by R. J. Dillon
“Goodbye.” She stepped away quickly and almost ran down the hall. She put her shoes and coat on, never looking back. As quickly as she came, she was gone. Gavin sat quietly, once again alone.
When Faith got home, she opened the door as quietly as she could so Emile wouldn’t know she was home already. She peaked in on him to make sure he was doing okay. He was sleeping as usual, or so she thought. She went to her room, changed clothes, laid down on her bed, and cried herself to sleep.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
On Monday morning, Gavin was hoping he could talk to Faith about what had happened. His heart was already broken from having hurt her this way. He knocked on her door, having picked up coffee on his way into the office.
“Good morning, beautiful,” he tried to smile.
“Good morning.” Faith did manage to glance up at him, but couldn’t smile.
Gavin handed her the coffee. She graciously accepted it, “Thank you.”
That was it. She said nothing else, and turned back to what she was doing before he walked in. Disappointed, Gavin walked out and went to his own office. It was not going to be easy to get through to her. When he left, Faith stood up and went to the sink in her office, poured the coffee out and disposed of the cup. Drinking it would only make her think of him, and the only image that was coming to mind was that of Chandler orally pleasing him. That was the last thing she wanted in her head.
For two weeks, Gavin had the same routine, each day bringing Faith her coffee, and each day, being unsuccessful in getting her to talk. He noticed how tired she looked. She had been crying herself to sleep every night.
One particular day, he had finally had enough of her silence and wanted desperately to talk. He delivered her coffee as always, only this time, he closed her door, and went and sat down across from her.
“I miss you.”
Faith looked at him without responding.
“Why are you doing this? I know you miss me, too. I can see it in your eyes. When will you talk to me?”
“What would you like me to say?” she calmly asked.
“For starters, you could tell me how you’re feeling. You could let me tell you I’m sorry. We could kiss and make up.”
“It’s not that easy.”
“Okay then, enlighten me.”
“I’m really not in the mood to discuss this right now.” She tried to keep working.
“When then? You can’t stay mad at me forever. This is starting to wear on you. Slap me, yell at me, anything. I don’t care as long as you talk to me.”
“I can’t even look at you without seeing that bitch’s head going to town on you.”
He didn’t expect that particular response, but he asked for it.
Gavin closed his eyes, frowning slightly. “I wish I could take that moment back. I’m sorry you had to witness that. I’m sorry for allowing her to stay. I have no excuses. I don’t ever want to see pain in your eyes again like that night. I hurt you, Faith. I never wanted to do that.”
Faith rolled her eyes and sighed deeply as she sat back in her chair.
“Where do we go from here? We’ve been through so much. I don’t want to give up on us now. You mean too much to me.”
“I don’t know,” said Faith shaking her head. “I need time to think.”
Gavin wanted to resolve things quickly, but respected her decision.
“Alright. I’ll give you some space. Please keep one thing in mind as you’re thinking things through.” He was standing to leave.
“What,” she said without looking at him.
“Look at me.”
Faith glanced up at him standing there. She knew he was sincere and could see he was having a hard time with this as well.
“Keep in mind that I love you,” he said, staring deeply into her eyes.
She nodded, and mouthed the word, “Okay.”
Gavin turned and walked out, unsatisfied that he had to leave without a resolution, but thankful they were at least talking to each other.
That evening, Faith tried to think about Gavin’s love toward her, but still couldn’t get that horrible night out of her head. She once again cried herself to sleep. Emile had had enough.
When Faith came in with his breakfast the next morning, he confronted her.
“You look really tired. What’s been going on with you? I hear you crying every night.”
“I’m fine, Emile,” she said as she sat the tray in front of him. He noticed that her weight had dropped a little bit.
“You’ve lost weight, too. Are you eating?”
“Of course. Stop fussing.”
“Are you and Gavin okay?”
Faith avoided the question. “Mara should be here soon to take over. How have you been feeling?”
“Are you and Gavin okay?”
“I’m not talking about this with you right now. I need to get to work.” She leaned down and kissed him on the cheek. “Have a good day, honey.”
She slipped out of the room, escaping the third degree.
Emile reached for the phone and called Adrian.
“Hello,” said Adrian.
“Good morning, Adrian.”
“Emile. How are you doing?”
“As well as can be expected. I’m more concerned about Faith. She’s been crying herself to sleep for almost three weeks, and she’s not eating properly. I don’t think things are right between her and Gavin.”
“I haven’t seen her very much, and I certainly haven’t heard anything. I’ll talk to Gavin today and see what I can find out.”
“Thank you, Adrian. I appreciate it.” Emile hung up the phone and ate his breakfast. Mara arrived shortly thereafter.
Adrian didn’t waste time after speaking with Emile. He immediately went to Gavin’s office to ask him what was going on with Faith. He knocked and walked in at the same time.
Gavin looked up from his work, “Adrian. What brings you here this morning? Do you have news on the expansion project?”
“No, that’s not why I’m here. I wanted to find out how you and Faith were. Is everything alright?”
“Nothing we can’t handle. Why do you ask?”
“Emile is worried about her. He said she’s been crying herself to sleep every night. Are you sure you two are okay? Is there something you want to talk about?”
“I would really rather not.”
“What happened?”
Gavin sighed. “It’s kind of personal, Adrian.”
Adrian went to close the door and sat down.
“Cut the Adrian bullshit. Father and son, man to man. Tell me what happened?”
Gavin hesitated at first, but Adrian sat with his hands folded together, waiting to hear.
“A few weeks ago, I asked Faith over for dinner. Dinner was not what I had in mind. We’ve never made love to each other. All this time, and she never allowed it to happen. That particular night was no different. She said she couldn’t give herself to me freely because of Emile.”
“That sounds like Faith.”
“Yeah, well, I didn’t like that answer. She ended up leaving. Then Chandler came.”
“What? Why would you even let her in?”
“I didn’t. Faith left the door unlocked when she left. I thought she was coming back. When I saw it was Chandler, I tried to make her go. She forced herself on me.”
Adrian shook his head. “Don’t tell me you had sex with her?”
“No, not at all. She took care of me in another way.”
“Apparently you told Faith about this, and now she’s upset with you.”
Gavin pinched his lips, nodded, and said, “That’s not exactly how it happened.”
“What do you mean?”
“Faith did eventually come back. She saw Chandler and I.”
“What?” Adrian’s mouth hung open.
“It was like a nightmare. I’ve been trying to talk to Faith every day since. She finally talked to me yesterday and told me she couldn’t look at me without seeing the i
mage of me and Chandler. That’s why she’s been crying every night, although she didn’t tell me about that.”
“Just when I thought she’d been through it all. Wow.”
“Man to man, Dad, I couldn’t help it. I really needed a release. I wasn’t trying to hurt her.”
Adrian empathized with his son, but was furious with Chandler. “Man to man, I understand. What about you and Faith? What does this mean for you?”
“I don’t know. She said she needed time to think.”
“Faith is a fair woman. She knows that Chandler is behind all of this and she loves you. She’ll come around. Keep your head up.”
“I hope you’re right. I miss her so much.”
“I bet. Keep me informed, alright?”
“I will.”
Adrian stood up and walked to the door. “Try not to worry about it. She’ll come around.” He left and went directly to Chandler’s desk.
Surprised to see him, Chandler smiled and said, “What can I do for you, Adrian?”
“I want you to get your things and go. You’re fired,” Adrian said with a straight face.
With her smile quickly fading, she asked, “What? I don’t understand.”
“I warned you to stay away from Faith. You didn’t do that.”
“I didn’t go anywhere near her. I haven’t even see her since I’ve been back.”
“I told you not to cause any problems for her. When you went to see Gavin, you did exactly that. Since you’ve chosen to go against the warnings I gave you, you no longer have a job with us. Please pack your things, and leave quietly. If you can’t do that, I will have security come and escort you out. I’d rather not create a scene.”
Shocked, Chandler did as Adrian asked. She went and got an empty box from the copy room, and packed it with her personal belongings. As she was leaving, she looked back at Adrian.
“You’ll see me again. Count on it.”
Adrian plainly said, “We’ll be ready.”
Once she was gone, he went back to his office, called Emile and explained what was going on.
Within days, Emile’s health took a turn for the worse. His organs were shutting down. Faith stayed home, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. She was sitting next to him, feeding him ice chips to keep him hydrated. He pulled her near him and gently brushed her cheek.
With a very weak voice, he said, “Please call Adrian and tell him what’s happening. I also need to speak to Gavin – in person.”
“Why do you need to speak to Gavin?” she said, fighting back tears.
“Please, just do as I ask.”
Faith nodded. She picked up the phone and called Adrian.
“Good morning, Faith.” His chipper tone soon turned serious. “Okay, I will tell him right away.”
Adrian called Agnes and asked her to locate Gavin. No matter what he was doing, he was to come see Adrian immediately. Once he got the message, Gavin rushed to Adrian’s office.
“What’s going on?”
“Faith just called. Emile is dying and he’s requested to see you.”
“I’m on my way,” he said, stepping back. He quickly walked to his office, grabbed his coat, phone and keys, and went to the elevators. Down in the garage, he jumped in his car and carefully sped away, heading towards Faith’s house.
When he arrived, Mara answered. She stood to the side and allowed Gavin inside. She asked for his coat and directed him to Emile’s room. Emile looked up and motioned him in. Faith didn’t look back.
“Gavin,” he mustered. “Thank you for coming.”
Gavin walked around to the side of the bed, where he remained standing.
“You’re probably wondering why I asked you to come here.”
“Yes, I am.”
“I’m sure you know by now that my wife has been crying every night, upset over something that happened with you two.”
“Yes. I hurt her very badly. I’ve regretted it every day since.”
“To your defense,” Emile started, then coughed a little bit, “Faith didn’t make things easy on you.”
“Maybe not. Nonetheless, I should have been stronger. I will never forget the pain that I’ve caused her, and hope that she can forgive me,” Gavin said, looking at Faith.
“I can’t leave without knowing that the two of you will be together.” He took Faith’s hand and joined it with Gavin’s. “You two have a special love that is like no other. You may not understand it fully, but you both know it’s like nothing you’ve ever felt before. Don’t ever let anyone come between you. You belong together, and you’re miserable apart. Promise me you’ll do everything you can to stay together.”
Tears streamed down Faith’s face. She couldn’t help but nod, as did Gavin.
Emile reached out and gently touched Faith’s cheek. “My sweet Faith. All I ever wanted was to see you happy. You are such a gem. Don’t ever change. Always stay true to who you are. Try not to be so stubborn, and let Gavin love you. Make sure you love him back, and tell him often. He needs to hear you say it.”
Gavin teared up a little as he listened to this man unselfishly reveal his dying wishes for his wife. The same woman he himself didn’t want to live without.
Faith’s face was wet with tears. She could see Emile slipping away. “I love you, Emile. I’ll miss you.”
“I’m in your heart,” Emile smiled and put his hand on her heart. Just as he did that, his hand went limp, and his smile slowly faded. He was gone.
“Emile,” sobbed Faith. She lifted his hand and laid on his chest, crying uncontrollably. Gavin gently touched her shoulders, trying to comfort her. Still weeping, she stood up, burying her face in Gavin’s chest. He wrapped his arms around her, trying to hold back his own tears.
“I’m so sorry, Faith.” He held her for several moments. Mara stopped the clock on the wall to mark the time of his death. She patted Faith on the back, and told her she would call the doctor to let him know.
“Can I help you with the arrangements? I can call family for you, if you like. What do you need me to do?” Gavin offered.
Faith pulled away from him, looked in his eyes and said, “Thanks for offering. I need to do this alone.”
“You are anything but alone, Faith. Please let me help.”
“I’ll be alright, Gavin. Thanks for being here. I need some time alone, if you don’t mind.”
Gavin nodded, “Okay. I’ll check on you tomorrow.” He kissed her cheek, walked out of the room, and left.
Emile’s family, Faith’s parents, Gavin, Adrian, Juliet, and dozens of friends all attended his funeral. His body was flown back to France and buried next to his parents at their estate. Afterwards, they all gathered at the home that he and Faith shared for two years. All of them, except for Gavin. He returned to the hotel, feeling that Faith would be better if he wasn’t there. Juliet disagreed.
“Gavin, honey, you should be here. Faith needs you.”
“I don’t think she wants to see me right now, Mom. She has her family there to support her.”
“You’re being stubborn. The two of you need to talk about things.”
“Now’s not the best time for that. She just buried her husband and needs time to grieve. I’ll just be in the way.”
“Gavin Antonio Benedetto Carlisle, get over here right now.”
Without responding, Gavin hung up the phone and did as his mother instructed, taking a taxi to Faith’s house.
While family and friends were mingling in the living room, Faith was in the kitchen with her parents and Adrian.
“I’m not sure I’m ready to go back to New York. Maybe I should move back here.”
“Absolutely not!” replied Morgan. “You have a job to do. I’ll be damned if you don’t get your butt back on a plane when this is over and finish it. You’re being unreasonable.”
Adrian had to agree. “I’m afraid I have to agree with your father, Faith. You haven’t even begun to do what I hired you for. Your job is really going to star
t picking up. We need you.”
“I just don’t know if I’m up to it.”
“I’m willing to give you the necessary amount of time off to grieve, but I need you back in the office as soon as possible.”
“She doesn’t care about the office. She’s running,” said Morgan, throwing up his hands. “Stop being so stubborn.”
“Wonder who I got that from,” she snapped.
“Okay, enough,” interjected Vivian, as Juliet walked in.
“Deal with her, Vivian. I can’t do this,” Morgan said, shooting an angry glare at his daughter as he stormed out of the kitchen.
“Is everything alright in here?” asked Juliet.
“It’ll be fine, honey,” said Adrian, reassuring her. “I’m going to catch Morgan to see if I can calm him down.”
The mothers watched as Adrian left. Faith was staring down at her lap, playing with a tissue.
“Faith darling, what is this really about? Your father knows you better than anyone. What does he mean you’re running?” asked Vivian.
“Daddy doesn’t understand. I just need time to think.”
“Think about what, honey?” asked Juliet. “Does this have to do with Gavin?”
With tears in her eyes, Faith nodded. “I’m not sure I’m ready to face him. I can’t stop thinking about what happened.”
Vivian sighed. “He’s a man, Faith. You didn’t make things easy for him. Put yourself in his shoes. He was already out of his element when he gave up all of his normal activities to be with you. After all that the two of you have overcome, don’t you think your love is worth fighting for? From what you’ve told me, Gavin has not given up, and probably won’t.”
“Vivian’s right, honey. Gavin is so broken up over this. He loves you so much, though. He needs you.”
Faith shook her head. “I don’t know. Now is just not a good time to talk about this. I need some fresh air,” she said as she stood up from the stool she was sitting on.