Chapter 33: Chapter 33

MELODY

My Monday morning began on a sour note because I was due at work at ten but hadn’t even woken up until after nine thirty.

Carter was going to fire me for sure. I was late again—to say I was late was a serious understatement.

It had been my own fault that I hadn’t been able to sleep all night. I’d kept tossing and turning. Finally, I’d fallen asleep by morning.

I’d thought I would take a little nap, but I had slept right through the alarm.

After Friday night, I’d been having a hard time getting Xavier out of my head; he was constantly there.

I had done a perfectly fine job of keeping him out of my head and my life, but suddenly seeing him twice had brought the old feelings back, the memories that hurt like a bitch.

I hated him; I loathed him.

For everything he’d done to me and to my—

Shaking off the unwanted thought, I looked at the screen of my iPhone for the time, and my eyes locked on the date. Today was Jake’s birthday.

I sat down at the edge of my bed. My hands trembled as I scrolled through the last messages. I’d texted him to wish him a happy birthday, but he’d never replied to any of my messages.

Tears rushed to my eyes as my fingers typed across the keyboard. I’d never changed my number, believing one day they would forgive me and call me. But they never had.

Mel

Happy Birthday, jakey, I miss you.

I hit the send button and sniffled as I placed my phone on the bed. The truth was I missed them all, Mom, Dad, Nick, and Jake. I hadn’t talked to anyone in six years.

Suddenly, my phone pinged on my bed. I picked up quickly, hoping this time Jake would reply to my message, but it was Jenny.

Jenny

Bitch, you are late again.

~Fuck me.~

~

Without wasting another second, I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the shower.

After a quick shower, I dried off and put on my bra, panties, and stockings before blowing my hair dry in record time.

I put on a navy body-hugging pencil skirt, white crop top, and heels, then grabbed my keys and purse from the holder and ran down the stairs instead of waiting for the elevator.

Luckily, I lived on the second floor.

I headed straight for my car and raced across town. As I was parking my car in the parking lot, I heard my iPhone ringing. I swiped to answer and placed it to my ear.

“Dan, I’m super late. I’ll call you later,” I said without wasting time.

“Babe?”

“Matt?” I said.

“Yeah, babe. It’s me,” he chuckled.

“Hey, how are you?” I whispered.

“Good. So, we’re on tonight?” he asked with uncertainty.

“Yeah, we’re on,” I confirmed.

“Oh good.” He released a whiff.

“Babe, I’m late. Talk to you later.” I hung up without waiting for his reply. Once the words escaped my lips, I realized my mistake.

I used to call him ~babe~ when we’d dated for two years. Once I’d realized he was getting attached and developing feelings for me, I’d broken up with him.

I hadn’t been able to be with him or anyone else when my heart belonged to someone else.

Someone who wasn’t even worthy of my heart.

After leaving Xavier, I had been lost. It hadn’t been easy for me to leave him and start my life again. I had been lost, lonely, hurt, and betrayal was heavy on me.

I’d lost everything that day, including my family.

But then for a few months, I had been happy again, and again it hadn’t stayed long.

This time, I had been left completely broken. A body without a soul.

Xavier had come like a gamble in my life, a gamble I’d taken, and I’d lost everything, even myself. So I’d partied. And I’d slept with guys.

I’d become someone completely different from the girl I had been before. I had been trying to be happy again, but I’d really been trying to wash him from my memories.

Each time I’d closed my eyes and had given myself to someone, my body to another guy, I’d hoped I would forget Xavier.

But I never had.

Then Matt had come back to my life. We’d met again after graduation at the wedding of Sandy and Rick. We’d both been single and ready to fuck.

He’d been the one who’d picked me up when I’d been shattered, damaged, and broken in a way no one had the ability to heal, but he had.

With him, I’d felt like myself again; he’d healed me in some way. I’d found more of myself little by little with his help.

After six months with him, I’d come to my senses and had moved to Australia for a new start, to forget Xavier and move forward. I’d applied to different publishing houses.

My iPhone rang again, startling me. Without looking at my ID, I answered. “Hello?”

“Where the fuck are you?” Carter’s voice thundered in my ears.

~Fuck me, hard.~

~

“Gladly, but for that, you need to be in my office first,” Carter said. My face was beet red. I realized I’d said that aloud.

“I’m in the parking lot,” I said and hung up.

How was I going to face him?

***

After ten minutes, I was standing outside his office. Taking a deep breath to calm my nerves, I knocked on his door. “Come in.” His voice was harsh.

~Okay, he is still pissed.~

~

I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. He looked up, waiting for my explanation.

I took a few deep breaths to center myself and gave myself a stern warning to be professional before clearing my throat quietly. “I…”

“Sit.” He gestured to a chair in front of his desk, and I took a seat. That was when I noticed I wasn’t alone.

I glanced to my left, but nothing could have prepared me for the sight of the person sitting beside me.

I nearly fell out of the chair, seeing the person smirking in my direction.

“Hello, Melody.” His voice was as deep and rough as I remembered.

Before my brain could register what was happening, his name slipped from my lips like a prayer. “Xavier.”

“You know each other?” Carter’s voice broke the spell.

“Unfortunately,” I muttered under my breath. Xavier laughed.

“Did you say something?” Carter asked.

“No,” I said bitterly.

“You didn’t tell me how you know each other.” Carter looked between us.

“He…he is my sister’s husband,” I spit.

“I…” Xavier opened his mouth to speak, but Carter stopped him mid-sentence.

“It’s okay, Xavier. It’s all right to move on. I know after what happened with my sister you feel guilty.”

That caught my attention.

“Your sister?” I implored.

Carter hesitated.

“Melody was his sister,” Xavier confided.

Xavier’s eyes slowly rose to mine. I saw the same pain of losing his daughter and his girlfriend, and my heart shattered.

I stood abruptly. I couldn’t take any more.

“Sir, I’m sorry I was late today. I had a date last night. I woke up late, but I promise it won’t happen again,” I said, and in my peripheral vision, I saw Xavier’s hand curled into a fist.

~Good~.~

“Date?” Carter asked.

“Yes.”

“Okay, but it’s your last warning, Mel. You can’t take advantage of me because I like you.” He’d finally said it.

“I like you too, sir.” I winked and left. I heard him chuckle as I left his office.

As soon as I reached my desk, I couldn’t stop my tears from falling. I couldn’t stop my heart from aching. I couldn’t stop my soul from breaking.

He wasn’t the only one who’d lost a child. I’d lost mine too.

I’d lost my baby too.

My son.

Only because of him.

And for that, I would never forgive him.

~Never.~

~