by Sandi Lynn
“Say you won’t let go,” I softly spoke.
He stopped, clenched his fist, and slightly turned his head. He stood there for a moment and then shook his head and went upstairs. Tears were streaming down my face at a rapid pace. This was all my fault. I ran up the stairs and into the bedroom, where he was throwing some clothes into his suitcase.
“Wyatt, I love you so much. Don’t do this. Please,” I begged.
“You’ve left me no choice. I need some space, Laurel. If you love me like you say you do, you’ll give it to me.”
I sat on the edge of the bed, shaking.
“I’ll leave. This is your house,” I spoke with a trembling voice.
“No. I’m leaving. I just need to get out of here.”
He closed his suitcase and walked out of the room.
“When are you coming back?” I shouted.
He didn’t respond. I curled up into a ball on the bed as the tears streamed down my face.
Chapter Forty
Wyatt
I checked into the Ritz Carlton. Luckily, I was able to secure the Royal Suite on the twenty-second floor. I could have just gone down and stayed with Sammi, but then I would have had to explain, and I wasn’t ready to talk about this with anyone. The anger and the hurt I felt inside was worse than anything I’d ever felt before. How could she think that I would cheat on her? I couldn’t understand her thinking. If she still had the brain tumor, a piece of me would have understood.
I walked over to the bar that was set up in the corner of the living area and poured myself a scotch. After downing it in one gulp, I poured another, and another, and another until I passed out, which was exactly what I wanted.
I rolled over and felt the empty space next to me. Opening my eyes, I looked around the room, forgetting where I was for a moment. My head was pounding. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and saw two missed calls from Sammi and a text message.
“Where are you? You had a meeting at nine o’clock. I can’t get hold of Laurel either.”
I dialed her number and she picked up on the first ring.
“Wyatt, what the fuck? Where are you?”
“I’ll be there in a half hour.”
“You sound like you just woke up. What’s going on? Why haven’t I been able to get hold of Laurel?”
I heavily sighed into the phone.
“I’m not discussing this over the phone. I’ll see you when I get there. Let Tamara know for me. I need to get in the shower.”
“Okay. I’ll see you soon.”
After showering, I called down to the front desk.
“This is Wyatt Coleman in the Royal Suite. I need someone to bring me up a couple of aspirin as soon as possible.”
“Of course, Mr. Coleman. I’ll send some up right away.”
“Thank you.”
I finished getting dressed and there was a knock on the door.
“Here’s your aspirin, Mr. Coleman.”
“Thank you. Hold on a second.”
I pulled my wallet from my pocket, grabbed some cash, and handed it to the gentleman who was standing in front of me.
“Thank you, sir.” He nodded.
I gave him a small smile and shut the door. Walking over to the mini fridge, I grabbed a bottle of water and chased down the aspirin. Grabbing my suitcoat and my key, I walked out the door and out of the hotel where Ryan was waiting for me at the curb.
“Good morning, Wyatt,” he spoke.
“Is it a good morning, Ryan? I don’t think it is.”
“Sorry, sir.”
“Can you believe it? She accused me of cheating on her. Goddamn it.”
“I’m sorry.”
“It just pisses me the hell off that she could even think something like that. It’s obvious she can’t grasp how much she means to me and how she’s the only woman I would ever want.”
“She is still recovering from brain surgery,” Ryan spoke as he glanced at me through the rearview mirror.
“Doesn’t matter. After everything I’ve said and done for her, it’s not enough. She’s crazy.” I sat in the backseat and slowly shook my head.
“Isn’t that part of the reason why you fell in love with her, Wyatt? Because she was so different from anyone you’d ever met?”
I stepped into my office and Tamara followed behind.
“Your nine o’clock meeting is rescheduled for tomorrow morning at eight forty-five. Mr. Alexander called and wants to start negotiations for the downtown deluxe plaza project.”
“Thanks, Tamara. Can you get me some coffee, please?”
“Sure. Is everything okay?”
“Things are fine.” I sighed. “Tell Sammi I need to see her right now.”
“Of course,” she spoke as she walked out of my office.
A few moments later, Sammi walked in and shut the door.
“Mind telling me what’s going on?” She cocked her head.
“Not really, but I know if I don’t, you won’t stop badgering me.”
“Very true. So, spill it, Wyatt,” she spoke as she sat down.
“Laurel and I are on a break.”
“A break?” her brows furrowed. “The two of you broke up?”
“We’re on a break and I’m staying at the Ritz Carlton for a while.”
“Jesus, Wyatt. What the hell happened?”
“She was at the Whitby Hotel for afternoon tea a couple days ago and saw me step out of the elevator with Brooke. Then she proceeded to follow me there yesterday when I was delivering the check and accused me of cheating on her.”
“Oh shit. Didn’t you explain who she was? And wasn’t Jonathan with you guys?”
“Jonathan was up in the room. He wasn’t feeling well. After I signed the papers for the horse, we both left together because she was running to the drugstore to get him some medicine. I did explain who she was, and I told her about the horse. That’s not the point, Sammi. The point is that she just assumed I was cheating on her. I knew something was wrong with her that night when she came home. She was very cold and barely looked at me the whole night. If only she would have told me that she saw me, I would have explained right away. But she didn’t. She just assumed and then followed me the next day. Do you know how bad that hurts? Especially after everything I’ve done for her?”
“I do know how bad it hurts you, and I love you. But, being a woman, I can understand why she did what she did.”
“Don’t you even sit there and side with her.”
“I’m not siding with anyone. Not you or her. I understand your feelings and I understand hers. She just had major brain surgery and she’s not fully recovered yet. You have no idea or clue what she’s going through inside. She had part of her hair shaved off, her brain was cut into, and not just one tumor was removed, but two. She’s having problems with her short-term memory and I can guarantee that she feels like a total failure inside. Being a woman, I know how I’d feel, and to be honest with you, if I saw my fiancé with another woman at a hotel, stepping out of the elevator, I’d sure as hell think the same thing, no matter how much I knew he loved me. Her self-esteem is shot to hell, Wyatt.”
I sighed as I ran my hand through my hair.
“She told me that she was scared of losing me and that she hated what she put me through the past few months. She called herself a burden.”
“Laurel is a very strong and independent woman. She was that way before she met you. And now, she’s this helpless girl who feels like her independence is gone. She never depended on her parents for anything. She told me that. Everything she did, she did on her own. Now she had to depend on you to take care of her and she hated needing that.”
“Did she tell you that?” I asked.
“No. But I know I’d feel like that and she’s way stronger than I’ll ever be. She doesn’t feel like the perfect woman you tell her she is. And unless you’re a woman, you can never understand that.”
“Sounds to me like you are taking her side.”
�
�You know what? I guess I am. Listen, I know how hard all of this has been for you and now you feel like you’ve been betrayed. I get it. You’ve done your job and you want the award.”
“That is not true, Sammi.” I pointed at her.
“Isn’t it, Wyatt?” Her brow arched as she got up from her seat and walked out of my office.
Chapter Forty-One
Laurel
“Laurel, how are you?” Jamieson answered.
“I’m okay. I have a question. Is it okay for me to fly?”
“Yeah. You’re three months post op. You’ll be fine. Where are you going?”
“I was thinking about coming and visiting Maddy and Craig.”
“Great. Let me know when you’re here. I want to check your incision.”
“I will.”
I lied to him, and I felt horrible, but I didn’t have a choice. I dropped Coco Chanel off at Mrs. Edwards’ apartment two floors down. She was an incredibly sweet old lady who loved cats and just recently lost hers to kidney failure. I grabbed my suitcase and turned off my phone. I was messed up, and I didn’t exactly know if it was from the surgery or if it was just me. I shouldn’t have jumped to the conclusion that Wyatt was cheating on me. But he shouldn’t have left me the way he did. So, I was going to find solace and fix myself. I needed to disconnect from everyone and everything. I needed to heal.
The flight to Thailand was long. I slept as much as I could, but all the crying I did made my head throb. Maybe a twenty-hour flight wasn’t such a good idea. I walked down the long-swept path to the monastery grounds pulling my suitcase behind me, the familiarity of this place welcoming me with open arms. I was so afraid I wouldn’t remember, but I did, and a sense of peace filled me. A monk at the entrance greeted me. I didn’t recognize him, but he remembered me. He asked for my cellphone and other electronics I may have brought. But my cellphone was the only thing I had. A few moments later, I smiled when Bhante James approached me.
“Laurel Holloway.” He smiled. “What brings you here?”
“I need some time to heal, Bhante James.”
I pulled my hair to the side and showed him my scar.
“Come with me, child.”
I told him about my brain tumors, the surgery, all the problems I’d been experiencing and everything that happened with Wyatt. He took me to a room just like the one I stayed in before.
“You’ve had a long flight. Get some rest. We will begin your healing tomorrow morning at four a.m.”
Shit. I forgot about that four a.m. wake up.
“Thank you, Bhante James.” I bowed.
****
Wyatt
It had been three days and I hadn’t had any contact with her at all. I threw myself into my work and spent my nights in my hotel room thinking. This was the hardest three days of my life. No matter how mad and hurt I was, I couldn’t live without her. This break had to stop. I needed her as much as she needed me. I gave a lot of thought to what Sammi said, and each day and lonely night that passed, my anger dissipated. I missed her like crazy and I needed to see her.
Pulling my phone from my pocket, I dialed her number, and it went straight to voicemail. I looked at my watch. It was seven p.m. She either blocked my number, which wouldn’t surprise me, or her phone died. I got up from my desk, grabbed my briefcase, and had Ryan drive me to the penthouse. As I stepped off the elevator, I expected to see Coco Chanel come running. I sort of missed that damn cat. But she didn’t. I called out Laurel’s name and there was no answer. I went upstairs to see if she was in bed, but she wasn’t. It appeared she wasn’t home. I called George. Maybe she was out with him.
“Hey, Wyatt.”
“Hey, George. Is Laurel with you by any chance?”
“No. I haven’t spoken to her in a few days.”
“What? Hasn’t she been at work?”
“No. She told me what happened between the two of you and that she needed to be alone and asked that me or Eric didn’t call or text her. I told her I was worried about her and she said she was fine and just needed some time alone. I was actually going to call her tomorrow. I can only give her so much time alone.”
“I tried calling her and it went straight to voicemail. I’m here at the penthouse now and she’s not home.”
“Try calling her family. Maybe she went to stay with her mom for a few days.”
“Do you really think that?” I asked in a sarcastic tone.
“Well, I guess not. But it is Laurel we’re talking about.”
“I’ll call them now and I let you know.”
I called Bella, Adalynn, Harrison, and Alfie, and no one had heard from her. Now I was starting to worry. And where the hell was Coco Chanel? Maybe Craig had talked to her.
“Hey, Wyatt.”
“Hi, Craig. Have you heard from Laurel recently?”
“No. In fact, I was going to call you. I sent her a few text messages and she never responded. That’s not like her. What’s going on, Wyatt?”
“It’s a long story. Listen, I have to make a few other calls. She’s not home and her phone goes straight to voicemail.”
“Now I’m worried.”
“Me too. I’ll keep you posted, buddy.”
I sat down on the couch and ran my hands through my hair. Suddenly, my phone dinged with a text message from George.
“I’m down in the lobby.”
“Come on up.”
A few moments later, the elevator door opened, and George stepped into the foyer.
“Did you find her? I was going stir crazy at home waiting to hear from you.”
“No. I called everyone I could think of. Coco Chanel is missing too.”
“If the cat isn’t here and Laurel isn’t here, that means she dropped the cat off with someone and went somewhere. Did you check your closet to see if her suitcase is gone?”
“No. Good idea.”
I flew up the stairs and opened the closet door. Her suitcase was gone.
“Shit,” I spoke. “Where the hell would she have gone? She’s only three months post op.”
“Los Angeles?” George asked.
“I just got off the phone with Craig and he hasn’t spoken to her.”
“Are you sure she didn’t leave you a note somewhere around here?”
“I haven’t seen one.”
Worry coursed through my body and blame filled my head.
“I don’t think it was wise of her to travel alone. I mean, with her short-term memory loss and everything. What if she gets lost or can’t remember where she is?” George spoke.
“My god, I don’t even want to think about that. Do you have any idea where she may have gone?”
George paced around the room with his hands tucked into his pants pockets.
“Wait a minute! She did say that she needed to disconnect from the world for a while to get better.”
“Okay. And she did. She shut her phone off,” I spoke.
“No, Wyatt. She needed to disconnect.” George waved his hand.
“I’m not understanding what you’re trying to say.”
“Where does one go to disconnect from the world?” he asked.
“The monastery.” I sighed.
“Correct!”
“You really think she went back to Thailand?” I asked him.
“I don’t know where else she’d go.”
“For fuck sakes.” I rubbed my forehead.
Chapter Forty-Two
Laurel
I’d spent the last ten days in silence, meditating, and trying to heal my brain. I lost all sense of time. Without any clocks or calendars, the only time I knew was when the sun rose and when it set. After five days of deep meditation with Bhante James, I retreated to the forest, where I sat under a large tree and meditated for another five days in nature for hours. I felt as if my mind and body had reconnected with each other.
“Are you sure you’re ready to leave?”
“I am. Thank you for everything, Bhante James.”
&nb
sp; “You’re always welcome here, Laurel. Have a safe trip home.” He handed me my phone.
I smiled as I grabbed my suitcase and wheeled it behind me. I was ready to go home and face Wyatt with a clearer and calm mind. When I arrived home, it was two o’clock in the afternoon. Before going up to the penthouse, I stopped at Mrs. Edward’s apartment to get Coco Chanel.
“Laurel, you’re back.” She smiled.
“Hi, Mrs. Edwards. I’m here to get Coco Chanel. Thank you again for taking care of her.”
“She isn’t here. Wyatt picked her up over a week ago.”
“How did he know she was here?”
“I ran into him in the lobby while I was carrying a bag of cat food.”
We talked for a moment more and then I went up to the penthouse. As soon as the elevator door opened, Coco Chanel came running to me.
“Oh, how I’ve missed you.” I smiled as I picked her up and held her tight.
I took my suitcase up to the bedroom, opened the closet door, and saw Wyatt’s suitcase sitting in its spot. I stared at it with a smile on my face. After unpacking my suitcase, I took a shower and patiently waited for Wyatt to come home from work. It was seven thirty when I heard the elevator making its way up. I got up from the couch and walked into the foyer. The door opened, and Wyatt looked at me in shock.
“Hi.” I smiled.
“Hi.” The corners of his mouth curved upwards.
He stepped out of the elevator, set his briefcase down on the floor, and wrapped his arms around me.
“Welcome home, sweetheart.”
“You’re not mad?” I asked as I broke our embrace.
His eyes stared into mine as he brushed a strand of my hair from my forehead.
“Maybe just a little.” The corners of his mouth curved upwards. “I didn’t like how you just took off only being three months post op, especially to Thailand. That flight is way too long. Did it help you?”
“It did.” I smiled. “It was a very intense ten days. Bhante James was so good to me and he really helped me. I know it might sound weird to you, but I feel whole again.”
“Let’s go upstairs and you can tell me all about it.” He kissed my forehead.