Chapter 32
SOLEI
The elevator climb to the thirty-fourth floor dragged, every ding making my heart thud louder.
I’d rehearsed every single word on the car ride over: Personal emergency.
Family matter. The kids needed me. It sounded simple and believable, but my sweaty palms and trembling fingers clutching my briefcase called me a liar.
Standing stiff in my navy suit and sharp heels, I felt like a fraud, a hollow ache twisting in my chest.
The doors opened, and I stepped into the lobby of Morrison each breath caught in my chest. My heart hammered so violently, I was certain everyone could see me shaking.
Still, I forced my head high and retreated to my office, every step feeling heavier than the last.
Janae was inside waiting by my desk, two cups of coffee in her hands. “Well?” she asked.
“Suspended pending review, but I’m still on payroll.”
She handed me a coffee. “That’s not the worst outcome.”
“I guess,” I sat at my desk, mind drifting to Money and the choices I’d made over the years. My career was in limbo. My reputation was questioned. My judgment was under scrutiny.
“It’s not.” She sat on the edge of my desk. “You’re still employed. You’re still getting paid. That’s more than a lot of people get.”
Sighing deeply, I lifted the cup to my lips. The tang of wine startled me, my eyes widening in surprise. I managed a small, grateful smile for Janae, shoulders sagging a little. “How did you know I’d need a drink?”
“Because I knew when you got here that conversation wasn’t gonna be easy. I got your back.”
I turned a little and gazed out the window at the city moving, sun shining. Janae closed my office door; the soft click made me look up. She leaned against the door, arms crossed, studying me with that look she got when she knew I was bullshitting her.
“Okay,” she said. “Now tell me what really happened.”
I set down my pen. “I told you. I had a family emergency.”
“Solei.” She moved to the chair across from my desk and sat. “I’ve worked with you for five years. I know when you’re lying, and I know something big happened. So… talk to me.”
I looked at her and nodded my head. “Okay, fine. Money took me to Isla Parisio,” I replied quietly.
Her eyes widened. “Took you? Like…”
“Like kidnapped me from Junior’s basketball game last Friday and put us on a private jet before I could say no.” I laughed, but there was no humor in it. “He orchestrated the whole thing. He called the schools, called Todd, and by the time I realized what was happening, I couldn’t really say no.”
“Jesus Christ.” Janae leaned back. “And you just… stayed there for a week?”
“Yeah… with the kids.” I paused. “But that’s not all.” I proceeded to tell her about Money forcing me to end things with Darius over the phone and how it left me feeling so fucked up inside. When I finished, Janae was clutching her imaginary pearls.
“Damn, girl,” she whistled, sipping from her coffee cup. I was almost certain hers was actual coffee, though. “Your life is like an urban fiction book. One of those page-turning ones. It’s always something.”
I met her eyes, forcing a small smile. “Tell me about it.” I sipped my wine. “Honestly, I’m glad this is happening. I need a break to process everything.”
Janae was quiet for a long moment. Then she reached across the desk and squeezed my hand. “I’m here if you need me.”
“I appreciate you.”
She stood up. “I just hope he’s worth what this is gonna cost you.”
“My career, you mean?”
“Your peace of mi…” she stopped herself. “Never mind. You’re grown. It’s not my business.”
“Janae…”
“Like I said, I’m here for you. Whatever you need. You know that.” She moved toward the door and then was gone.
I sat alone in my office, head spinning, sipping my wine. Guilt about Darius made me sick to my stomach. Before I could stop myself, I called him.
It rang four times before he answered. “Solei.” His voice was cold and nothing like the warm, patient man I’d known.
“Hi. I…” I took a breath. “I wanted to call and apologize for everything and how I handled things. You didn’t deserve that.”
I was met with silence for a few moments until he finally spoke again. “No, I didn’t.”
“I know, and again, I’m sorry. I should’ve handled it differently. I should’ve been honest with you from the beginning about…”
“About the fact that you were never over him?” His laugh was bitter. “Yeah. I think I deserve an apology in person. A real apology.”
My stomach tightened. “Darius…”
“I’m not asking for us to get back together, Solei. I’m asking for closure.”
“I don’t think…”
“Are you free this week?” He cut me off. “Wednesday for lunch, if possible. Three-thirty.”
“Uh, yeah. Wednesday works. Majesty’s?”
He sighed heavily. “That’s fine. See you then and… uh, try not to stand me up this time.” Darius hung up before I could respond.
I sat staring at my phone, uneasy, until a text buzzed in.
I text back almost immediately.
I laughed despite everything, sipping my mind as I locked my phone.
I sighed, looking at my still bare ring finger, and shook my head.
My life literally felt like a book, a movie…
something. If someone had told me fifteen years ago that I would fall in love so deeply, have babies, get married, just to end up separated, I would’ve died laughing.
But they would have had to understand everything to get why I’d made the decision I made at the time.