Chapter 7
DELTA
The sea breeze dances past the open windows. I breathe the salty smell in and soak in the warmth of the sun rays on my exposed legs. I don’t want to leave this place. Real life has become a sort of dream I refuse to escape.
Reaching out, I search for Vance’s body on the sheets.
They’re empty, left cold after he’s been gone for long enough.
Opening an eye, I look for him, maybe standing by the foot of the bed, putting his clothes on.
He’s not here. I pry my ears for the sound of him in the nearby bathroom or further inside the house, but I hear nothing.
Nothing but the sound of waves crashing outside.
Maybe he went after breakfast. Oh my God, what if he’s off to cook breakfast so he can bring it to me?
The image of Vance’s hard body, half-naked, as he walks into the room carrying a tray, makes me go giddy.
Calm down, Delta. I should shower and brush my teeth.
With some luck, that’s exactly what he’s doing.
My heart races in my chest as I slide off the bed, get to my feet, and race to the nearest bathroom.
I shower, put on some perfume, and then dig into my suitcase for a nice summer dress. Vance will bring me breakfast in bed; we can share it as we talk about life, then he’ll brush crumbs off the corner of my mouth, kiss me, and I won’t mind taking things farther this time.
Once I’m done, I sit on the bed and pick up my phone. It’s Sunday, so none of my clients have contacted me yet. With my ears pried, I wait for his footsteps to announce him as I absentmindedly scroll through social media.
Ten minutes pass, then fifteen. Hope dwindles in my chest. Maybe I should look for him. He might be having problems in the kitchen.
I do exactly that, but the nag in the back of my mind grows.
Why haven’t I heard him until now? Why hasn’t he come after me?
My heart drops when I enter the kitchen.
The empty kitchen. There are no signs of it being used this morning, all the plates are clean, exactly like I left them yesterday. Not even a glass out of place.
Where is he?
My heart accelerates, and a sense of dread makes me nauseous.
Where is he? Did he leave? No. He couldn’t have left me.
I shake my head, pacing back to the rooms, looking for him.
His clothes are nowhere to be seen. There’s no way he left me like this.
I go back to the kitchen and find my computer the way I left it yesterday, over the kitchen island.
Next to it is the ring I thought I had lost. The ring Vance used to measure my finger.
I bring my hand up, for the first time missing the weight. The engagement ring. The ring he said I could keep. It’s not on my finger anymore.
My heart plummets, hitting my stomach. I’m nauseous for real now. Pressing a hand to my mouth, I race to the back door and swing it open, stepping out onto the balcony. The sea breeze hits me in the face, immediately easing up the nausea. I take deep breaths, spreading my toes, grounding myself.
Vance is not here. He plucked the ring out of my finger and left without leaving me a note or an excuse or anything. A very solid pain starts in my chest, climbing from my throat to my face. Tears spill down from my eyes, and I won’t stop them. I let them take over; I let them wash over me.
I can’t believe he betrayed me like this.
After we got intimate, after I fell in love with him.
He just left. I wasn’t worthy of a goodbye.
That’s how alone I was in all this. Maybe I was some fun for him, a distraction.
He never lied. He told me he didn’t believe in love and that he didn’t want a relationship.
The minute he saw I was too into him, he bailed out.
More tears spill down my face, and I try to grasp onto my last hopes.
Maybe he’s running on the beach, like that first time.
Maybe he’ll arrive at any moment, and I’ll be the fool for it.
Vance doesn’t come, though, and I step down the balcony onto the beach, then to his house.
I look for a sign of him, for any sign that what we had was real.
What I see is emptiness. The house is empty, the balcony is empty, and the parking spot is empty. His car isn’t here. He really left.
Numb, I circle the house to the street, searching for something that’s not there.
Emptiness is an aching hole inside me, and I sob at his betrayal and the pain and the burning embers of hope inside me.
My hands shake when I hug myself, kneeling on the pavement, pain rocking my body.
I gave him my heart, and all I have now is this gaping hurt that will never heal.
A car screeches to a stop. I lift my head in a jerk, gaping at whoever just angle-parked next to the curb. Through my veiled eyes, I see the shape of a man jumping from behind the wheel, ending the space between us. From the warmth in his eyes when he hugs me, I know.
It’s him. Vance has come back.