Chapter Twenty-Seven #2
“You don’t want to overdo it on your first day back. We need to talk. Cool down and meet me in my office.”
I do as he says, and after wiping down my face, neck, and the equipment, I walk toward my dad’s office.
My legs feel like Jell-O, a feeling I haven’t felt in a long time.
He’s right. I do need to take it slow. I say hello to a couple different guys on my way and notice, for the first time, Mason isn’t around.
“Hey, have you seen Mason lately?” I ask, sitting in one of his office chairs.
“Mason moved to California.”
“What? Really? Is he staying near Tristan?”
“He’s living with Tristan.”
“Oh. Well, that’s good. I’m glad Tristan found a roommate. So, what did you want to talk about?”
“Daniel West called.”
“The president of the UFC?” I stupidly ask because really… what other Daniel West would he be referring to?
“He said he’s planning to call you but wanted to do me the courtesy of letting me know first. He wants you to fight.”
“The one that got cancelled when I got pregnant?”
“Yeah, have you kept up with Shawna Fields?”
“Of course, she’s kicking ass and taking names.”
“Yes, she is. But those girls aren’t the same level of competition you would have been.
Apparently, there’s a title fight coming up in a few months.
He wouldn’t tell me who, said he couldn’t yet.
But he wants you and Shawna to open with the first fight.
It will be at the MGM. Now, because it’s not a main fight, it’s not going to pay much, but it can open the doors for you, especially if you win.
Maybe get you some sponsorship opportunities. What do you think?”
“Of course I want to do it!” I grab my phone to text Marco and remember he’s still MIA. I hit his name to try to call him again and it goes to voicemail.
“Still not answering?”
“His phone is still off.”
My dad nods. “Why don’t we get a couple of hours of training in before you go pick up Micaela?”
“Sounds good.”
It’s early afternoon when I pick up Micaela from my mom.
She begs me to stay for dinner, but I tell her I need some time alone.
I take Micaela to the park to go for a walk, then once we get home, I give her a bath and spend the evening playing peek-a-boo with my baby girl while watching Gilmore Girls reruns.
I try to call Marco several more times, but it goes to voicemail like always.
I send a silent prayer that nothing is wrong.
I hate that he ran again, but I would never wish him any harm.
My phone pings with a text and I see it’s Gina. Why the hell would she be texting me?
Gina: Just saw Marco drinking at Dexter’s. Guess you picked the wrong guy after all.
Dexter’s is a local bar we all used to frequent.
They have the best wings known to man and have several pool tables set up in the back along with a dart board.
I actually ran into Marco there a few times while I was in San Diego when we weren’t speaking.
Talk about awkward. Why the hell would Marco be drinking at a bar in California?
Unless—Oh my God! He left and went back to California.
Not wanting to give her the satisfaction, I don’t respond, and instead lie down for a few minutes while Micaela is napping.
I wake up from what feels like a deep sleep but don’t hear Micaela, so I look over and she’s still asleep.
I must have dozed off while she was taking a nap.
The clock next to my bed reads 4:03 p.m. I was only asleep for two hours.
My phone lights up and I’m thinking that’s what woke me up.
Hoping to see something from Marco, I type in my passcode so my phone comes alive.
There are no missed calls or texts, but I notice a ton of notifications on my social media app, so I open it up and click to see what’s going on.
Scrolling down, I see Marco has been tagged in a post, so I click on it.
It’s a photo of Marco sitting with a woman.
His arm is around her and their faces are merely inches apart.
It’s too dark to see his expression, but it’s definitely him.
The photo caption reads: Look who’s back!
Back where? Then I see the owner of the post is Jelly Licious.
What the hell kind of fake name is that?
I click the name and the profile pic is of a marijuana leaf.
Real nice. Swiping left, I go through the person’s pictures until one stops me in my tracks.
It’s her. Janell. The blonde bimbo I last saw Marco snorting coke with almost a year ago.
Clicking back on the picture, I look to see if she checked in when she posted the picture. Logan Heights and it was posted an hour ago. What the hell is Marco doing in California? Did he move back? Just like that?
Confused as to why I would even get this update since I never added Marco as a friend, I click on my notifications to see I was tagged in a comment. It’s from Gina.
Bella Cooper
There’s no comment, just my name so she could rub it in my face.
Looking closely at the picture, I can see the drugs on the table, and it hits me like a ton of bricks.
Once again, Marco has left me. Except this time, he didn’t just leave me, he left our daughter as well.
Throwing my phone against the wall, I watch it smash as it hits the wood floor, and then I grab my pillow and let the sobs come.