“Gina! Thank God! Let me talk to Miranda!”
“I’m sorry. May I ask who’s calling?”
“Seriously? It’s Will… Will St. James, her boyfriend! Let me talk to Miranda!”
Silence. The bone-chilling kind that painfully twisted my innards to the point of nausea. I could tell Gina had covered the phone’s mouthpiece with her hand to muffle her voice and likely Lily’s.
“Gina!” I yelled, not giving a shit about etiquette. I was going out of my fucking mind.
“Will, Miranda… isn’t here.” Her voice was small and hesitant.
“That’s bullshit! Is she at a dinner meeting with clients?”
“No, she’s just not here.”
“Put Lily or Tate on the phone!” Talking to Gina was pointless. She was just a kid and wouldn’t understand the severity of the situation.
“One moment…” My heart continued to jackhammer against my ribs as I paced in my living room for what felt like an eternity but probably wasn’t even thirty seconds. I squeezed the phone in my hand. Back and forth, I paced. Back and forth.
“Will?” Lily answered.
“Where is she?”
“Gone.” Her voice was devoid of any emotion.
“Gone where?”
“Just gone. She doesn’t plan to come back.”
“What are you talking about, she doesn’t plan to come back? Where is she, goddammit?” I couldn’t control myself. White. I was seeing white as I unraveled.
“Just calm the fuck down, Will. I don’t know what you’re so bent out of shape about. You’ve been cheating on her for months.”
“Lily—”
“No! You’re finally getting what you deserve, you son of a bitch! Vegas was the last straw.Youbroke sweet Miranda. You can’t honestly be surprised she made good on her threat of leaving if you went to Vegas with that slut.”
My racing heart slowed, and a severe, unbearable pain replaced it. I could hardly breathe. My throat was closing.
“Lily… please.” I choked out the words. “Where is she?”
“That’s no longer any of your business.” The line went dead.
No longer any of my business?
My knees buckled and I crumpled to the floor.
“FUCK!” I roared, banging my fist on the floor. “NO!” Each time my hand connected with the wood, I saw Jason’s smug expression. “Miranda! M…” I gasped for air as I let my head hit the hard surface. “I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry…” I didn’t hold back the tears pooling in my eyes. I let them flow as I sobbed over the most tremendous loss of my life.
My beauty.
My everything.
My Miranda.
Gone.
4 Vivien