Chapter 0012

•ELIJAH•

"You never touch me anymore or even spare a second to look my way. What's going on with you?" Abigail questioned me as I walked toward the bar to get something to drink.

"I take care of you. I bought you this house and a car and made sure that you could never work a day in your life. What more do you want from me?" I poured whiskey into my glass and sipped the whole content.

"I've been your fiance for four years, Elijah! Four!" She snapped. "I'm a woman, and if you think that you're going to use this ring to keep me all to yourself when you don't treat me like your woman, then I don't want it on my finger!"

“Then stop nagging me!” I shot back as I looked at her and smashed the glass on the floor, and it shattered.

There was utter silence before she slapped me on the face and frowned. “Don’t ever raise your voice at me again.”

She walked out of the bar and left me still standing around the shattered glasses on the floor, and I sank onto the chair next to the contour.

“What happened here?” Jason’s voice snapped me back to earth, and I got up from the chair and asked myself the same question when I looked at the shattered glasses on the floor again.

“It’s one of those days,” I groaned as I darted past the glasses and went to sit on the couch with him near the bar at the balcony area.

“You seem to be more miserable every time I see you, what’s going on?” He asked as he poured whiskey for the both of us.

I scratched my head and sighed. My mind was all over the place, and the room was feeling too small for me to breathe.

“We got approval for building the public infrastructure in Detroit. Other than that, I'm hanging in there.” I took my glass and gulped half the content before placing my glass back on the contour.

“I saw Abigail,” he leaned forward from his couch and looked at me. “She didn’t look too well and that broken glass on the floor…” He shook his head. “What’s going on, El?”

Jason was my guy, and he had my back, but I didn’t want him to know that I had problems with Abigail and no longer wished to be with her.

“I’m just overwhelmed with work. I saw the portfolio and the investors to the project, it just -” I cleared my throat and took another sip of my whiskey. “There’ll be someone else in the project as well. I didn’t think that I would ever see her again since she left the city.”

“Let me guess… Darla Sullivan?”

I shook my head and drank some more from my whiskey glass.

If Abigail knew the reason I couldn’t bring myself to touch or even have sex with her was because I had been obsessing over my ex-wife, she would skin me alive.

“Apparently she’s the famous architect behind the famous mall in Sydney, and Ethan’s the brains of sales and marketing. They make the perfect duo for the new project and would be an important asset, which is why the board decided to bring them into the project to collaborate with my company.”

“With you running the most successful construction company. I see. Wow.”

“Do you now see my dilemma?”

“Come on,” he leaned back on the couch. “You’re engaged to Abigail Hayes. She’s the most beautiful girl in the city and the upcoming fashionist of our time.”

“You clearly think I’m living the American dream, don’t you?” I scoffed as I got up from the couch, and he followed behind me, and we left.

***

The following morning at work before the start of the conference meeting, I had my secretary schedule every other meeting that followed after that so that I would go bowling with the guys later and shed some weight over my shoulders.

I had read numerous newspapers about her and Ethan making their mark in the world but it didn’t occur to me that I would ever get to see her up close with him by his side as her husband.

I couldn't take my eyes off her throughout the conference meeting.

I was even more mesmerized by her presentation. Her work ethic and her knowledge of the construction industry made the hairs behind my neck stand up.

How could I have thought that the woman that I was married to was a smart architect and was now going to have her name engraved in history as the woman who drew and designed the public infrastructures that my company was going to build in Detroit?

After the whole boardroom cheered and clapped for her impressive presentation and designs, we stood up and left for a short break.

On my way to my office, I kept thinking of what I was going to say to her after so many years that we hadn't seen each other.

I had something to say to her, and my heart kept skipping beats at the sound of her voice in my mind as I opened the door of my office and slammed it behind me.

But after spending almost half an hour thinking of nothing but her, I finally walked out of my office and headed out to the refreshment room where I thought that I would find her.

But when I heard her voice giggling in the boardroom, I barged inside and found her with Ethan holding each other, and my hands curled up into fists as I cleared my throat and drew their attention.

“Elijah,” Ethan voiced out as they looked at me.

“I’m sorry, I thought that everyone was back.” With that said, I quickly turned around and walked back to my office.

I was angry, hurt, and beyond annoyed that I couldn't stop him from being too close to Darla in front of me.