“This partnership will be much more fruitful if you move on. Look at everything we’ve done together. We’ve been more successful than you and Damien ever were. We’re a match made in heaven. And now that Sofia is no longer your wife, you can focus much better.”
I averted my gaze because I couldn’t stare at him any longer. The only thing I wanted to focus on was killing him. I couldn’t help but live in regret because if I had killed him sometime in the past, none of this would have happened. Or if I had killed Damien a long time ago, none of this would have happened either. Sometimes it seemed like all these things were happening because they were meant to happen. The universe wanted to keep Sofia and me apart.
Maybe it was time I started to listen.
Maddox continued to stare at me as if he expected some kind of rebuttal.
I had no rebuttal.
I had nothing.
I’d just stepped out of the shower when Ash called me. With a towel around my waist, I took the call. “Yeah?”
“Why do you always sound so gloomy when you answer the phone?”
“Because I am gloomy.”
“How are things goin’ at Maddox and Sons?”
I didn’t say a single word because it wasn’t funny at all.
Ash picked up on my silent hostility. “How are you?”
I was tired of people asking me that all the time, always timid like they expected me to explode. “Stop asking me that. I’m shitty, and I’ll always be shitty.”
“Alright…duly noted.” He was quiet on the line for a bit before he changed the subject. “I checked on Sofia at the hotel today.”
It was the first time I didn’t want to think about her. The conversation we’d had almost a week ago was still fresh in my mind.
“The manager there is kind of a young guy, maybe your age. I think he might be into Sofia…”
That didn’t surprise me in the least. “Everyone is into her.”
“Including me,” he said with a chuckle.
I was immune to his sarcastic remarks at this point.
“You want me to take him out?”
A bitter laugh wanted to escape my throat because it was so stupid. It was even stupider because she wasn’t my wife anymore. “No.”
“Are you sure? I can make it look like an accident.”
“She’s free to do whatever she wants.”
“But she’s carrying your baby.”
“I doubt the guy has much of a chance with her anyway.”
“Well, actually, he’s kinda hot.”
Both of my eyebrows rose. “What did you just say?”
“I’m just giving you all the information. He’s not some fat, ugly guy. He’s young, and he’s in shape. And they work together all the time, so he has good access to her.”
Someday, another man would sweep her off her feet, and she would forget about me. There was nothing I could do to avoid it. I was tired of trying to fight fate to have the woman I loved. It was too much work, and it always blew up in my face. “It’s gonna happen sometime…let it be.”
Ash was quiet for a while, as if he had no idea what to say to that. But he continued to sit on the phone with me, as if that was the only comfort he could provide. “I’m sorry all of this is happening to you. You don’t deserve it.”
I closed my eyes and let the words repeat in my mind. I didn’t want anyone’s pity, but I appreciated his understanding. The person who used to understand me down to my core was long gone. I pushed her even further away. I had no one to blame but myself. “Thanks, man.”
6
Sofia
Two weeks had come and gone since I’d screamed at Hades. Anytime I thought of him, my heart still palpitated with rage. I didn’t want things to be this way, but I had to stand up for myself. I had to set the record straight.
I used to love that man with all my heart, but now I was so angry with him.
I stayed busy at work, working longer hours at the hotel because I had nothing else to do. Andrew’s room was ready to go, and I didn’t have any friends in the city. I had my mom, but she wasn’t my favorite person to hang out with.
I was sitting in the office doing paperwork when Antonio walked inside. “Hey, how’s it goin’?” I guess he was a friend. He was a person I worked with on a daily basis, one of the few interactions I had.
“Good.” He sat down in the chair across from my desk. “I’m the hotel manager, but you seem to work longer hours than I do.”
I shrugged. “I’m a bit of a workaholic.”
“Not a bad thing. But you are an expectant mother. You should take it easy. I can handle things around here.”
I smiled. “That’s very generous, but I like to stay busy. Keeps me sane. If I stay home all day thinking about giving birth to a fat baby, I’ll lose my mind.”
He chuckled. “Understandable.”
I turned back to my paperwork and expected him to leave, but when he continued to linger, I lifted my gaze again. “Is there something you needed?”
He leaned forward slightly and rested his forearms on his knees. “This is kinda awkward, but I’ve been thinking about it a long time.”
Was he about to ask me for a raise? He’d been a hard worker, and he was there early in the morning and late at night. If he asked for a raise, I would give it to him. I believed your business was only as strong as your employees. If your employees were happy, your business would be happy.
He paused for a long time before he continued. “Would you want to have dinner sometime?”
I stared at him incredulously because I couldn’t believe what he just asked me. I was a woman who was more than seven months pregnant with another man’s child. I was twenty pounds heavier than I usually was…and that had nothing to do with the baby. “Uh…”
“If you say no, I totally understand. No pressure, no hard feelings. But we seem to get along so well, and I feel like we have a connection. Can’t blame a guy for trying, right?” Now he looked at me expectantly, waiting for my answer.
I continued to be shocked.
The longer I was quiet, the more uncomfortable he became. “Forget I asked. It’s unprofessional.”
“No, it’s not that. I just can’t believe someone asked me out.” I assumed I would be undesirable to men everywhere. I was pregnant, and when I wasn’t anymore, I would be a single mom. What kind of guy would be interested in that unless he were a single father himself?
Antonio raised an eyebrow as he looked at me. “I don’t think it’s that surprising…” He straightened in his chair and relaxed now that he knew I wasn’t offended by the proposition. “You’re a beautiful woman, you are kind and funny, and you are dedicated to your hotel. I think you have the whole package.”
It was such a compliment that I didn’t know what to say. My ambition was a turn-off for most men. One person who didn’t care was Hades. He actually seemed aroused by it. “Well, I’m very flattered.”
Antonio waited for an answer.
I was free to do whatever I wanted. I was single, almost legally divorced, and it seemed like Hades hated me. I’d relocated here to move on with my life, so that was what I should be doing. But I was still madly in love with Hades, no matter how angry I was with him. I wasn’t ready to move on. I suspected I wouldn’t be ready for a long time. Even if he were back in the dating scene already, that wouldn’t entice me to do the same. “You know, I just got divorced a couple months ago… I’m not ready to date.”