to sound as aggravated.
“He’s super rich and hot. His body... my God. The abs on that man...” she trails off, her eyes glittering in a memory. “He fucks me like a dream, and if he wasn’t married, we’d be together.”
I swallow the bile rising. Shutting my eyes on the imagery, I feel my body near collapsing.
He wouldn’t do this all over again.
No.
He... can’t.
“There’s no feelings involved, Sous. I only want to hurt you.”
“God, and that cock,” she continues. I’m going to gag. “Not only is it huge, but he knows how to use every inch.” The elevator beeps then, stopping at the main floor. I’m booking it while the woman stares at me as if I’ve grown two heads.
My heart—or what was left of it—is gone.
With those parting words, I know there’s no going back. It’s one thing to know about his affairs that happened while we were separated, but seeing them in the flesh, knowing he’s trying to get back into my good graces and is still fucking around? No. I practically book it to Mi Casa.
When I see Sanje, it’s like he knows something is wrong. “Chef?”
“I’m quitting. I know this is the worst timing, but don’t tell Toby for at least an hour.”
“I can’t not tell him. That’s—”
“My last act as your managing chef, don’t tell him for an hour. I need that. An hour, Sanje.”
“But—”
“Please,” I implore, my emotions must be trickling through because he nods solemnly.
After I give him and my favorite staff members hugs, I practically bolt. Adrenaline rides me up the elevator. It pushes me to pursue this issue and not be a lost cause.
He can’t fix himself if he’s still screwing other people. I can’t fix myself with him around. Maybe this was the push we both needed. Me, leaving.
Hitting the sixtieth floor, my heart aches. Not in the physical sense but more psychosomatic. It’s painful, but only because my mind knows how much it hurts.
After scanning my card, I grab the handle and freeze inside my door. Closing it behind me, I allow myself to soak in my only home. The foyer is elegant and huge. White upon white with black upon black accents. It’s perfectly modern and clean. The walls are filled with selfies from across the world with Toby. That’s who we were. That couple. The one who took selfies during every adventure, but instead of uploading them on social media, we cherished each memory for our eyes alone.
I stop at my favorite one, unable to keep the smile at bay. It was our first anniversary. We decided to go to Italy. He took me to go wine tasting. The problem was, I couldn’t be with him for the tasting. It was the first time we ever really sexted, and God, it was so hot. He came back to our hotel and fucked me for hours.
My body warms at the memory. The photo is of us wrapped in each other. We’re naked, but it’s so sensual and tactful that you can’t tell it’s us. It’s beautiful in a tasteful way. It’s my favorite photo of us.
Toby always had an exhibition streak, and it turned me on to no avail. That is, until that night he sent me a photo of himself with the woman in the elevator. With that in mind, I check my watch and see it’s already been twenty-three minutes. Grabbing the photo off the wall, I carry it with me to our walk-in closet. Inside, it’s a mess. A metaphor for our relationship.
We don’t have a side each; we’re intertwined. It used to bring me happiness. Now, looking at it with jaded eyes, all I see is madness.
Grabbing the first few things I can see, I take them and look for my luggage bag. Not wanting to overpack, I grab all my favorite undies, socks, shoes, and dresses. He won’t even notice anything missing immediately.
Shoving all the items in my bag, I grab my favorite make-up kit with all the essentials and my straightener. Forgetting all my other shit that’s replaceable, I rush out of my room and don’t even bother telling my mom as I trail to the front door. She’s been recovering here, but isn’t allowed to leave her room unless she is accompanied by someone. I’ve kept my distance, and after the doctor gave the go-ahead for her home recovery, she was back here for detox.
I stop at the counter that I fell in love with when we bought this place and take