Chapter 31 ~ Isabella ~
"H ere." I pointed to the inconspicuous entrance on the side of the skyscraper.
"Here?" Hayley's voice couldn't have sounded more surprised. "Are you kidding me, Isabella Abbott? This is supposed to be the entrance to some super-rich guy's private apartment? This?"
"Yes. Now stop already, or we'll have to walk so far." I looked impatiently out of the car window.
"I'm going around the block again. Maybe there's a suitable parking spot somewhere. I don't want to collect another ticket." Hayley turned right and began her announced lap around the block. She was at the wheel of my dented Toyota because I had been too nervous to drive myself.
The prospect of seeing Carter again made my heart race. And then... then I would have to tell him that I was expecting his child.
How would he react?
Did he even like children?
My thoughts jumped back to the wedding celebration. To the moment when he had saved the little boy from the pool. Carter could certainly handle children well. But that didn't mean he wanted any of his own. However, people often had children who hadn't actually planned on having any...
"There are no parking spaces here," Hayley now growled through gritted teeth. By now, she had turned again. Soon we would pass the elevator that led to Carter's apartment again.
"Then just double park. It's my car, so it'll be my ticket," I replied, trying not to sound too excited. But the closer the moment came when I would see Carter again, the faster my heart beat.
"You have even less money than I do. How do you plan to pay a ticket?" Hayley's objection sounded reasonable. But I didn't care right now.
"A ticket is really the least of my worries at the moment. Just stop somewhere." I nodded my head forward. By now, we had almost completed our lap around the block without finding a suitable parking spot. Hayley was much better at parking than I was. But even New York's best parker wouldn't have had a chance here. Not even in a Smart car. There was simply no free space.
"And what if we get towed?" Hayley turned on the hazard lights and double parked next to a large SUV. The drivers behind us started honking. I could vividly imagine them cursing and swearing at us.
"Who's going to tow us? You're waiting here. If anything happens, just drive another lap around the block." With these words, I opened the door and got out. It was hard for me to give up Hayley's support. But there were things I just had to do alone. And telling Carter that I was pregnant with his child was definitely one of those things. Hayley would be there for me afterward and celebrate with me.
Or comfort me, if necessary.
I'd rather not think about that right now. I crossed the sidewalk and determinedly pressed my finger to the doorbell next to the elevator. Carter had told me about the camera installed here. This way, he could easily see from upstairs who wanted to visit him. He didn't even have to ask for a name.
What would he think when he saw my face in the camera now?
Nervously, I shifted from one foot to the other.
Nothing moved in front of me. Neither did the elevator doors open for me, nor did Carter's voice sound from the intercom next to the camera.
I pressed the doorbell button again. This time a bit longer.
Again I waited. Also a bit longer.
Nothing.
Was Carter not at home?
Or... Or was he home, had seen my face in the camera and decided he wanted nothing more to do with me? Like at the wedding, when he had sent me away? Had he turned away when he saw me?
I swallowed.
The thought caused me such discomfort that I feared I might feel sick again. Was this now also from the pregnancy? Or was it something else?
I pressed the doorbell button a third time.
As expected, no one answered this time either.
Dejected, I turned around and slipped back into the green Toyota as quickly as I could.
"Well?" Hayley looked at me. She made no move to drive off, even though the drivers behind us were still honking incessantly.
I shrugged. "He's not there." Sniffling, I added, "Or he doesn't want to see me." I tried to act as if it didn't bother me, but of course, I didn't succeed.
"Don't worry so much." Hayley put a comforting hand on my shoulder. "Maybe he's just still at work? He's always pretty busy, if I understood you correctly."
At these words, hope welled up in me. "At work... the entrance is just around the corner."
"What are you waiting for? If we're here anyway, we might as well use all the possibilities." Hayley gave me an encouraging nudge.
This time it was easier for me to get out and cover the short distance to the main entrance of Carco Batteries . But as I turned the corner, I saw that everything was dark behind the large glass panes. Disheartened, I looked at the ground.
"Come on, there might be a doorbell. Since we're already here, we might as well take a closer look. It's just a few more steps." Hayley's voice. I turned around. My friend had gotten out of the car and followed me. I looked at her gratefully.
"What are you waiting for?" Hayley gave me a nudge.
Slowly, I walked forward to the large glass front. Behind the window, everything looked as empty and deserted as usual at this time of day. Carter's employees were probably at home, enjoying a nice evening with their families.
But where was he?
Who was he spending a nice evening with?
I pressed my nose against the window. I couldn't see anything in the dark. I slowly stepped back. Indeed, there was a doorbell next to the door. I put my thumb on it and waited. Nothing moved. Again, I pressed my face against the window. Inside, everything remained dark.
"What are you doing here, lady?" A male voice.
I spun around. In front of me stood a tall, muscular middle-aged man wearing a security guard uniform, shining a flashlight in my face. Blinded, I squinted my eyes.
"What do you want here at this hour?" he repeated.
"I... we... uh..." I stammered.
"We're looking for Carter Jenkins." Hayley's voice. What would I have done without my friend?
"What do you want from him?" The security guard sounded stern. His gaze was probably stern too, but I couldn't tell in the beam of the flashlight.
"That's private." Hayley again.
"Then you shouldn't be harassing him at his workplace." The guard clearly wanted to get rid of us as quickly as possible.
"Is he at work then?" I blurted out. "He doesn't seem to be at his apartment."
"That's none of your business. I'm here to secure this building, which means I don't let unauthorized people in. And you two clearly fall into that category. Or do you have a company ID from Carco Batteries ?" The guard now swung the flashlight from me to Hayley. I was grateful for a moment not to be so blinded by the light. But the darkness afterward seemed even blacker - and this in the middle of New York, where most lights never go out. I blinked, trying to regain my vision.
"No, we don't have company IDs. But I've worked for Carter Jenkins in a way," I claimed. That was true, after all. Carter had hired me as his fiancée. I frantically wondered if the guard's hint meant he knew where Carter was, and if so, how I could extract this information from him.
"This is Carter Jenkins' fiancée," Hayley blurted out at that moment. I looked at her, startled. But then I nodded.
"Yes, we're engaged." I could hardly contradict Hayley now. That would only have made the guard more suspicious. Maybe he would spill the beans now. As a fiancée, I had a right to know where Carter was, didn't I?
"Engaged? Just a moment ago, you were working for him." Suspiciously, the guard directed the flashlight beam back at me and looked me up and down. "I don't know anything about a fiancée. Carter Jenkins even explicitly requested that his family not be allowed to enter the apartment and the company. You definitely can't come in here."
"Does that mean he's in the office?" I asked hopefully. If I was being denied entry, it could only mean that Carter was on site. Right? And then I would just wait here until Carter came out. Yes, his apartment was right above the office, but he had to leave the building at some point, didn't he? Or come back if he wasn't here.
"I just said, it's none of your business. Not yours as his... fiancée, nor this other woman's." The guard nodded towards Hayley. "You should leave now."
"We'll wait until Mr. Jenkins returns." As much as I had hesitated to seek out Carter again at the beginning, I was now wildly determined to get this over with. I wouldn't give up so easily.
"You'd like that, wouldn't you!" The guard now sounded more forceful. "Nobody's going to wait for Mr. Jenkins here. That would be rich. Next thing you know, the whole street will be full of his exes, all waiting to throw themselves at him again."
At these words, I flinched. Wasn't that exactly what I was doing? I was standing here on the street and...
... wanting to throw myself at Carter again?
Yes.
I would have loved to do just that.
Isabella. Pull yourself together. The man owes you an explanation, and until you get it, you will not throw yourself at him again. He owes YOU something, not you HIM.
Above all, he owed something to our child.
"You should go now. I've told you this once before, now I'm telling you one last time nicely." The guard was now becoming much more forceful. I stared at him, unable to move.
"Come on, Isabella." Hayley tugged gently at my sleeve.
I still didn't move from the spot.
"You should listen to your friend!" The guard looked at me unfriendly. "If you don't leave, I'll have to call the police."
Hayley snorted indignantly. "We haven't done anything wrong."
"I'm in charge of security here. Leave." The guard pointed to the street.
I could only think one thing.
Carter wasn't here.
Where was he then?
I had a feeling that if I didn't find him right away, I would never see him again. Illogical and maybe even a little ridiculous, but that was just my feeling.
"Isabella." Hayley tugged at my sleeve again. This time I took a step forward. And another. And then a third. With each step, it felt like I was moving further away from Carter.
I hadn't felt this strange even when I had fled Carter's brother's wedding so hastily.
Why now then?
Could it have something to do with the fact that I was pregnant?
Slowly, I walked with Hayley to the corner where my car was still double-parked. As I looked back, I noticed that the security guard was still standing in the same spot, watching us leave.
Dejected, I turned forward again. "It's too bad I can't even call Carter. My phone and wallet never turned up." I grimaced at the memory of the man who had robbed me at the bus stop after the wedding.
"You were really lucky, anything could have happened to you there. To you and the baby," Hayley said seriously.
I nodded.
To me and the baby.
Still an unfamiliar thought.
I would get used to it.
And Carter?
Could he get used to it too?
"Now I've activated the data backup for the phone... I should have done that earlier. Then I'd still have Carter's number and could just call him." I shook my head at my own absentmindedness. Setting up data backup really wasn't that hard. I had just forgotten about it, like so many things.
"Don't worry about it, Isabella. Carter hasn't fallen off the face of the earth. You know where he lives and where he works. We'll find him. If not today, then tomorrow." Hayley looked at me encouragingly. "Now we're going home first and having a cozy evening there."
I nodded obediently.
"I'll drive," I then said. "It'll distract me a little."
Hayley pressed the car keys into my hand.
I felt as if Carter would never show up again.
As if today was the only possibility and maybe even the only day I would have the courage to face him and tell him that he was going to be a father.
What if he didn't want the child at all?
What if he was only interested in casual fun and would support me financially, but otherwise want nothing to do with me and his child?
The thought broke my heart.
I desperately needed certainty.
WE desperately needed certainty.
And as soon as possible.
A sleepless night lay ahead of me.