By the time I finished packing what we needed and got some lunches together for the ride, it was about an hour after noon.
“I know what the papers say, Phil. The prenup should help. Will she agree or not?” Theo asked, frustrated as he paced the bedroom.
I grabbed my car keys and when he heard them jingle he looked sideways at me. His eyebrows shot up, his eyes asking me where I was going.
He’d gotten even more possessive ever since the news. Last night, I felt him watching me as I fell asleep. This morning, he didn’t leave my side until his lawyer called and forced him to check his emails for information.
I honestly found it kind of sexy—the fact that he didn’t want to leave my side for even a second.
“I’m making a run to the house,” I whisper-hissed. “Forgot a few things. I’ll be right back.”
He frowned and lowered the phone. “I’ll go with you.”
“No—Theo, please. Take care of your calls. It’ll take me less than thirty minutes. I’ll be right back.”
He was iffy about it. He looked me over twice before giving an averse nod, slouching down on the edge of the bed. “Don’t take long,” he murmured, bringing the phone back up to his ear. “No—not you, Phil. Continue.” He shot me a small smile and a wink and I kissed his forehead before taking off.
When I pulled up to my house, I was relieved that Sterling’s car wasn’t in the driveway. Good. He wasn’t here and probably hadn’t been back since that night I saw him.
I hopped out of the car and locked it behind me with the key fob. None of the lights were on inside, the way we left it.
I hurried up the stairs in search for my Kindle. It was exactly where I left it on the nightstand, along with the charger. I tucked it beneath my arm and then went towards my jewelry, picking up a few of my favorite pieces and stuffing them in the pocket of my purse. I could get the rest later.
My gaze dropped to where the engagement ring was and I sighed. He left it. I noticed as we were moving that all of his things were gone. All of his clothes, his soap, and cologne. In fact, it didn’t even smell like him anymore.
Sighing, I turned around and walked out of the bedroom, down the stairs, and to the kitchen to check for water. But as I entered and flipped the switch on, that’s when I saw him.
He was sitting right at the island counter on one of the stools. His eyes pulled up to mine and I gasped, taking several steps back.
“Shit, Sterling! What the hell are you doing? Why were you sitting in here with the lights off?” He didn’t respond, and I frowned a little. “I guess you’re still mad?” I folded my arms and still he didn’t speak.
“How long has he been back?" He finally spoke, his fingers drumming on the countertop.
"What are you talking about?"
"You know exactly who I'm talking about, Chloe. Don't play stupid." His jaw ticked, those eyes of his growing a shade darker.
"Sterling, I have no idea what you mean." I was lying. I had a clue, but it was no longer his business with whom I was with or what I was doing. He jeopardized our relationship the day he walked out on me.
"No?" He stopped drumming. Then he lifted his elbow and shoved a filing folder that was beneath it, across the counter and towards me.
"Open it. I think you'll know exactly what I'm talking about since you can't seem to think right now."
I opened the folder, eyeing him as I did. He was acting strange and had to be drunk, high, or both. It wasn’t new to me.
When I pulled out the contents, I couldn't believe my eyes.
Pictures.
All of them.
I flipped through the photos of Theo and Izzy. And then I stopped on one of the photos he had of me. We were on Theo’s bike. My arms were clung around him, my chin well rested on his shoulder as he rode with sunglasses on.
"How the hell did you get these?" I snapped, flipping through and finding photos of him and I in San Francisco. Walking into the hotel. Coming out of it. Laughing. Smiling. Happy.
My heart sank.
“I was waiting for the day he returned. I had a feeling he would.”
I tossed the photos back at him and they scattered all over the counter and the floor. "I don’t know what you’re talking about or what you’re trying to prove, but I’m leaving now."
He pushed off the stool and walked around the island counter, catching my elbow before I could get out of the kitchen. I grimaced at his hand, snatching my arm away.
"He probably thinks I'm the bad guy, when really he's the one that just shows up and takes the women I love right away from me. With you, I admired you at first sight, Chloe. It wasn't love, but you were smart and beautiful, and I wanted you." He was close now, his voice soft, but dark. He stroked my cheek with the back of his hand and I shuddered. It was cold. "I wanted to make you happy because I knew he never would. He only cares about himself—"
That's not true," I snapped. "You . . ." My throat felt thicker, dryer. "All you care about is yourself. You always have. It’s not my fault you can’t keep a woman. It’s not my fault you’re so fucking unreliable.”
He scowled when I said that, one eye twitching. "Tell me, Chloe. How was it anyway? Did he make you feel like a woman again? Did you feel bad and dirty?” He was ridiculing me now. “Did he fuck you so good that you completely forget about me because I tell you . . . that's the same shit he pulled with Janet. That's why she tried to leave me for good that night of her launch. It’s why she fired me. Because he whipped his scrawny little dick out and worked his manipulative magic. That's when I knew Janet was weak. That’s how I know you are weak—running back to him!”
“Oh, fuck you, Sterling!” I pushed off the wall and stormed for the front door. “If anyone’s weak, it’s you. You’re a pussy—still stuck on women that barely loved you. And it’s no wonder,” I scoffed, looking him over. “You’re a fucking joke. How is anyone supposed to take you seriously when you talk like that to them? When you run away from your problems instead of facing them like a real man!” I wrenched the door open and pointed a stern finger at him. I no longer had any sympathy for him. I was done. “You should pack all of your shit and get the fuck out of here now. I will handle the house.” I shook my head, disgusted with him. “I never want to see you again. If you show up here again, I will tell him. And I mean it.”
His upper lip twitched. “Don’t think this is over, Chloe. It’s far from it. He doesn’t fucking deserve you.”
“Fuck you,” I snapped again.
And with that, I slammed the door behind me, hurried to my car, and climbed in. I started it and pulled out of the driveway, but before I could put the transmission in gear and drive away, I saw him standing at the window, peering out of it. Watching me.
His eyes were narrowed, his jaw tight.
He was angry, I could tell. But he was no longer my problem. Not after the way he spoke to me.
He was still that creep that watched me from the windows when he came to visit that summer.
Maybe I’d been wrong about him this entire time. Maybe he didn’t care. Maybe he was only with me to try and prove a point to Theo—that he could take me just as easily as he took Janet.
Maybe . . . he never loved me to begin with. Maybe it was all just a stupid, pointless scheme so he could feel like the better man. Disgusting prick.
Sad thing was, I was never going to find out the answers to any of it.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
CHLOE
I hurried into the house and locked the door behind me as soon as I was back, checking the windows to make sure no cars pulled up after me. For all I knew, he could have followed me.
Fucking jackass.
“Hey,” Theo called as he walked by with the phone to his ear. “You okay?”
“Yeah,” I breathed, spinning around with a strained smile. I lifted the Kindle and charger in the air. “Got my reading device and some jewelry in my bag.”
“Good. We’ll be set to leave in the morning. We’ll
have to leave kind of early though. I have to be at my lawyer’s office by three.”
“Yeah,” I panted. “That’s okay with me.”
He nodded, studying me with slightly furrowed brows. He lowered the phone a bit and asked again, “You sure you’re okay? You look a little sick.”
“I’m feeling a little queasy,” I said, smiling. But not from the baby this time.
“Go lay down. I’ll join you when I finish this call.” His nostrils flared then. “Our lawyers. Going over settlements. All money-related of course.”
I shrugged a little and walked towards him, kissing his cheek. “I’m sure it will be okay. I’m still here to help.”
He winked, and when he turned his back I hurried up the stairs. Shutting the door behind me, I sat on the edge of the bed and raked a trembling hand through my hair. I had to tell Theo about what’d just happened, regardless.
The photos.
His shit-talking about Janet and me.
But it couldn’t be right now.
Right now, he had to focus on what he had to deal with in San Francisco.
But afterwards, I would tell him. Sterling was becoming a hazard and I had too much to lose to handle it alone.
Chapter Forty
CHLOE
This ride seemed to be much quicker than the first time we came.
Perhaps it was because of all of the thoughts running through my mind. I was fatigued of course, but my main concern was for Theo. If Sheila didn’t accept the negotiations today, there was no telling what could happen.
She was delaying the process, which was going to make it a little tougher for us to move forward at a steady pace. It was kind of hard to move onward when she kept barging in.
When he parallel parked in front of a large building with silver windows that was in the heart of the city, I drew in a full breath. We were here. He didn’t have to say it for me to know.
He shut the car off and then sat back in his seat. “She’s in there,” he murmured.
“Yep. Just waiting to emotionally murder you, huh?” I side-eyed him.
He was smiling. “You know you don’t have to come in.”
“I want to. I won’t be close by but I’ll wait in the hall or somewhere comfortable.”
He licked his bottom lip and then scratched his head. “Okay. But I’m not sure how long it will take.” He pulled out his wallet and handed me a debit card. “I just got this. Only under my name—not that damn card we shared. If it starts to get too late, go book a hotel. You already look tired. You should be resting right now, not worried and stressing about this.”
“I’ll only go if you come out and tell me to. Otherwise I will stick it out.”
“Take the card, Chlo. Get food and whatever else you want.” I grabbed it and put it in my wallet.
“Are you ready?” I asked, voice hesitant.
He gave a broken smile. “As ready as I’ll ever be.” He took a long inhale and then exhaled. “Come on. Let’s get this shit over with.”
We walked into the building, Theo not as confident as I’d hoped. He said we’d already won, but even he knew that anything could backfire and change at any given moment.
The building was clean and neat. There were many lawyers in suits, as well as clients walking around, and I wondered if they were all victims of divorce or something else. Many women were there, some crying. Some smiling. The ones that were crying made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.
Theo rounded a corner and when he came to a black door with the name Phil Hunter on it, he knocked. The door was pulled open almost immediately.
To our luck, it was only Phil, a thin man with hair grayer than Theo’s. He looked older than him by about five or six years. He wore a navy blue pinstriped suit and a tie to match. If there was one word I could use to describe him . . . narrow. He was as thin as a pencil. Thin nose, small eyes, and really thin lips.
“Good to see you, Theo,” Phil said, extending his arm and shaking it with a light smile.
“You too, Phil.”
Phil nodded and then looked down at me. I forced a small smile. He extended a hesitant hand. “And you must be . . . ?”
“Chloe,” I filled in for him, shaking his hand.
Phil swooped his gaze over to Theo again. “Girlfriend?”
“Yes,” he answered quickly. “Where are they?”
“In the conference room down the hall.” He paused, looking between us. “Look, I don’t want to be the bearer of bad news here, Theo, but in order for this to go as smoothly as possible, Chloe will have to wait here or in the lobby. Sheila is already causing a fuss about the negotiations. She thinks they’re unfair. With your girlfriend here, she’ll hunt for more—use it against you as much as she can in court if it comes down to that.”
“Chloe wasn’t planning on joining us for the conference, Phil. I agree that the smoother this can go, the better.”
I nodded my agreement.
Phil looked so relieved. “Okay. Great. Well, Chloe, you can wait in my office then—if you’d like. If you need anything, there is a coffee maker in there, some ginger tea set up, and the bathroom is just down the hallway there.” He motioned Theo toward the conference rooms. “Let’s hope this doesn’t take too long.” He clasped his hands and pressed his lips together to smile. “Let me just grab my folder and briefcase.”
When Phil turned and walked into his office to gather his things, Theo stepped up to me and placed a damp kiss on my forehead. “Remember what I said. You get tired or anything, go book a hotel nearby. With Sheila, there’s no telling how long we’ll be in there.”
“Okay. I hear you. Just do what you have to do.” I knuckled his chin. “You’ve got this.”
His smile was faint. He placed a swift kiss on my lips and when Phil returned, he pulled away and walked down the hallway with him, towards the conference room.
Sighing, I walked into Phil’s office and decided to make a cup of ginger tea and as I set it all up, my only hope was that Theo would come out of this unscathed and free.
That’s all I wanted for him.
Freedom.
Chapter Forty-One
CHLOE
Four hours now. It’d been four long hours and none of my e-books were distracting me, not even the pregnancy novels I’d downloaded. The pacing in the office wasn’t helping, nor were the cups of tea and crackers.
I felt jittery all over, my nerves on end, so I sat again.
I had to hold out. I knew he wouldn’t have minded if I left, but I was here for him, whether he knew it or not. The sun was already sinking. It was starting to get late. I knew better than to be nosy, but the only person that would know who I was, was Theo and Phil.
The conference rooms had windows you could see through. Plus, I needed to go to the restroom. Placing my Kindle on the coffee table, I pushed out of my chair and walked out the door, down the hallway and towards the restrooms.
Before I could get to them, I saw Theo sitting at a round table in a room with gray walls. Beside him was Phil, who was talking on his behalf, and across from his was . . . Sheila.
Her hair was curled to perfection. She had on a red silk blouse and a pencil skirt. I couldn’t tell what kind of heels she wore, but I knew she’d dressed to impress for a reason.
Trying to get him to see what he was losing.
Theo sat there, scowling at her, fed up. He didn’t give a damn about her looks.
I wasn’t sure, but it seemed she was smirking.
I could hear Phil droning on as he spoke to her lawyer. And then I heard him ask, “How much are you seeking exactly, Mrs. Black?”
“Don’t call me that anymore, please,” she responded rapidly, sitting back in her seat with a frown. “It’s Sheila Ruth. Just call me Miss Ruth.” Her Jersey accent was thick.
“Okay, Miss Ruth,” Phil continued, impatience lacing his voice. “Is there a set amount?”
“I’ve only got fifteen thousand in a private account. Don’t have much more t
han that,” Theo grumbled.
“Well, that sucks, doesn’t it? I guess that means you have to stop skipping days at the garage and actually work now.” Her grin was smug. I frowned, and when I did, Theo’s gaze shot up. He spotted me and sat up in his seat a bit, but his gaze didn’t linger. He pulled away before Sheila could notice and figure out what he was looking at.
“I need more than that if I’m going to make a living for myself again. You want me to sign off on the shop and not be co-owner, I need something in return. Otherwise, that shop you run is the only income I’ll be getting. Designing offices and homes doesn’t cover enough anymore and you know I can’t ask my parents for it right now with my father being sick and all.”
“Well, not if he stops working and pulls his rights to the shop’s name, Miss Ruth.”
She whipped her gaze over to Phil. “What are you talking about?”
“Well,” Phil slid the papers across the table, “this is a new contract. He’s paid the loan off, so he doesn’t owe any more on it. He’s also willing to sign over his ownership of Black Engine, meaning that you can keep the shop and its name all you’d like as sole owner, but that business will be on your hands, not his, if you want it to keep running. Here,” Phil said, pointing to a highlighted section. “The contract states clearly that either owner may pull from the company at anytime they see fit. That means you’ll be held responsible for Black Engine if you decide to keep your name on the contract and he doesn’t.”
“Let me see that.” Sheila’s lawyer snatched up the paper, propping his glasses on the bridge of his nose and reading over it. Theo watched him carefully with a smirk.
I smiled with him.
When the lawyer whispered something in Sheila’s ear, she shook her head and scoffed. “I can’t do that. I don’t know shit about a how a mechanic’s shop is supposed to run!”
“We know you don’t,” Theo said. “Which is why you should take the deal. I’ll give you whatever money I have to spare, but I can’t give more than the fifteen, Sheila. If you try and keep your co-ownership of Black Engine, I will pull my name and you will be on your own. You will drown in debt and have to close shop eventually if you try to keep it and you’ll lose even more money. Let’s not make this anymore difficult than it needs to be.”
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