Page 86 of Heartless

I push the doorbell, and it opens within seconds.

“Come on in. I was wondering how long you were going to sit out there,” Elyse Holloway says, holding the front door open for me.

“I was wondering how much longer it would take before he finally came over here and admitted that he screwed up,” Marc Holloway Sr. says.

I groan internally to keep from rolling my eyes.

“Based on that comment, I guess you already know that she’s left me.”

“And divorcing you too,” Mr. Holloway says.

“But you haven’t signed the papers. Why not?” Mrs. Holloway asks.

“I needed some time to figure things out. That’s what she said she was giving me. I don’t want to walk away from my marriage.”

“Son, I don’t know that you have a choice. Meadow’s not happy, and she’s gone. I doubt that she plans on coming back,” Mrs. Holloway says.

“Look, I know that I haven’t been perfect, and I’ve made my share of mistakes, but I love Meadow. I won’t sign the papers. At least, not until we have a chance to discuss what’s wrong between us.”

“Seems to me that you’ve had all the time that you need to discuss that. Almost three years of marriage, if you haven’t figured it out by now, you probably never will,” Mr. Holloway interjects.

“Mr. Holloway, I respect your views on the subject. I know that you’ve never been a fan of mine, and that’s okay. I also know that you didn’t want me to marry your daughter, but it was her life to live. The only thing that I’m asking is that you please tell me where she is. I want to check on her and make sure that she’s okay.”

“We can’t do that,” he says.

“Have you ever made a mistake in life that you regretted more than anything? And you would do anything, including giving up your life itself, to right the wrongs?”

He looks away from me and bobs his head subtly. “I have, but this isn’t the same thing. My daughter is not from your world, Onyx. We’ve taught her the value of hard work, staying in her lane, and being true to herself. She could never sell out who she is. People like you don’t understand the real world.”

“The real world?” I ask.

I’m about to explode. I remind myself that this is Meadow’s father, and the last thing that I want is to create more beef between us and give her more reasons to stay away.

“That’s what I said. People like you have always had things handed to them and never had to work hard for anything. You don’t know what the word ‘no’ means, and you have people waiting on you hand and foot. Because of that, it’s impossible to value what’s most important. It’s hard for you to not take things or people for granted.”

“Mr. Holloway, with all due respect, you’re wrong. I worked my ass off to build my company, Maxwell Property Management. No one gave me a dime to start that company. I worked throughout high school and college to save money. I didn’t work for any of the family businesses, but I worked in the industry that I wanted to start my company in. When I graduated college, I worked for another two years still saving money.

“I took out two loans to start my company and worked hard to build what I wanted. I didn’t use my name or connections to do any of that. I paid the loans back with interest from my hard work. My father and mother offered many times to provide what I needed and an easy path. I never wanted that. So, before you judge me, Mr. Holloway, maybe you should get to know me. In the five years MJ and I have been together, you have never sat down and had a one-on-one conversation with me. You were never interested in getting to know me.”

I turn and head out of the door, knowing that I won’t get answers here. I believe that it was a waste of my time to come here until the front door opened, and Mrs. Holloway stepped out.

I’ve just started the car when she comes walking down the steps. She holds up a hand to stop me.

“Onyx!” she calls.

I lean out the window. “I’m sorry, Mrs. Holloway. I meant no disrespect to you leaving out of there the way that I did.”

“It’s okay. I’m glad that you finally stood up to him. I just wanted to tell you that the reason that we can’t tell you is because we don’t know where she is. She refused to tell us where she was going because she knew that I might tell you.”

“Would you have?”

Nodding, she says, “Although it might not seem like I’m on your side, I am. I know that you love my daughter, and I know that she loves you. There were too many things going against the two of you. She told us about what happened to her and what that man said to her. She’s her father’s child. And it’s hard for her to stray from the way that we raised her. Fight for her, Onyx. Make her see that you’re worth it, and so is she.”

I nod. “Thanks, Mrs. Holloway.”

My thoughts on the drive back home are full of what I could have done differently to keep Meadow from leaving me.

I think about the decision to hire Sharla. I think about the child she so desperately wants. I think about all the traveling that I do. There’s only one thought my mind keeps returning to. I have made her insecure by flirting with other women.

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