Chapter 36 Calliope
CALLIOPE
He left.
I can’t believe it.
He stood there in silence and then he just left?
What kind of answer is that? Is he going to go and get his lawyers and come back with a promise to sue me or is he going to go straight to the airport and fly back to New York, never to be heard from again?
I can’t think. Mom launches into a tirade about how it’s the perfect example of his commitment to anything, but I no longer have the energy to argue with her. It took every ounce of strength I had to tell Elijah the truth and he just… left.
The rest of the party passes in a daze. I light the candles on Nick’s cake and watch him blow them out with a gigantic grin on his face. His friends yell and cheer for him and he stuffs his face with chocolate ice cream and thanks me for the best birthday ever.
When he opens Elijah’s present, he’s overjoyed to find a neatly packed box containing new ice skates along with a note that he’d noticed Nick’s current ones had lost a lot of their internal stuffing for warmth.
Nick is so excited and I don’t have the heart to tell him that Elijah didn’t even stay to say happy birthday.
At this rate, I’ll need to make those skates vanish at some point this year so I’m not reminded of this night.
Eventually, the kids filter out of the party and return to their parents, goodie bags clutched in their tired hands, and the party winds down to nothing. Nick is surprisingly compliant during bathtime and falls asleep before he’s even finished saying good night.
I should be celebrating.
I should be happy that the party was a success and Nick is happy. But I can’t find any warmth inside me.
It’s nearly midnight by the time I find myself out on the patio as the world grows bitterly cold, but I barely feel it, standing near the railing and gazing out at a darkness the lights from the house can barely breach.
I still can’t believe he left.
No calls or texts. Nothing.
The sliding door behind me squeaks softly and Stacey joins me with a concerned smile. “Sweetie, it’s freezing.”
“I’m fine,” I reply, then flinch when her warm fingers touch the cold back of my arm.
“You’re freezing.”
“I dunno. It’s kind of nice.”
“You want to tell me what happened?”
I sigh deeply and watch the clouds escape my lips and drift up to the night sky. “Which part?”
“Well… I heard you and your mom yelling earlier so I turned the music up. You want to tell me what that was about?”
Sucking on my upper teeth with a curl of my tongue, I sigh. “I was kind of a bitch.”
“Was it deserved?”
“Yes and no. Mom is… I get she’s struggling, y’know?
I understand she’s grieving. The pain is always there for me, but it’s in the background.
But she just keeps undermining me. Like takeout for dinner when I’ve done meal prep for Nick.
Or giving him cake for breakfast, or tearing apart the house knowing she can’t afford it.
All the snide little comments she makes are the reason I moved out in the first place.
I guess part of me hoped that losing my dad would soften her. ”
Stacey hums her agreement as she stamps her feet against the cold. “Maybe there isn’t softness in the first place,” she says quietly. “Some people are born prickly.”
“Maybe. But then she was saying all these things about Elijah and I just… snapped.”
“What things?”
“That he ruined my life and stuff. That hurt because Nick? Nick is the best thing I’ve ever done.” Warmth surges behind my eyes and my vision blurs. “So her calling him a ruin was… it was hard. And I just exploded on her because I’d just stood there and told Elijah the truth and—”
“Hold up.” Stacey suddenly places a hand back on my arm. “You told Elijah the truth about what?”
“That he’s Nick’s dad.”
“Why didn’t you lead with that?” Stacey shakes her head. “Hell. I think that’s more important right now. How did he take it?”
I shrug one shoulder and glance at her through my unshed tears. “He… didn’t. He just stared at me. At one point, I thought he was going to fall over. Then he just… left.”
“He left?”
“Rushed right out the door like wild dogs were after him. I didn’t have time to stop him. He just… left.”
“Oh, honey.” Stacey’s arms envelop me in warmth and she draws me in close. “I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t think it’s hit yet.” I sniffle. “I’m more scared he’s coming back with a lawyer.”
“Fuck him,” Stacey remarks. “He ran away from a good thing and that’s his choice. He deserves nothing, you hear me? And if he comes back with lawyers, then fuck him even harder, we’ll fight him every step of the way.”
“What if he can provide a better life for Nick, though?” I whisper, barely even able to say it out loud. “All that money and security. I bet he wouldn’t forget to text and leave his friend babysitting.”
“A man like that doesn’t have friends,” Stacey replies sharply.
“Listen to me, Calliope. You are a good mother. You bend over backward for that boy. You give him everything you can and more, and look at him. He’s a happy, healthy six-year-old.
You did that. You’ve created that cool little dude.
No one is taking that away from you. Ever. ”
As I turn into her arms and hug her back, latching onto the warmth of her hold, I pray she’s right.
A sleepless night leads right into a chaotic morning. I haven’t texted Elijah, far too wary of what he might say, but my plan to bury in my office and work flat out until five is derailed the second I walk through the doors.
“Calliope!” Victoria’s by my side in an instant and she throws her arm around my shoulders. “I’m so sorry!”
“About?” My brows tighten as we walk toward the elevator.
“You haven’t heard? Oh, no. Oh, no, I’m so sorry.”
My already tense stomach flips up into my chest and I swallow hard, my mind racing. “Heard what?” Tiredness threatens to overwhelm me so I bite the inside of my cheek to stop from snapping at her.
“Okay in, in, in.” She ushers me into the elevator and presses the top-floor button. “Jimmy called a company-wide meeting. You’re here just in time.”
“Is this about Valentine’s Day again?” It’s only a couple of days away, although the thought of love now sours on the back of my tongue.
“I already told him I was doing everything I could to give him the numbers he wanted, even though my losses are his damn fault. And if something happened yesterday, well, I wasn’t even here because it was Nick’s birthday. ”
“Oh!” Victoria’s face warms instantly. “Happy Birthday! Did he have a nice time?”
“He did, actually,” I reply as my shoulders relax slightly. “He had a really nice time.”
“How old is he now?”
“Six.”
“Wow, they grow up so fast!”
“They do. Victoria, why were you saying sorry? What’s happened?”
Her expression once again morphs into one of deep sympathy.
“Well… people have been talking and I heard that the meeting today isn’t about Valentine’s.
They’re going to announce the merger, and it looks like the website and everything is being axed.
” She winces as she speaks. “I’m so sorry, honey.
This is why I kept telling you to try and get info out of Elijah, you know? ”
“What?” A subtle roaring rises in my ears as I stare at Victoria’s perfectly made-up face. How does she get her eyeliner to be perfect on both sides? I can’t ever get a sharp flick with how my hand shakes.
I blink, and suddenly, all I can think about is Elijah.
What’s changed?
Two nights ago, he told me how much he loved the website and the subscription model I built, how it was his sole reason for sticking around. Now they’re closing me down?
The elevator doors slide open and Victoria loops her arm around mine, guiding me out and toward the conference room already flooded with people. I glimpse Jane standing near the window chewing anxiously on her thumb and she flashes me a brief look of horror as I pass.
Is this Elijah’s way of punishing me for keeping Nick a secret? It can’t be, but it fits. I imagine him leaving my home in a fury and calling everyone he can in order to get my department shut down, screwing me over and all the workers I care about.
I’m in a daze as I sit and Victoria launches into a hushed conversation about how she found out my department was on the chopping block, but none of her words reach the roaring in my ears.
I need this job. I need the money. Nick needs the money.
How can he do this? Does he really hate me this much?
I spiral and close my eyes to stop my morning coffee from crawling up my throat, remaining that way until Victoria nudges her sharp elbow into my side and forcing me back to reality.
Elijah’s here.
He stands near the prompter with a polite smile on his face. His dark hair is combed away from his forehead and fluffed at the end, and his shirt is open a few buttons near the collar and lacking his usual tie. He looks different. More relaxed than I’ve ever seen him.
He looks good.
A sudden thought that I squash immediately.
“Good morning,” Elijah says with a polite smile.
“Thank you all for joining me this morning. I know this meeting is short notice so I hope you will forgive me for calling you all here with no time to prepare. As I’m sure some of you have heard over the past weeks since I’ve been here, there have been talks about a collaboration between Angelic Jewels and Amber Limited. ”
Jimmy stands behind Elijah, chewing obnoxiously on a toothpick, but his expression is rather unreadable.
I can’t tell if good news or bad news is about to come my way, but Victoria’s already planted the seed of doubt in my mind and I can’t keep still.
My leg bounces under the table, a bounce that starts softly and grows more violent when I spot Chris standing behind Elijah like some kind of looming bloodsucker.
I hate lawyers.
“During my time here, I’ve learned that nearly every single person here is incredibly passionate about what they do, and I say nearly only because I haven’t met all of you, but I am sure that passion is the same.
You all take pride in your work, and I have seen innovations across the board, from the website to the warehouse to the public-facing storefronts.
Now, you may be asking why a gemstone company is interested in a business like this.
Wouldn’t we be better fitted teaming up with a company that actually makes jewelry instead of a brand like this? And to a point, you are correct.”
A soft murmur of polite laughter ripples around the room, like a wave poised to drown me under the news that I’m out of a job.
“Amber Limited is looking to take a step into the market by expanding our gem acquisitions into actual creations and sales. Which is why, after some thorough investigations into everything you do here, I’m happy to announce that instead of a collaboration, Amber Limited and I are taking over Angelic Jewels. ”
There’s another murmur of sound, one of uncertainty as everyone shifts in their seats and waits with bated breath for the bad news.
“Now, this is going to result in some changes that you might find alarming. The stores as they stand are not working, and not where we as a company feel is the best use of time and resources.”
“Hold on!” Victoria suddenly lunges to her feet and draws all eyes to her, including Elijah’s.
My heart starts to pound as Elijah, for a brief second, locks eyes with me and then glances up to Victoria. “Yes?”
“What do you mean, the stores aren’t working? The stores are the backbone of this business!”
“Sure,” scoffs someone from the warehouse crowd.
Victoria throws them a brief, sharp glare and continues.
“If you want to look at failure, then just look at the subscription department. I mean, what is this, the nineteen fifties? No one cares about the mail anymore, and sure, you all like to order online. I get that. But I’m being honest, they don’t do even half the work we do or deal with as many customers. ”
“Victoria,” Elijah says gently. “If you would let me explain—”
“Yeah, go on then,” she snaps. “Explain why you’d choose to get rid of the money maker when there’s a drain right here?”
A pulse of offensive shock moves through me, and I momentarily forget about my worry. “Vic, that’s a bit harsh.”
“Harsh but true,” she snaps. “This is you, isn’t it?
” She suddenly turns to me with fire in her eyes and my heart squeezes tightly.
“You’ve been sleeping with him to save your department, haven’t you?
That’s why you never had any news for me, because you were so busy screwing us over by sucking his cock to keep your stupid job! ”
My mind goes utterly blank and I pray as hard as I can that the ground opens up and swallows me.