The Devil's Storm

by Lorelai Watson

And there it was— the confirmation that it was okay for him to call. That she might have even needed the support. “Just okay, or...?”

  There was a hesitant pause, a breath taken. “Just okay,” she continued. “I’ll admit, it’s a hard day. Harder than I thought it was going to be. Last year was tough, and I expected this one would be easier. But I promise I’m fine. I’m working, and—”

  And she stopped. As if she stopped herself from saying something.

  “Where’s Adrian?” Lee questioned. He knew his brother had to be around—and for once since the day she left him, Lee hoped Adrian was there. Just in case. Keeping her protected was his job now, loathe as he was to admit it.

  Although he wouldn’t have minded one bit if the pause in a conversation meant Madeleine trying to tell him that she and Adrian were no longer together. Maybe she even regretted leaving, the divorce, every bit of hell they’d been through.

  Dear God, please, he prayed. He’d drive to Savannah right now and sweep her off her feet…whatever it took. Work schedule be damned.

  “He has a job interview. He left about an hour ago. He should be back soon.”

  Lee felt his face drop into a frown. “A job interview? Where?”

  “Oh, you would ask… they’re local. I’d never heard of them, to be honest.”

  “Must be small,” he muttered without even thinking first. “I certainly hope it’s not an aerospace company.”

  Madeleine sighed. “What difference would it make, Lee?”

  “He’s locked into a two-year non-compete agreement,” he argued. “I mean it’d be different if he was going to work out of state, but he’s not.”

  “If the company is so small that I can’t even recall the name, who cares if Adrian works there? Besides, he only wants to be an engineer. It’s not like he’s looking for a company to take over so he can put Atwood Technologies out of business.”

  She sounded irritated. Lee cursed. “This isn’t even why I called you. I just wanted to make sure you were alright, and to tell you I’m here if you ever need anything,” he rambled. “The only reason I asked about Adrian was to make sure you weren’t alone, although I see he chooses today to do a job interview.”

  Madeleine groaned. “Lee, just stop. We had the easiest divorce and I have no desire to fight with you.”

  He paused, and thought a moment, then took a deep breath. “Madeleine, you deserve a lot better than me, and I hope the next guy lucky enough to marry you is going to be everything I wasn’t. But Adrian’s the first one to come along and you immediately started living together. Are you absolutely sure he’s everything you want?”

  Lee waited on her response, certain that she’d hang up on him. When he heard her crying, he regretted ever even mentioning

  Adrian.

  “You know,” she began, “there was a time I thought you were

  everything I wanted. And for a long time, you were. I never

  wanted all this to happen.”

  Lee shook his head. “I didn’t either.”

  “So here we are, two people who thought they were going to love each other forever, proven pathetically wrong,” she continued, tears obviously still falling, Lee’s self-worth plummeting with every word she spoke. “I think the least we can do now is try to let each other find some happiness, don’t you?”

  Lee’s eyes were beginning to sting and his throat tightens as he slumped into his desk chair. “Yeah… of course, you’re right.”

  “Maybe next time we talk it’ll be under happier circumstances,” Madeleine added.

  “I hope so,” he responded in a cracking voice. “Goodbye, Maddie.”

  “Bye, Lee.”

  Chapter Five

  Tears clouded Madeleine’s vision as she hammered the red “end call” button with her thumb. She had long acquiesced to the fact that she would have to speak to Lee at some point. There had been no true closure to their relationship. Somewhere in the deep recesses of the Fulton County courthouse, she imagined there were at least a hundred pages of signed, dated and notarized pieces of paper that declared their marriage legally over, but that did not mean there weren’t pieces of them still intertwined. She didn’t know whether to be angry with Lee or to cry because he was still an expert at wounding her.

  “He brought up some excellent points, however,” Evelyn said from the corner where she stood sulking, arms tight across her chest in what Lee would have dubbed a “power pose”. Madeleine saw Hell itself reflected in her eyes, sharply contrasted with her milk-white skin and her classic black, beaded 1920s flapper shift dress. She was angry; back with a vengeance. Madeleine only shook her head. She didn’t even want to recognize Evelyn’s presence, much less admit she was already back. Adrian had stepped out of the house for an hour or two at most and her demons—her depression— were already attacking?

  Not that Lee’s phone call had helped.

  Evelyn wasn’t one to be silenced, however. She took a long draw from her cigarette holder and blew a ring of smoke towards the window overlooking the pool and garden. “I mean, the ink was barely dry on your divorce papers, and you drove straight to Savannah to shack up with his brother? Were you that desperate to maintain that Atwood lifestyle?”

  “I love Adrian. You know that” Madeleine said through gritted teeth, more to herself than Evelyn. “And that’s why you’re here. You’re nothing but the embodiment of fear and a lack of normal serotonin levels. You are just an extra dosage away from going straight back into the recesses of my brain.”

  “Or did your therapist get the diagnosis wrong? Maybe you’re a schizo,” Evelyn suggested with a Machiavellian grin as she sat in an armchair and crossed her legs. “Don’t schizophrenics have suicidal tendencies too?”

  Madeleine squeezed her eyes tight. “Get out of my head,” she ordered. “By the time I open my eyes, I want you a million miles away.”

  Evelyn sighed. “It doesn’t work like that.”

  “I’m going to count to five and then open my eyes. You’ve got until five,” Madeleine warned. “One....”

  “Two-three-four-five!” Evelyn yelled. “Open your eyes, because I’m still here and I ain’t going anywhere!”

  “Two…”

  “Lee was right you know. And you know it. You fell for the first guy to come along and promise to save you from your terrible marriage you were also guilty of ruining.”

  “Three…”

  “And Lee obviously misses you. He’s heartbroken. You sinned just as much as he did… and maybe even more. Because you’re not one bit sorry for having an affair with his brother.”

  “It’s not an affair. It wasn’t an affair,” Madeleine stammered before the tears started again.

  “You’re no better than the whore that you blame for ruining your marriage. Just because you weren’t screwing him doesn’t mean it wasn’t an affair,” Evelyn sneered. Madeleine sensed her coming closer, her presence right up against her body. “And it won’t last with Adrian. I’ve been trying to tell you that from the first day you even entertained the notion that he was everything you were missing in life. He’s not. Marriages take effort, and when you fall apart at the least bit of opposition, you’re not made for it.”

  Madeleine felt a shuddering cry move through her body, but she was determined to power through it. She could beat Evelyn, her own doubts. “Four,” she choked.

  “You’ve ruined their family. Lee and Adrian were best friends, and now they can’t stand each other.”

  Madeleine shook her head, but her heart broke even more with that last comment. It was the truth and one that Madeleine had done her best to bury away all these months since she first fell in love with Adrian.

  “Five,” she whispered. And when she opened her eyes, slowly at

  first, Evelyn disappeared.

  Madeleine’s face crinkled into a smile in the middle of her tears. She glanced at the time. 12:04. Adrian would be home any minute. And here she looked like a blubbering mess. It wasn’t that Adrian would car
e; Madeleine knew that inherently. He had already picked up the pieces and rearranged them for her a thousand times, and he’d be happy to do it again.

  But this time, she didn’t want him to. This time, it was more important to her that she be strong on her own two feet. She had already gotten rid of Evelyn, and that was a battle never easily won. Without a second thought, Madeleine closed her laptop and dashed upstairs. She could throw herself together and be presentable in twenty minutes if she booked it.

  Madeleine rifled through her closet, searching for a burgundy floral v-neck dress she knew drove Adrian crazy, and once she’d found it, a pair of sandals that were cute but comfy enough for pounding the streets of Savannah. She was a city made for walking, and they lived so close to everything. Although Adrian missed the opportunities to show off his flashy cars and drive them at breakneck speeds, neither of them minded a good stroll. As Adrian said, it gave them more time to admire all the beauty that surrounded them in their new city, along with giving them more time to talk on the way to their destination.

  Madelene even went the extra mile and threw a few curls in her hair. It would be a nice change from her typical ponytail, and God knew she needed a change. Maybe she would cut it short, or get highlights, lowlights, something other than the same haircut she’d had since she and Lee started dating. Some makeup, minimal as it was, and Madeleine deemed herself ready to go.

  Her timing couldn’t have been better. Just as she was heading down the stairs, Madeleine heard the locks click and the front door sweep open. Adrian walked in, the smile on his face undeniable. Madeleine immediately caught his contagious joy. Seeing him happy was enough to dissipate the entire hellish afternoon. “Do I get the privilege of bragging to everyone I’m dating a hot engineer?” she asked with a grin as she walked toward him.

  Adrian grinned from ear to ear as he wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her with a fierceness she loved. Nothing about him was ever half-done, and every move he made assured her of his love. How could she ever question it? Perhaps they didn’t have a perfect foundation, but what they did have was a brilliant future ahead of them. “I have got to be the luckiest man ever. First, I get to come home to the most amazing, beautiful woman in the world, and she gets to brag that she is dating a hot engineer. The ‘hot’ part is debatable, but still.”

  “Ade, I am so happy for you,” Madeleine beamed, pressing a kiss to his cheek. “I know you’ve wanted this for so long.”

  “You’re gonna laugh when you hear about this interview,” he began as he released her and led the way to the living room. “The Harrisons, who are brothers and funny enough, president and vice president of the company—”

  Madeleine raised a brow as she plopped down in the middle of the couch. “Seriously? The irony.”

  “I knew you’d say that,” he laughed as he took off his jacket and loosened his tie. “They insisted on interviewing me. Well, I wouldn’t say it was even an interview. It was more like shooting the breeze with two guys who flipped through my portfolio and wanted to know if Lee Atwood was—and I quote— a ‘real son of a bitch’ to work for.”

  She laughed. Lee’s reputation as a demanding CEO preceded him. “What did you tell them?”

  “I said all except for the insult to my mother,” Adrian smiled in response. “I think they got a kick out of that.”

  “So, no hard-hitting engineering questions?”

  “Apparently, I’m well-known within the Georgia aerospace industry and my prior experience speaks for itself,” Adrian reported with a self-satisfied grin. “Who knew, right?”

  Madeleine gave him a skeptical look and raised her hand. “Me, I knew. Even Lee will admit that. So…they didn’t ask why you left?”

  It was then Adrian’s face looked more apprehensive. “Yeah. They did.”

  Madeleine nodded. What employer wouldn’t ask? Few people would leave a career where they had complete control and made millions a year. “So, what did you tell them?”

  “I told them that I wanted to be an engineer. Of course, they wondered why I didn’t convince Lee to let me go back to engineering. So, I told them we had a falling out, and that my resignation was a personal choice. They know the truth, just not the specifics.”

  Madeleine scrunched her brow. “I wonder if they know you and

  Lee so well if they’ll know me.”

  Adrian took her hand and a deep breath. “More than likely. I mean, people are going to figure it out. We knew this would happen.”

  “I know,” Madeleine acknowledged, shaking her head. “And I couldn’t care less what people think, but I do worry you won’t be judged fairly because of it.”

  “Who I spend my life with should have no bearing on my job.”

  “It shouldn’t, but you know it does,” Madeleine sighed. “And… I might have screwed up today.”

  Adrian narrowed his brow. “How?”

  Madeleine took a breath and hesitated, but went on. “Lee called.”

  Adrian sighed and rubbed his head in building anxiousness. It was a side he rarely showed Madeleine. “And I’m sure he mentioned the NCA in my contract.”

  “I’m so sorry. I never should have told him.”

  It took him a silent moment, enough time to think it through. “Look, I don’t want you worrying about this. The state’s made it practically impossible to enforce non-compete agreements, and if I know Lee, he won’t want to spend an extra dime in legal fees to deal with it. It’s just not worth his time or money. Besides, Harrison Aerospace deals with government contracts — Atwood Technologies deals more with corporations. I don’t think his case would have any bearing in court,” Adrian explained.

  Madeleine looked over to him, still skeptical. “You seem to know what you’re talking about, at least.”

  “Of course I do. I ran the company for like a whole two months,” he laughed. “I’m not worried about it, and you shouldn’t be, either. If all else fails, I get to live like all the other trust-fund kids for another nine months. I’ll sit in your office and keep you distracted.”

  Madeleine looked at him, impressed, and she only admired him more. “You have got to be the most patient man in the world.”

  Adrian turned to better see her pretty face, propping his head on his fist against the back of the couch. “You just keep that statement in mind when we have our next argument,” he said with a smile and a kiss to the bridge of her nose.

  Chapter Six

  Adrian knew something was wrong the second he had walked into the house that afternoon. Madeleine had tried too hard to cover it up. The dress, the hair, the makeup… she looked gorgeous, but he saw the traces of sadness that she did not want him to see. Her eyes were still bloodshot from the tears, and her chest was still red and splotchy from the anxiety that must have taken over. He regretted leaving her for even a second. How had he been so damned insensitive?

  Adrian wasn’t sure what was wrong. Was it the phone call with Lee? He’d call the bastard himself later and give him a piece of his mind, he had decided, but it would have to be long after Madeleine had gone to sleep. Or had it just been the sadness this day had carried with it from the second the sun had risen? Even Adrian had to admit, though they had kept the day lighthearted and normal, he felt it, too. After all, he could have lost her forever. Before he ever realized how much he’d always loved her.

  As much as he had wanted, he said nothing. At least nothing direct. Not yet. Madeleine had put on a smile and pretended the afternoon had been fine. And who was he to question if she wanted to put on a brave face and keep going? He decided he would watch throughout the evening though, searching for the signs that Madeleine didn’t think he would notice.

  He could always tell the difference between a good day and a bad one in her eyes. On a good day, her eyes were a brighter shade of blue, and they reflected all the life and beauty she had inside her. On the bad days though, they were darker and glazed from the way she would turn inside herself and try to hide from the world. Fortunately
enough, she hadn’t had a bad day in a while, but Adrian was prepared for when they happened.

  He wasn’t naïve enough to think that his mere presence or the love he had for her would ever cure her depression. He knew that even with medication, some days would be better than others. He accepted that. Depression was just a tiny part of who she was, and he loved every bit of her.

  But it wasn’t easy when the pain was so apparent, because he wasn’t always sure how to fix it, or if she even wanted him to. Adrian knew he would just have to resign himself to doing exactly what he’d told Lee—being present, and paying close attention.

  There were three signs that night before she finally admitted it. First, she’d tried to come up with an excuse not to go out. Which was fine with him. He even teased that Netflix and chill sounded more fun anyway, but the second he offered to cook dinner or call in Chinese, she shook her head and said “No, we said we were going to try a new place, and I look too damned cute to stay in.”

  “I can’t argue with that,” he’d acknowledged with a smile and a kiss to her cheek as he threw his jacket back on. He knew there wasn’t a moment to lose—if she was motivated, he’d do whatever it took to keep the mood going.

  The second sign was during dinner when she seemed distracted throughout the entire meal. Of course, Madeleine stayed distracted. He’d been used to this since high school. She never did much without her laptop, or a book, or pen and paper in hand. Hazards of dating a writer. But tonight was different because that look in her eye he’d become acquainted with had taken over as she mentally dropped out of their conversation and stared into her glass of wine instead. She had little to add, and just asked questions about his interview. Adrian had obliged, but he knew it was all just a rouse.

  The third was painfully obvious. In the days after her suicide attempt, he’d read every article and book about depression he came across. Physical activity was supposed to release feel-good endorphins, so it was not unplanned when he suggested they take a detour to Leopold’s Ice Cream just around the corner on Broughton. Madeleine sighed but put on a happy face anyway and went along with his plan. He ordered a banana split for himself, and Madeleine just ordered a single scoop of vanilla, hardly her typical tutti fruity or Savannah Socialite, and then she didn’t even finish the entire scoop.