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While it was the friend thing to do, it turned out that it was also the worst suggestion she could have made. Sabrina didn’t leave that couch for a solid week.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Her phone had been put on silent. All calls were ignored. Work had been informed that she was taking a leave of absence until further notice. Sabrina had, in effect, gone underground. Meanwhile, she had been holed up in her best friend’s loft-style apartment, slowly turning into a vegetable.
She hadn’t showered in a couple of days, her hair was a matted mess from lack of brushing, and she was wearing the same borrowed sweat pants and now-stained white tank top that she’d borrowed from Janet upon her arrival.
Sabrina was, in a word, disgusting.
If Conner, William, or Oliver happened to find her secret hideout, they would surely be so appalled by their findings that they would run screaming in the other direction. With that thought, she wondered if maybe she hadn’t been going about all of this the wrong way. Maybe sheshouldlet them know where she was. Then she could be rid of their lying asses that much faster.
But seeing their faces would throw her over the edge into the abyss, she could feel it. Her emotions were finally leveling off, but she still didn’t trust herself completely. She had to be sure before she returned to life and work that she was strong enough to handle it.
That time was now. She couldn’t continue lying around doing nothing. Not only did she have bills to pay, but she had a reputation to defend. There was no telling the kind of damage the Hargreaves men had reaped while she’d been away.
Hell, there was no telling what they had done while she’d been too busy lying in their bed in a pleasured stupor. If they thought when she returned it would be more of the same, they had another thing coming. Sabrina was going to do everything in her power to ensure that they were all on their next flight out of town, and if she had it her way, out of the country.
Taking stock of the number of empty takeout containers and trash that surrounded her, she finally decided that enough was enough. She’d nearly taken over Janet’s living room and was embarrassing herself at this point with her ongoing pity party. Despite Janet insisting that she wasn’t bothered by it and she was welcome to stay as long as she needed, Sabrina was sick of her own damn self, so she had to believe her friend was reaching that point too—if she hadn’t already.
Getting off her butt, she spent some time cleaning the apartment, going out of her way to extend her reach to the open kitchen and dining areas as a way of thanking Janet for her hospitality. After changing back into her work outfit from a week ago, she put Janet’s soiled clothing into the wash and shot off a text letting her know how much she appreciated her being there for her and that she was returning her home to her. Then, with a twinge of dread, Sabrina headed home.
When she walked into her apartment, Sabrina almost expected to see one of the guys there, but it was quiet. Too quiet. Just like she remembered from before they’d gotten together. She used to come home to just her faithful kitty all the time, always ready to greet her with a bleating mewl, and it’d never bothered her. Before. Now, she felt a pang of hurt and longing for what she’d grown used to.
Not that they’d ever been just sitting around waiting for her to show up, but she’d gotten used to having life in the apartment. If she was alone, it was never for long. One or all of them would invariably find an excuse to come to her, and that had been nice. It’d been something to look forward to. Now, she felt as if there was nothing to look forward to anymore, and that hurt.
“Meow!” Binx was decidedly upset with her absence and lack of checking in.
As Sabrina bent to scoop him into her arms and nuzzle his furry head, she was greatful that she’d at least purchased an automatic feeding and watering system for him. In this instance, it’d probably saved his life. She was ashamed to admit that in her moment of crippling depression, he’d been the last thing on her mind, as was evident by the pungent smell of ammonia emitting from his overused litterbox in desperate need of attention.
After a good cuddle and a slew of apologies that Binx seemed to accept, she cleaned up after him and then retreated to her bedroom. Changing into fresh clothing, Sabrina stripped the bed down and threw the linens in the wash, hoping to erase any signs that she’d ever met the Hargreaves. Then she scrubbed down every surface they’d ever touched, effectively eliminating all traces of them from her life. Once she was through with that, she took a shower, washing away the days’ worth of grime along with a few tears, before signing into her voicemail and, without even listening to the numerous messages from her father to her mother to Conner, William, and Oliver, erasing every single one.
They were irrelevant. As far as she was concerned, she didn’t have anything to say to them, and they didn’t have anything they could say to make any of this better. There would never be an explanation good enough nor one that she cared to hear. It was all water under the bridge now, and she was ready to move on.
After that task was finished, she signed onto her laptop and into the corporate account, more as a test to see if her father had retracted her access, but to her surprise, he hadn’t. She’d expected him to step into the role of CEO and owner/operator the moment she’d left the office. He had, after all, already flexed his muscle and put great effort into reminding everyone that he was the one truly in charge there. Why not go full monty and exclude her entirely?
Maybe she should have listened to his message after all, she mused as she checked the accounts and her inbox, choosing to wait to make any replies until she drummed up enough courage to reach out to her father and see where they stood on everything.
It was going to be a tough phone call. There was a lot that needed to be said and hadn’t, and a lot that had been said that shouldn’t. It was time they cleared the air so she could figure out her next step.
As if he’d heard her thoughts, Sabrina’s cell phone rang and when she picked it up, she saw her father’s face light up the screen.
With a sigh of resignation, she answered with a lax, “Hey, Daddy.”
“Sabrina, thank God. Your mother and I have been worried sick! Where have you been? Why haven’t you been answering our calls? We almost called the police to file a missing persons.”
She rolled her eyes. Although, secretly, she was happy that they’d been so concerned. “I’m fine. I was staying with a friend for a while.”
“You should have told someone. Do you know how many people are worried about you? My God, we thought you were dead.”
“I called Shawna and told her I’d be out until further notice.” And he knew that. Of course he did. She would have been one of the first people he asked.
“And that was the only reason we held off calling the police. You can’t go disappearing like that. It’s not fair to the people who love you.”
She almost quipped that she hadn’t been aware of any such people, but then bit her tongue. Not only would it have been untrue, but it would have been hitting below the belt.
“I’m sorry I worried you, but I’m sure you can understand that I needed some time away from everything.”And everyone.
She heard her father breathe deeply on the other end and then he said, “I’m sorry I put you through that. Afterward, when I talked to your mother, she made me realize that I could have handled things better.”
