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I knock and he calls out to me to enter. Every sound is magnified. My knock is loud and brash. Oh, God. I’m going to be sick. I push the door in and eyes looking anywhere but at Jace, I enter.
“Good morning,” I mumble.
“Morning.”
That voice. It pierces straight into my heart like an arrow. I crave to hear Jace whispering sweet words into my ear. I hate the formality between us now. Am I a fool for ending things before I have to?
“Would you like to go through your schedule?” I ask him.
“Sure.” He sounds so unaffected by everything. As if his life has swiftly moved on.
The unselfish side of me wants it to be so. The selfish part of me wants Jace to suffer as much as I’m suffering. I tap my tablet and clear my voice. We’ve done this enough times that I can do it without thinking. Jace speaks only once to instruct me to respond to one of his managers by email.
I’m relieved and in pain when I finally leave the office. It’s a long drawn-out day and apart from his rounds, Jace does not leave his office. At exactly five, I leave, opting to write from home. I’ve already sent a piece to the PR department and I’m waiting for their feedback while working on the next.
The rest of the week is not any different and by the time Friday rolls around, I’m itching to let loose. Work-wise, I’ve gotten a lot done. I had a meeting with Amelia and she’s happy with the introductory pieces I’ve done so far. She did grill me about my relationship with Jace but I’ve denied any involvement with him.
I did manage to convince her that it wasn’t me in that picture and even if she looked doubtful, she was convinced. I’m still hanging on to the piece that I wrote about Ivy and how she was given the wrong sperm. I told her that things were going well and I’m getting a really good idea of how the clinic worked. She was satisfied with that but I know that as soon as my time at the clinic is up, she’ll expect a full write-up of what I’ve learned. I’ll deal with that when the time comes.
Back home, I take a shower and settle down on the couch to write for an hour before I get ready for the party. I lose myself in my work, only realizing the time when Chris rings my bell.
I curse loudly as I let him up. I leave the front door open and rush to my bedroom to get ready. Luckily, I’ve showered already and all I have to do is dress and I’ve already picked out an outfit.
“Livia?” Chris calls out.
“Give me a minute, will you?” I respond.
I wear a little black number that’s my go-to outfit when I don’t feel like sifting through clothes to find something to wear. I let my hair loose and shake my head to give me a carefree look, the opposite of how I’m feeling. I have the weight of the world on my shoulders. I apply a little mascara and lip gloss. A stupid thought pops into my mind.
I wish Jace would see me now.
I can picture his reaction. Blue eyes darkening then raking over my body, leaving me in no doubt over what he wanted to do with me. My throat closes up and tears fill my eyes. I miss him. I miss everything about Jace.
I shake my head, trying to free my mind of Jace’s gorgeous face. I’m not going to cry or spoil my evening. This is a night of fun.
“I’m ready to paint the town red,” I announce as I walk into the living room.
Chris whistles and comes to give me a hug. “I’m so looking forward to going out tonight. It’s that season when my parents are on my case again. Something about an heir. Do you have any idea what that means?”
I laugh. Chris’s parents are obsessed with their wealth and what will happen to it if Chris does not procreate. They go a few months without mentioning it and then they’re on his case for a couple of weeks. It’s a cycle that’s gone on now for years.
He holds the front door open and we head to the elevators.
“We’ll get a cozy picture taken,” Chris says as we ride the elevator down. “I might convince them that we’re seeing each other.”
I laugh. “I don’t think so. They’ll see right through it. We’ve been friends for too long and besides they’d hate the idea of you dating someone whose last name is on the Forbes list.”
It still shocks me that wealthy people take that kind of thing seriously. I mean, why would you care about your child’s partner’s last name when what matters is whether they are happy together? Still, it’s not fair to lump all wealthy people together. Jace’s parents are not like that, else his brothers would not have married regular women. Women like me.
“It will get them off my back. That’s what matters,” Chris says.
We get off the elevator and stroll out of the building to his car.
“What’s this party about?” Chris asks as he pulls onto the road.
I search my mind and come up with a blank. Laughter bubbles out of me. “I have no idea. Charlotte gave me an invite but I didn’t look at it.” Charlotte and Marcus run an events and PR company. I’ve gone to so many of those parties where they need to fill up the venue that it seems I don’t read the details anymore.
Still laughing, I fish out the card and read it. “Album launch party for Rapid Underground Rock band. They’re new on the scene aren’t they?”
