I sat back into the black buttoned leather chair. The atmosphere was inhabilitating. There was no way to describe it. For some unknown reason I felt vulnerable. Intuition was screaming at me. Why had Henry kept you out of here? Knowing I shouldn’t I reached for the bottom left hand draw and pulled it open. Stacks of files filled the space. Accounts. Costings, and at the very bottom my much needed Yellow pages. Bingo. I grabbed it slamming the drawn closed. Frustration overwhelmed me. My mind wanted me to find fault. Stupid Stupid girl.
Three days, three whole days to fix my laptop, at least it would be back in time, just. What if Henry had emailed? He would question my lack of response. I couldn’t tell him. The last time I dropped something he went ballistic. I know I was clumsy and it was my fault for not concentrating. But after not seeing him for fourteen days I do not need to be greeted by yet another bollocking.
I sat back into Henry’s office chair and started up his Mac. He will be none the wiser. I signed into my email account. Nothing. Not one email from him? A ping alerted me to a new email. I looked over my inbox but there was no new email. I logged out of my account and went to shut down the computer.
A bubble on the screen indicated received mail
1 New email from Thomas Hatfield
Why would Thomas be emailing him? Thomas is one of the main buyers for Webber’s and attends with Henry on all of his business meetings. Curiosity got the better of me and I clicked to open his inbox.
Thomas’ message was simple — Meeting in Dubai October 22nd 2012, Flight details to follow.
Another meeting? I sighed. Four days after our wedding? Great. That’s the honeymoon out of the question.
My eyes started to burn. 26 Emails from Antonia Cavill. Socialite bitch troll.
My hands trembling as I clicked open the most recent email.
To: Henry Webber
From: Antonia Cavill
Date: 20th September 2012
20.46pm
Fancy Goa tomorrow? I have two first class tickets booked. Join me and I will pack the beads, I know how much you like using them on me;-)
Love you
My body wanted to shut down. My heart was so heavy, as if it were made from stone. Bellowing aching pushed against my chest, restricting me. Breathing was excruciating; physically paining me. I wanted to scream from the roof tops. Throw all of his clothes out of the window. Change the locks and tell him to take his beads and shove them. However ironic it may have sounded.
That is what I wanted to do.
My body couldn’t move. Shock consumed me.
I shut down his computer. Not before removing the history. My eyes scanned over his office making sure there was no trace of evidence that I had been there. I placed the yellow pages neatly back into the bottom right hand draw. Walking out of his office I pulled the door shut. Twisting the lock behind me.
Emotions became too intoxicating for me to control. I had no control over my body and collapsed onto the floor pulling my legs into my chest. Feeling so foetal. I wrapped my arms over my legs protectively. Literally holding myself together, shielding myself from anymore pain that may consumed me. My chest tightened.
He is fucking someone else. I had no capacity to hold in my tears any longer. They fell freely, their trail burning my skin as if they were toxic. My lips trembled and my body shook violently. Floods of tears pooled onto the floor besides my face. I was a quivering mass of shattered pieces. The one person that had loved me, the one person that I had let into my heart had betrayed me.
Perhaps I had caused this. Insecurity was compelling me to find reason for his desolate affair. Our sex life was near non-existent. Perhaps I did fuel his torrid fuck fest. Perhaps this was my fault. In a moment of utter stillness and dislocation from the world I allowed myself to grieve.
I awoke to the sound of the doorbell. I opened my eyes slowly as they gradually adjusted to take in my surroundings and realised I was still lying on the hallway floor. I clambered together standing in front of the huge mirror which hung from the ivory wall. Staring back at me was a broken mess of a person. My eyes were bloodshot. Dark rings circled them. My skin was pale and withdrawn. I had aged ten years in the last five hours.
“Evie, it’s me, I know you’re in there your car is on the drive, let me in.” Luce shouted out.
Shit. Not now. “Um, hang on, I’m um naked, I just ran down for some clothes”. I lied.
“Ok, just hurry your ass up otherwise I’ll be coming in naked or not”.
With one last brush of my hair I took in a deep breath and opened the door.
“Hey Luce, why are you here?”
She was beaming, “Well… I wanted to know what you are doing tonight?”
I knew this was going to be a trick question and would lead myself right into one of her ideas. “Nothing, why?”
“Well we are going out. Connor is having a fight and has asked us all to go, you wanna come?”
“I’m not sure Luce, I um, well Henry is back soon and I um”. Lucy interrupted me. She was never one to take any of my shit.
“You ARE coming to this fight, it will be fun, you know that thing that people do to be sociable and have a happy fulfilled life?”
“Well aren’t you just little Miss Sarcastic this afternoon”.
“You know me Evie, I just like to inform you of the facts”.
“Where is he fighting?”
“At Equinox. It’s meant to be a big deal fight. Connor has bagged us cage side seats, hell yeah, it’s gonna be epic Evie. I love a good fight”.
“You’re such a man at heart”, I couldn’t hold back my smile. Her enthusiasm always rubbed off on me. Of course it had nothing to do with Connor being there.
“That’s more like it. I like a fight and of course don’t mind ooogling the men fighting who happen to be impeccably toned, fit and sexy. Just a perk of the fight eh”. Lucy winked at me sending me into hysterical laughter.
“Ooogling? What kind of word is that!”
“It’s an ooogling kinda word, I’m just gonna grab my stuff from the car”.
“Stuff?”
Lucy glanced over her shoulder smiling at me.
She strolled in with a bag hitched over her shoulder and three shopping bags. “Well, I need stuff to get ready for tonight”.
“Just invite yourself over why don’t you!”
“I just have. Now where is the vino? Actually, don’t worry, I’ll find it”. Lucy headed into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of Bollinger, “This is all I could find?”
“Better crack it open then”.
She filled two large glasses to the rim, “You’re not trying to inhibilitate me are you Lucy Bertie?”
Pointing to her chest and dropping her hip she replied in a I’m-a-completely-innocent-girl voice. “Moi, never”.
She headed over to my stereo and clipped in her iPod. The sound of the black eyed peas filled the room. My eyes welled at the lyrics ‘no no no no, baby no no no no don’t lie’.
“Hey Luce can we change the song?”
“Yeah sure, what do you want on?” Her eyes looking at me quizzically.