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I stand up suddenly, the need to throw-up suddenly real. I’m not sure if it’s because of the baby or Melody’s horrifying revelation.
“I’m so sorry, but I’m not feeling very well,” I manage to say in a bland tone, even if there’s already vomit pulsing at the back of my throat. “I’m not sure if I’ll be able to come in tomorrow. I’ll email you later tonight to let you know.”
The vicious woman smirks, clearly pleased with my reaction.
“Of course, but don’t come into the office if you’re going to spread some sort of bug around. You know better than that, Ramona.”
I nod in acknowledgment, unable to formulate words. Then, with an aggrieved sigh, Melody turns on her heel and strides back to her office with a slight bounce in her step. I watch her go before I turn my attention back to my desk. Quickly, I grab my purse and dash toward the elevator. Once inside, I lean up against a wall and stare at my skewed reflection in the mirrored door.
One of the reasons I’ve been scared to tell Carlton about my pregnancy is that I worry he’d want nothing to do with me. And as it turns out, I may have been right all along: he’ll probably just cast me into the gutter once he finds out, seeing that he’s been seeing Melody while also seeing me.
So I shouldn’t tell him, I reason with myself. It’s probably better if he doesn’t know.
The elevator pings, signaling that I’m at the lobby level. Composing myself as best as possible, I swallow hard on the nausea again before running out of the building at a sprint. I’m not entirely sure how I make it onto the correct train, much less all the way to my apartment, but I do.
Once home, I collapse on my couch and let my tears fall freely in a torrent. It takes me a moment to realize that I’m not even angry at Melody. While there’s no doubt in my mind that my boss is evil, that’s to be expected. Plus, she had no idea that Carlton and I have been seeing each other on the sly for months now.
No, it’s Carlton whose face I see whenever I close my eyes. He’s the one who’s guilty, not Melody.
I pull out the pregnancy test and stare at the little screen, feeling completely lost and alone and like an utter fool for falling for the man who used to bully me.
I should have known, I think bitterly as I swipe at my salty tears. He broke your heart once before. What’s to stop him from doing it again?
The alpha male has always been charming and handsome, and apparently, he will always be selfish when it comes to what he wants.
Carlton James.
Still a bully, even after all these years.
13
Carlton
I glare at my phone, waiting for a text that has yet to come. Ramona hasn’t talked to me in almost two weeks, has missed all of our work meetings, and is clearly ignoring me.
But why? I ask myself for the hundredth time. Her silence has gone from strange to annoying to concerning.
I’ve pressed Melody on several occasions at our meetings to tell me where the fuck her subordinate is, but the obnoxious woman only shared that Ramona requested some personal time off and that’s all she could say about it. HR rules and all that, she snickered.
Fuck that. Glowering, I toss my phone onto my desk with a decided thud, finally reaching maximum anger. I’m ready to beat the shit out of someone when suddenly, there’s a hard knock at my office door.
“What?” I bark, not caring who I might offend with my asshole tone and attitude.
“Damn, Carlton, think you could be a little less of a grouch?” Bruce asks lightly as he strolls into my office.
“What is it?” I ask sharply by way of reply.
“The newest contracts for the property in Greece just came through.” Bruce slides the thick stack of paperwork onto my desk and immediately sits down. I glare at him, but don’t tell him to leave. Instead, I pick up the folder and flip through the papers.
Greece, I think with contempt. What a fucking riot.
I had mentioned the idea of spending part of the holiday there to Ramona via text about two weeks ago, and she’d been so enthusiastic about the idea that I acted on an impulse – something I rarely do. I actually went ahead and purchased a small villa on one of the isles, wanting to surprise her with it.
Had it been decadent? Sure.
Over-the-top? Yes.
Had it been from a place of wanting to spoil the woman I love? Absolutely.
But now, she’s being distant and evasive and who knows why.
What a waste of time and money, I tell myself angrily. You should never have done that, asshat.
