Chapter 25
Juliet
My eyes snapped open, my nerves serving as my alarm clock. Either that, or the morning sickness. I tore the covers off of me and sprinted for the bathroom, relieving myself in the toilet. I clutched the cool, white porcelain as I got out what I hoped was my last gag.
“You okay?” asked Gabriella from the bathroom door.
I had almost forgotten she was here. She had ended up sleeping on the couch, too tired to go home after a long day and night of a movie marathon and junk food.
Sadie regretfully had left to get back to “mom duty” as she called it, but Gabriella insisted on staying.
She rubbed her eyes sleepily and looked at me with concern, standing there in a pair of my pajamas she borrowed.
“Mhmm,” I said, wiping my mouth with the back of my arm, feeling so far from okay it wasn’t even funny.
I flushed the toilet and pulled myself to stand. At the sink, I washed my mouth out and began brushing my teeth, desperate to get the taste of vomit out of my mouth. Gabriella leaned against the doorframe, watching me with a faint smile on her lips.
“What?” I asked, with a raised brow and a mouth full of minty bubbles from the toothpaste.
“I just remember this all too well.” She pointed up and down at me.
I groaned. “Does it get any better?”
“It will. Second trimester, at least for most women.”
“And how far away is that?” I asked forlornly.
“Judging by the time frame, not for a while…” she said regretfully, tucking her dark brown hair behind her ears.
“Great,” I muttered before spitting my toothpaste out.
Gabriella laughed softly and put her hand on my upper back. “You’ve got this, Juliet. Peppermint tea, ginger lollipops, crackers. I’ll put together a little care package for you, okay?”
“Thanks, Gabs,” I said, turning toward her and leaning against the sink. “For everything.”
“Of course.” She nodded. “You did the same for me.”
“I don’t know how you got through it. And you got your happy ending…” I said longingly.
“You can have yours, too…”
“I don’t think so. Not with him. Everything is too screwed up.”
“You’ll figure it out,” she said.
I sighed, unconvinced, thinking about the day ahead, wanting to curl back in my bed and try to get some sleep.
The last place I wanted to be was in the office.
It reminded me too much of Chester, our brief, yet consuming history, and how it was all about to come crashing down.
He would be flying back today, and just knowing we would be in the same city made the reality of being pregnant with his baby all that more real.
Even though I wouldn’t see him until the following morning, I still had no idea how I would find the words or the guts to tell him I was pregnant.
Plus, that someone had caught us in the act and was now leaving mysterious threats.
I had almost forgotten that last part, with the double lines on the pregnancy test staring up at me yesterday morning, everything else had faded away. Almost.
“You okay to go to work?” asked Gabriella.
“No.” I shook my head.
“Want to play hooky? You could call in sick!”
“I can’t.” I shook my head, as appealing as it sounded. “I need this job. More than ever now.”
I wished I could up and quit, find another job and not have to face Chester again. I had been working on my résumé, but had yet to send it out. I was still holding out hope that Mike would welcome me back to accounting. I had to talk to Sarah and see what she said.
Maybe, I didn’t even want to stay at Brandfield Enterprises.
It would be a hell of a lot easier working somewhere when there wasn’t the chance of running into the man I was falling for.
But I had a baby to think about, and the money was good.
And the benefits. Even if I went back to accounting and left the cush salary of being Chester’s personal assistant, it would be more than enough.
I had to be responsible. Up and leaving wasn’t an option.
“I know,” she said, reaching for my hand and giving it a squeeze.
“You should go,” I said. “Get back to Melodie and Chandler.”
“Are you sure?”
“Definitely.” I nodded. “You’ve already helped more than you know just by being here.”
“Call me, okay? Let me know if you need anything.”
“I will.”
After Gabriella had changed out of the pajamas I had loaned her, she dressed back into her chic matching linen set and left to hail a cab home.
Once she was gone, the apartment suddenly felt more empty than normal, leaving me with all the thoughts that were swarming my brain.
I looked around the place that now seemed too crammed, now that I knew a baby was on the way.
Sure, it was nine months away, but these were things I had to think about, especially with New York’s market. A move might not even be possible.
I turned slowly in a circle, taking in the living room, seeing where I could push the couch to make room for a playpen.
I did the same thing in my bedroom, mentally putting together a puzzle of furniture to see how I could make a bassinet fit.
It wasn’t impossible, but it wasn’t ideal.
I started to feel overwhelmed, and tried to push the overwhelming thoughts away as I opened my closet door and looked through the rack for something to wear.
I chose an all-black suit that matched my mood.
My heart felt heavy in my chest as I did the waistband and slid on the blazer.
I could hardly look at myself in the mirror that hung on my closet door.
Soon, these clothes wouldn’t even fit anymore.
I felt a tear slide down my cheek. I was too sad to function.
Here I was, pregnant and devastated. This was a time that I was supposed to be happy.
Elated. Excited about the future. But here I was on the verge of tears.
I had always dreamed of being a mother one day, but this wasn’t what I had envisioned.
I foolishly thought it would be at the exact perfect time in life with a partner who loved me.
Life didn’t work that way, though. I could see that now.
Right now, it just seemed cruel. I didn’t have a partner who loved me.
I didn’t have a partner who would be excited about this when I told him.
The thought made my stomach churn, and I knew it wasn’t the morning sickness.
Quickly, I finished getting ready, twisting my hair into a bun that sat on top of my head and swiping a layer of clear gloss on my lips. I didn’t want to put in the effort, and was too tired to care. I would probably be in the bathroom part of the day anyway.
Making an easy breakfast of buttered toast, the only thing that sounded remotely good for my sour stomach, I looked at the coffeemaker forlornly. Caffeine sounded good right now after a sleepless night. I would have to talk to my doctor about the dos and don’ts.
I had to find a doctor.
And a crib.
And diapers.
The list kept running through my head, a visual piece of paper that kept rolling and rolling with all the things I needed to do. To buy.
How was I going to do it all?
I quickly ate my toast and walked out the door, thankfully having enough time to walk to work.
I had opted for my black patent ballet flats for a more comfortable trek, while I sorted through my thoughts.
Navigating crosswalks and traffic lights, I ran through made-up conversations in my head, coming up with the best ways to break the news to Chester.
No matter what way I spun it or how I strung my words together, the outcome was the same. He wouldn’t be happy.
What if he thought I did this on purpose?
It wouldn’t be the first time a woman tried to trap a wealthy man into being with her or at least paying her bills.
That would break my heart. I hoped he knew me better than that, but did he?
We had only known each other for a handful of weeks.
We didn’t really know each other at all.
I took a deep breath as I saw the tall glass building come into view.
I quickly crossed the street and pulled the large, heavy doors, slipping inside the lobby.
I was surprised to find Mia standing, leaning against a pillar, forming a smug expression on her face as soon as she saw me.
She was the last person I wanted to see right now.
Her quirk of a smile and narrowed gaze just further pissed me off and something in me snapped.
Instead of walking to the elevators, I strode toward her, heat filling my body. She looked taken aback for a second, before settling back into her bitchy face.
“What is your problem?” I asked, stepping close.
“You seem to be the one with the problem,” she said coolly.
“Why do you hate me so much?” I demanded.
Mia scoffed. “I don’t hate you.” Looking down at her burgundy manicure, she picked at her nails disinterested. “I pity you.”
I shook my head, not understanding.
“I was once just like you, you know…” she said.
“I don’t understand…”
“You know, I worked for Chester before this. At another company he bought up as he does. I was hot. Young. New. His favorite kind of woman.”
I swallowed hard, not liking where this was going.
“You know that though, don’t you?” she sneered, looking me up and down.
I stayed silent, feeling like my mouth was glued shut, but inside I was screaming.
“He eyeballed me all day. Every day. He liked what he saw. The attention was flattering. He is a billionaire after all. But I’m a professional...unlike some people.” She let out a sigh. “I didn’t give in, and you want to know what he did?”
“What?” I whispered.
“He fired me.”
I closed my eyes tight. I didn’t know Chester at all.
“But you…” Mia continued, clearly enjoying this little story time.
I snapped my eyes open and looked back at her to find her eyes dancing with delight.
“You fell for it. You took the bait. Hook, line, and sinker. Not surprising for a slut who puts herself on the internet for the world to see. Someone like you would obviously be Chester’s little fuck toy.”
“Stop it,” I whispered.
“You should be ashamed,” she jeered, leaning in so she was inches from my face.
I wanted to slap her, but it felt like I was frozen. Her words paralyzed me. Maybe she was right.
She pushed off the pillar she was leaning on and sauntered away, satisfied with the bomb she had just dropped on me.
I stared after her, noting just how beautiful she was with her edgy haircut and pressed suit.
It was no wonder Chester once wanted to start something up with her.
Maybe, getting with women he worked with was his MO.
I felt anger begin to build inside me. Toward Mia. Chester. Most of all, me.
I had fallen for his trap of making me think I was the only person in the room.
Making me feel special. Tears burned the backs of my eyes as I remembered all of the ridiculous things I had done to get his attention.
Things I would have never done in the past. I felt ashamed all of a sudden.
Mia was right, as painful as that was to admit.
I quickly walked toward the elevators, jabbing the button incessantly, not wanting to run into anyone else.
I stepped inside the gold doors that slid open to reveal a thankfully empty elevator.
I rode up to the top floor and walked toward my office, the buzz of the morning frenzy a blur.
I blocked everyone else out, finding reprieve in my empty office.
I looked out the window and narrowed my gaze at Chester’s office to find it unsurprisingly empty, while feelings of anger bubbled in my chest.
How can I hate someone who isn’t even there?
I shut my eyes tight, blocking out the memory of what we did in his office just last week.
The depth of our kiss. The way he looked at me.
It was all an act. It hadn’t meant anything to him, but it had meant everything to me.
I was certain now that he had just seen me as a conquest. If his cool demeanor toward me afterward wasn’t confirmation enough, Mia’s recanting of her time working for Chester had convinced me that he had used me.
There were too many memories here. I couldn’t stay. I had to get out of there that moment. No one would notice I was gone, anyway. Chester wouldn’t be back in New York until later this afternoon, and he hadn’t emailed me his usual lengthy to-do list. Why torture myself by staying?
I began packing my things I had barely unpacked, desperate to get out of one of the largest buildings I had ever set foot in that now felt like it was somehow suffocating me. I grabbed my purse, clutching it tightly, and slipped out of my office without looking back.
When I returned tomorrow, I wouldn’t be telling Chester about the baby. I would be telling him I quit.