Maddy: ??
Maddy: ??
Maddy: ?? ?? ??
Maddy: OMG tell me everything!!!!!
I laugh out loud, startling the cab driver. “Sorry,” I say, and go back to my cell.
Me: I’ll tell you how it goes
Maddy: Good luck. You deserve the best
Me: Wish me luck ??
“Here we are, Miss.” I pay the driver and step onto the sidewalk in front of Blue Sky.
My nerves jangle as the elevator takes me to the forty-ninth floor. The doors open to the familiar reception desk, but everything has changed. I rush towards David’s office. Andrea sits at her desk. When she sees me, her mouth falls open. She rises, holds out her hand to me. “Adeline, you can’t go in there…”
I don’t listen to her and walk past without a sideways glance. I don’t want to hear another word from her mouth. My fingers grip the door knob and I yank the door open, white-hot need spurning me on. I’m about to tell him everything but my whole being crashes as I see Samantha in David’s arms in the middle of his office.
Chapter 34
Adeline
David’s face contorts with anger and horror. A mix that slams into my gut and sends thoughts spiraling out of control.
“Adeline.” The choked bite of my name barks through my fog.
My gaze bounces from Samantha’s form draped against the lean angles of David’s body. Her hand on his bicep. The angled tilt of her full, pouting lips. The flash of triumph in her eyes.
I stumble back. One step. Two. I’m a train wreck a mile long. The chewed up pieces of twisted metal slash through my heart and tear up my world. Bloody chunks of myself splatter at my feet as my mind and body crumble piece by piece.
David’s beautiful face swims in my vision until the room darkens. Samantha. David. My world blurs into splodges of light and dark.
“I…I’m so sorry.” I’m not sure what I’m apologizing for. I am sorry. Sorry for the awful truth in front of my eyes. Solid proof of what I’ll never be.
Accepted.
Cherished.
Loved.
I’m sorry I’m a fool who thought she had a chance at someone far out of my league. I’m thankful I didn’t tell him how I felt. Crows pluck the carcasses of the powerful words I came here to tell him. The bones dry from misplaced intent.
Thoughts stack and stumble. I’ll take a cab back to his apartment. Get Mom. Take the train to Moss Creek. No. Not Moss Creek. I’m never going back there again. We’ll disappear. Become never-to-be-seen-again ether in the air.
There will be no more David Chandler in my life.
“Adeline!”
His voice spurs me into action. I whirl around, hands out, blind through my tears as I locate the open door behind me. My escape route is mere steps away, but I come up short when David’s arms collect me against his chest.
He spins me where I stand and crushes me against flawless white soft cotton and the expensive cut of his business suit. He holds my arms, easily overpowering me when I try to push away from him.
“Will you stop,” he says.
“No!” I plant my hands on his chest and push with all my strength. He bands his arm about my lower back, tilts my head back with his free hand and devours my mouth with his.