had yet to hear back from him.

The doorbell rang at five-fifteen, and I wondered if I should answer it or not. Maybe he forgot his key, I thought, as I got out of my seat and went to the door.

On the other side of the door was a woman who looked slightly familiar with her long sandy blonde hair and pretty features. She was tall and willowy, but that was where her beauty ended. Her dark blue eyes were hard as they stared at my face and worked all the way down to my toes and then slowly back up again.

“You must be Ember. Yeah, you’re her. I remember you from the bar.” She pushed her way into the entryway and kept walking. I stared at her back for a moment, unsure what to do before slowly closing the door. A bad feeling was building in my gut, and I twisted my hands in front of me as I followed her.

“Excuse me, you might know who I am, but I have no idea who you are.”

“I’m Whitney, Colt’s real girlfriend,” she glared at me for a moment. I didn’t know what to say. Had Colt lied to me all this time? No, Colt wouldn’t have done that to me. I found myself shaking my head.

“What? You think I’m kidding? You think Colt was really into you?” She threw her head back and laughed a sound that would’ve normally been pretty but sounded more like fingernails on a chalkboard. “You know, Colt told me about his little plan to help you out. Obviously, by now you know Colt has a soft spot for damaged goods.”

She sat down on the couch and crossed her legs, her hands resting casually in her lap. My knees began to feel weak as her words hit home. Was it true?

“You can’t really think that Colt would be interested in somebody like you?” She laughed again. “Come on, let’s take a look at this, shall we? Colt is in a class all by himself. He lives in this wonderful apartment in one of the best parts of town. His bank account is well over the six-digit mark, and his face is all over medical journals for the work that he’s done,” she assessed me for a moment, “and you, you are nobody. No, that’s wrong; you’re nothing but a cheap whore.”

She stood and faced me, one hand on her hip, “I stood back long enough and let him play his games, but his time is over. Fortunately, Colt has realized his mistake and he sent me over to tell you he’s done. He asked me to tell you to pack up your stuff and leave. He would have done it himself, but he’s tied up with some things and then he has to get ready for an event tonight.” She stepped around me and headed towards the door.

“Of course, he didn’t tell you about that event, did he?” I heard her turn around, but I didn’t look back. “Of course not, because he wouldn’t be caught dead in public with you, especially not at an important fundraiser. That’s why I’m his girlfriend, and you never will be.”

I heard the door close behind her, and my knees began to shake. How I managed to get to the couch before I collapsed, I don’t know.

Was she telling the truth? Had I really just been a project? I thought back to the beginning and remembered him calling it a proposition, or more like a challenge. Here I thought the challenge was on my end, not his. How stupid I’d been.

I forced myself to get up and go back to the guest room. For a long time, I stared at the bed. The sheets were still rumpled, and I could almost picture us making love. I ground my teeth as I realized that it hadn’t been making love; to him it had just been sex, maybe payment for the work he’d done. I felt sick.

As quickly as I could, I packed up all the things that were scattered around the room. There wasn’t much, and it didn’t take very long. Luckily, I was already showered and dressed so I didn’t have to waste time doing that, although at this point I probably would have run out of the place in just my underwear. Tears filled my eyes as I shoved the last of my things into a bag, and I took one last look around the bedroom. I thought I had found love here, but I had been wrong. I always was.

I rushed out of the condo intent on reaching the elevator before I lost all control. As the doors slid closed, the tears began to fall. When the elevator door opened at the bottom, I stepped out blindly. My eyes had filled and spilled over, and I could barely see to put one foot in front of the other. When an arm reached out and grabbed me, I tried to pull away, but someone calling my name brought me out of my daze, and I looked up to see Stewart staring down at me.

“Ember, what’s wrong?”

“I have to go,” I shook my head and tried to step around him, but he didn’t let me go.

“Not until you tell me what’s going on. Did Colt do something?”

“No, no, this is all my fault. I should’ve never believed him.” I pushed myself away and ran out the front door, even before Henry could pull it open for me. I heard Stewart yelling my name, but I didn’t stop.

It was raining outside, but I didn’t notice until I was already soaked. I thought the raindrops hitting my face had just been my tears. As I stood on the street corner, I realized that everyone was carrying umbrellas, and I finally looked down at myself. My clothes were dripping, and my shirt clung to me, showing the outline of my breasts. I crossed my arms over my chest and waited for the light to change.

A taxi stopped in front of me and the back door opened, Stewart sat there staring up at me. “Ember, get in.”

At this point I didn’t know what I was doing, nor did I care, so I climbed inside. I shivered as I sat in the seat and could see Stewart watching me from the corner of my eye. I heard him give an address, but I wasn’t paying too much attention to what it was.

“Want to tell me what’s going on?” Stewart asked me quietly from the other side of the bench seat. I shook my head, my hair swaying back and forth as it dripped around my face. “All right, you don’t have to tell me, but let’s get you dried off.”

A few minutes later, the taxi stopped on the side of the road, and the back door opened. Stewart motioned for me to get out, and I didn’t even think not to; I was in zombie mode. Stewart led me into a building that I didn’t recognize and to an elevator; his hand was barely touching my lower back as he guided me.

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