Chapter 32
Thirty-Two
“Another one,” I say.
I finished my shift at Black Magic Bar earlier this evening, and I’ve been drinking at the bar ever since. Two weeks have passed since my world fell apart. Nero still won’t speak to me, and I’ve lost hope that he ever will again.
Anabelle saw me the night everything happened and was nice enough to insist that I stay in the west wing with her and Asher, so at least I’m not homeless. I ended up delaying the opening of the studio. I just couldn’t find the energy to care to do everything that needed to be done. I’ve been so depressed I barely get out of bed in the mornings.
“Told you she’d be here.”
When I hear Anabelle’s voice, I turn around to see her and Rapsody standing a few feet back from the bar with concerned looks on their faces. They sit on either side of me.
“What are you guys doing here?” I ask. “Asher send you here to tell me that I’m no longer welcome at the manor?”
Anabelle frowns. “Never. I’ve made my position well known.”
I squeeze her hand because that’s really nice of her.
“How are you?” Rapsody asks.
I turn to her. “Lost. I know I screwed up, I do. I should have told Nero that Maude was my stepsister, but I was so afraid. I love him, and this was exactly what I thought would happen.”
“Did you tell Nero that you love him?” Rapsody asks.
I nod. “Yeah, it just made him angrier.”
The bartender slides the shot I ordered in front of me. I nod in thanks and toss it back, wincing at the burn that travels down my chest.
“Just try to be patient,” Anabelle says. “I’m sure he’ll come around.”
Her voice sounds so hopeful that I desperately want to believe her, but every time I blink, Nero’s face after he found out haunts my memory. I’m not sure there’s any coming back from that.
“Have you guys seen him at all?” I eat all my meals in my bedroom in the west wing and try to be out of the manor as much as possible. At first, I was glad to keep staying there. But as the days drag on, every corner just feels like a reminder of him.
I need to find my own place sooner than later.
Anabelle and Rapsody share a look. “We tracked him down and tried to talk to him about what’s going on with you guys, but he wasn’t having it.”
I should have expected as much, but the confirmation feels like someone is squeezing my ribs and strangling me to death. I nod slowly and blink back my tears.
Rapsody squeezes my arm, and that’s when I notice that she now has a wedding band alongside her engagement ring. I blink a few times. Before she can pull her hand away, I grip her wrist and look more closely.
“What’s this?”
She pulls her hand away. “I’m sorry. We thought it was best if we didn’t say anything, given what you’re going through.”
“You and Kol got married?” For the first time since everything between Nero and myself imploded, a genuine smile forms on my face.
She nods, looking as though she’s trying to bite back her excitement. “We slipped off to Atlanta and got married at the same city hall we originally intended to be married in. It was just the two of us.”
I lean over on my stool and draw her into a hug. “That’s amazing. Congratulations! I can’t believe you were going to hide it from me.”
When I pull away, she shrugs and looks a tad embarrassed. “I just didn’t want to make you feel any worse, that’s all.”
“Ladies, any good news you two have will actually make me feel better. Trust me.”
“Okay,” Rapsody says.
“Are you going on a honeymoon or anything?” I ask her.
For the next while, we chat about what’s going on in Anabelle and Rapsody’s lives. It feels good to not be solely focused on how I’m feeling about the end to Nero’s and my relationship. I know that as soon as I lie down in my bed tonight, he’ll be at the top of my mind again.
“How are things going at the studio?” Anabelle asks.
“I’m almost ready to go. My heart wasn’t in it. I just couldn’t get motivated to finish everything before the original open date. But I think it’s time I just get on with it.”
Nero already hates me. The last thing I want is for him to think I’m not going to make good on my promise to pay him back for the money he lent me to renovate the place.
“That sounds like a good idea. It will help get your mind off things,” Rapsody says.
“That’s what I’m hoping.” I give her a weak smile.
Regardless of whether my heart is fully in it, the show must go on, as they say. So I promise myself right then and there that next Saturday will be my grand opening celebration.
I worked my ass off,but I made it happen somehow. Tomorrow morning is the grand opening, and I’m so nervous. It’s late Friday night, and I’m just double-checking everything so it’s perfect and ready to go for the morning. The decorations are up. I’ve sent the reminder emails to everyone who expressed interest in coming. I checked with the bakery that my platter of goodies will be ready for me to pick up first thing in the morning. And my playlist is all cued up and ready to go. I have infographics taped up throughout the studio explaining the different types of dance and the benefits of each, and my point-of-sale system is in working order so I can sign people up for classes.
I’m good to go.
With one last look around the space, I turn off the lights and lock the door before I set off down the sidewalk toward my car.
I’m still driving the fancy car Nero bought me, though I wish I could trade it in for my old car. I don’t feel right driving it knowing how much he hates me now, but at the moment, I don’t have a choice.
For some reason, Magnolia Bend was busy this morning, and I had to park down the road. When my vehicle comes into view, I sigh, happy to be able to go to bed soon. I’m so tired from this week, but I also know that the second I drive past Midnight Manor’s iron gates, I’ll be flooded with memories and regret.
My hand reaches for the car door, but I’m yanked back. My purse drops to the ground as the smell of alcohol floats to my nostrils.
“You ruined my life, you fucking cunt. Time for me to ruin yours.”
I stiffen at the sound of Freddie’s voice and wiggle in his hold, struggling to get free, but he’s too strong. I fight him as he drags me into a nearby alley.