Chapter 37 Olena
OLENA
My phone rings late Tuesday afternoon as Teddy waves goodbye from his truck on his way home.
I wave back distractedly and peer down at my phone screen.
It’s hard to see in the bright daylight, but I have a sinking feeling I know who’s calling.
I finally manage to shade the screen to see the call display. My stomach sinks.
Not again. Not now.
Jude is packing up his truck so, before I answer, I quickly motion to him that I’m going inside the house to take the call.
He nods.
Closing the door behind me, I accept the call, taking a deep breath. “Hello?”
“Who the fuck do you think you are, anyway?” Sean’s voice is rough and unsteady.
Shit.
“Sean, I need you to leave me alone.”
“Oh, you need me to leave you alone? Like you’re the only person in this relationship? The one who gets to call the shots?” His voice cracks, his words stumbling out unnaturally. He sounds unstable.
Worry prickles across the back of my neck. “I’ve told you a million times, there is no relationship! It’s over! Get it through your head!” I’m losing my patience. He can’t keep calling me like this. He can’t keep intruding on my life. I look over my shoulder, making sure the door is closed.
“Fuck that, Olena. Fuck that. This isn’t over. If you won’t listen to me, I’ll…” He trails off.
“You’ll what, Sean? You’ll what?” I’m fuming with anger. I just want to move on. I’m trying to be happy here. With my friends. With Jude. “Look… I’m seeing someone now. Just leave me alone.”
The silence is heavy on the line. My heart races with instant regret. Shit. I shouldn’t have said that.
His voice is scarily quiet when he speaks. “What did you just say?”
I falter a moment, but there’s no turning back now. I take a deep breath. “I said… I’m seeing someone.”
“Fuck you. No, you’re not.”
“Yes, I am. You need to understand I’m not coming back, Sean. Stop calling me.”
“Who is he?” He sounds worryingly calm.
“That’s none of your—”
“Who is he, Olena?” He’s shouting at me now.
My hands are shaking. “Look, I’m not—” My voice shakes now too.
“Fuck this. I’m coming to see you. I need to talk some sense into you. I’ll make you understand that you can’t do this.”
The line goes dead. I’ve made a horrible mistake. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to steady my breathing.
I walk slowly to the bathroom and splash some cold water on my face. My cheeks are flushed, but I take several deep breaths to regain some composure before returning outside.
As I step out the door, I avoid Jude’s eyes for a moment, focusing instead on the equipment left to load into the truck. When I finally meet his gaze, he looks concerned.
“You okay? What was that about?” he asks, tilting his chin at the house. He walks over and rubs my shoulders, giving me a kiss on the forehead.
“Oh, nothing,” I lie and force a smile. I hate myself for it, but I can’t tell him. The thought of him knowing about how I’d let myself get into this situation with Sean… The shame of it chokes me, trapping the words in my throat.
“You sure?” His brow creases, searching my expression.
“Yes, totally fine. Let’s finish packing up.
” I move to lift a few buckets and bags into the truck for him.
Murphy wanders over and I give him a scratch on the head, grateful to have the distraction—and an excuse to avoid Jude’s attention.
I take my time giving the dog extra love, focusing on breathing like a calm person.
“Do you want me to stay again tonight?” he asks carefully. “Last night in the big house.” He flicks his eyes to the windows on the upper floor, raising an eyebrow at me.
I turn to look at him and smile. Yes, please. Always. It’s not a hard question to answer.
He lifts a wheelbarrow into the bed of the truck, then wipes his brow with the back of his gloved hand.
“I want you to stay every night.”
The corner of his mouth tugs up in a soft smile. “Deal.”