Chasing Us (Dark Love 2)

Great! You can get your wife to represent you in a sexual harassment claim.

I climb into bed that night, knowing Charlotte hears me. I need her at this moment more than ever, but as I look at the clock, I know my coming home at two forty-five will not be well received.

With her back turned toward me, she moves slightly.

“Where were you?” she whispers with a slight tremble in her voice.

“Work.”

“At this hour?”

“Meetings, sorry. I should have called.”

I yank the sheet over to my side, annoyed she claims most of it. Thinking this conversation is over, I get myself comfortable.

“You should have called, Lex. Despite everything going on between us, I was worried about you.”

“Well, don’t be. And frankly, I’m tired, so good night.”

I turn over with my back facing her. Despite the hour, I stare into the night unable to sleep until beside me, I hear a small sob. Unsure of what to say or do, I ignore the pang in my heart and clos

e my eyes, wishing this nightmare away.

We are broken.

Just how much, I have no clue just yet.

CHARLIE

The club incident happened over a month ago now, and nothing has changed.

Lex flew to London for two weeks, only returning yesterday. I’ve yet to see him, the only reason I know he landed was the ever-so-warm text simply stating, landed.

I keep myself busy with the black and white gala our firm is hosting in conjunction with a cancer charity. Nikki and Eric came up with the idea, and by some miracle, they managed to get Adriana involved.

Adriana is far from being her normal self, but slowly, she’s starting to function as a human being again. She’s been over twice this week, so Andy and Amelia can play. We chat briefly, and she even eats some lunch, a huge step forward in my eyes as her thin frame worries me.

The realization that life will never be the same is the biggest hurdle our family is struggling to come to terms with. Whenever I can, I try to help lessen the burden for Adriana, but all it does is mask my own pain.

My own family, as I know it, has fallen apart, and nothing I say or do seems to fix it. Work and Amelia are all I focus on. I don’t have a choice in the matter. Work demands don’t stop because my marriage is failing, and opening a new office brings on a new type of workload forcing me to hire more staff.

And, of course, my daughter is my world needing the most attention. Amelia deserves a mother, and that’s what I concentrate on being despite her father being a complete and utter asshole.

Rocky and Nikki have planned to fly in tomorrow with Will. I welcome the presence of more family praying they will help me make some tough decisions weighing heavily on my mind.

Thankfully, Emily being the fantastic woman she is, offers to babysit all the kids tomorrow night, so we can enjoy the event.

The saddest part to all of this, I have to send Lex an invite via his new assistant, Montana.

Don’t even get me fucking started on that.

I lay in bed, wide awake, listening to the sound of my breathing. It’s slow, almost stopping momentarily, followed by a tightness inside my chest. I turn to face the clock noticing it’s just after two in the morning. Lights hover over the window, the engine of a car turning off.

Lex never called or texted to say he would be late. Instead, I worry, but more so, my insecurity drives me to madness. My imagination conjures up multiple scenarios, all involving a certain assistant.

I close my eyes, pretending to be asleep as he crawls into bed. I’m surprised he chose to even sleep beside me, given he has opted for our guest room on more than one occasion.

As he settles, I ask him of his whereabouts, not surprised he chooses to make up some excuse about meetings. Rather than arguing, I express my worry only for him to respond by being a complete asshole. He turns over with his back toward me, switching the lamp off, and with every morsel in my body, I hold back the tears.