Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 67905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67905 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 340(@200wpm)___ 272(@250wpm)___ 226(@300wpm)
“Why are you crying?” His words weren’t vicious, but they weren’t gentle.
I inhaled a deep breath to stop the tremors.
“Astrid, that’s not going to work.”
My eyes found his, pausing at the accusation. “Excuse me?”
“I’ve moved on. I’m seeing other people. So you can stop the dramatics. You were fine letting me go before.”
The only thing keeping me going this last week was Theo. If I could just get to him, then all my problems would be solved. But he broke his promise to me—again. He might have answered my call, but it wasn’t him on the line. It was someone else, someone who no longer cared, someone who resented me for bothering him.
He didn’t want to help me.
“I—I’m sorry for bothering you.” I stepped around him and moved to the office door. The second it opened, I heard the sounds of the restaurant again, dishes and silverware clattering, people talking…living their lives.
Instead of leaving the restaurant, I stepped into the bathroom and barricaded myself inside a stall. I sat on the toilet seat and crossed my arms over my chest, wanting to sob my heart out but knowing I didn’t have the time. I had to get back to the gallery and unlock the doors. I had to act like everything was normal, that I’d just gone out to lunch for a salad and a soup.
When I got back to work, I could cry all I wanted.
I finally left the bathroom and stepped into the hallway, my heart hoping that Theo was there, ready to apologize for the way he acted. I looked at the office and hoped to see him standing there, but he was gone.
He left me there.
12
THEO
I hit the button on the lighter and burned the tip of the cigar. It smoldered with ash before the smoke started to rise to the ceiling. The beginning and the end of a cigar were always the worst. But the center was sublime.
“You seem pissed off,” Axel noted.
“I haven’t said anything.”
“I can still tell.”
I sat with him in his study, Scarlett in the kitchen cooking, while Aldo helped with the kids. They had a chef who did a lot of the cooking, but sometimes Scarlett wanted to get her hands dirty. The difference in the quality was noticeable because she took her time, let every tomato simmer to perfection, hand-picked the produce from the store, so whatever she made would be exquisite. She had a natural touch that couldn’t be taught in a cooking class.
“Work or pleasure?” he asked.
“Neither.”
“If you’re this moody for no reason, maybe you should get a dog or something.”
“Dogs are too much work.”
“I’ve been wanting to get a dog, but Scarlett shot down the idea.”
“Why?”
“She wants to wait until the kids get a little older,” he said. “So, what’s the problem?”
It’d been a week since Astrid had ambushed me at the restaurant. I thought I would be over it by now, but I was still angry. Angry that she’d interrupted my life when I finally started to move on. When I tried to forget her. “Astrid tried to get back together.”
Axel was just about to take a drink when he stopped. “What? When?”
“Last week.”
“Last week? And you’re just mentioning this now?”
“There’s not much to say.”
“If you’re still pissed off, then there must be lots to say.”
“She told me I was right about Bolton.”
“In what way?”
I shrugged. “I didn’t ask. Probably the cheating or the burglary. God knows what else.”
“I’m sorry, but isn’t this a good thing?” Axel sat forward in his chair, leaning into the conversation.
“Yes,” I said sarcastically. “Being a woman’s second choice is fucking great.” I sank into the armchair and released a cloud of smoke from my mouth. “A goddamn fairy tale.” I sucked in another cloud of smoke and let it settle on my tongue like a heavy fog.
He stared at me for a while before he gave a nod. “I see what you’re saying.”
“I told her to fuck off.”
“Really hope you didn’t.”
“Well, not in those words.” I released the smoke then let the cigar rest between my fingertips. “But I got the message across. Wished her the fucking best.”
“I understand your decision,” he said. “But I don’t understand the rage.”
I didn’t understand it either.
Axel continued to stare at me, like he wanted me to answer.
“It’s just a waste.”
“What?”
“A woman like that, choosing a man like him. We could have had something, but…too much bullshit. There was only one woman I couldn’t have, and I didn’t stop until I got her. But it wasn’t because there was someone else in the picture.”
“I wouldn’t compare the two, Theo.”
“I know my worth, and I shouldn’t have to prove it…is all I’m saying.”
“Are you speaking out of anger, or is this really want you want?” He held his glass on his thigh, his fingers resting over the top. “Sometimes we feel one way in the moment but feel differently after some time has passed.”