Chapter 11
Theo
I don’t move. Don’t speak. I watch her delicate fingers trace the lines of my abs, knowing the next move I make is going to bring everything crashing down around her.
I close my eyes, gathering the strength to move from her bed.
To leave her. I want to stay here with her, God, I want it so badly, but I know I should be out of this house before the sun rises.
The darkness is safe, but the daylight brings with it a world of trouble and complications.
Her eyes begin to close, drifting into sleep.
I gently lift her arm from my stomach and ease myself out of the tangled sheets, quietly sitting on the side of the bed, readying myself for the heartbreak I’m about to cause.
I’m terrified of leaving her here alone.
I stare at the floorboards beneath my feet, waiting for her to ask me to stay.
If she asks, I know I won’t be able to say no.
My hand wraps around her leg, squeezing gently as I take a steadying breath.
“I have to go,” I say to her softly, thick with regret. Regret saying those four words.
I turn, watching her reaction. My hand slides from her leg as her knees hug into her chest, tangled in the white sheet, clutching it up above her breasts like she’s trying to hide from me.
She looks so small, so heartbreakingly vulnerable.
Her hair tousled, beautifully undone from the sex we just had.
I dress quickly, unable to meet her eyes.
Elizabeth nods as I kiss the top of her head.
She’s trying to keep her composure, but I can see it in her, in the way her lower lip is trembling slightly.
In the way her eyes won’t meet mine. And in that moment, I look at her, realising that this is love.
I want to protect her, keep her safe, and make her happy.
So why am I the one making her cry again?
As I walk out, the door clicks softly behind me, a hollow ache spreading in my chest.
I slowly make my way to the car, stopping halfway down the path.
I stand there staring back at the cottage, and watch as the bedroom lamp switches off, throwing it into darkness.
I should have stayed. I should never have left her after what we just did.
All I want to do is stay with her. Sleep in her bed and wake in the morning with her wrapped in my arms.
I sink into the back seat of the car, watching the road sail by the window. My mind races, thinking of all the ways I could leave Olivia. All the ways I could end not only our relationship but the career that’s keeping me trapped in it.
The car pulls up outside my house, and I see that there is a light on in the living room.
As I push open the front door, the air feels thick and heavy.
I follow the tension down the hallway and make my way to the lit room, my shoes clicking against the marble floor, echoing as I go.
I tentatively open the living room door and see Olivia perched on the edge of the coffee table.
She is surrounded by photographs that I can’t quite make out, spread out like evidence.
“Did you have fun with your little blonde whore?” The words slap me in the face, and it takes me a minute to realise what she just said.
My ears ring, and my mind can’t seem to process the words that just spat out of her mouth.
I can hear the venom in Olivia’s voice, it’s filling the room, suffocating me.
Anger builds in me as quickly as the passion had earlier on.
“Come on, Theo. Come sit. Tell me all about how you fuck her. Is it better than me?” My eyebrows knit together, and I can feel my fists beginning to clench at my sides, my nails cutting into my palms.
As I step closer to the coffee table, I finally see the faces in the photographs.
Elizabeth and I at the coffee shop, her eyes soft and gentle, and my grin filled with happiness I can now recognise.
Walking along the beach together. Kissing her on her front porch…
and even a shot from tonight. They’ve taken a picture through the window of her cottage.
Panic fills my chest. A picture shows my hands framing her face.
One image that is so tender that any other day would have made me smile.
Now it just makes me feel sick to my stomach.
My heart breaks for her. I promised to protect her, and I have already failed.
I tear my gaze away from the numerous images sprawled across the table and turn to Olivia. The realisation hits hard. It was her. She told the papers where I was. She has put Elizabeth in danger.
She stands in front of me, arms crossed, with a look of pure satisfaction. Until it falters. Her face changes and I can’t make out the emotion.
“Oh my God, Theo… you love her.” The horror lasts for a fleeting moment, but long enough for me to see it before switching to fury. “Look at you. I can see it in your eyes. You’re pathetic!” She’s screaming at me now, but I don’t care.
“Where did you get these photos, Olivia?” I ask her in a tone of simmering rage.
Calm on the surface, yet bubbling underneath, ready to explode when a weak moment hits.
I can feel the wrath building inside me.
I’m unsure how long I will be able to control my anger if she continues to bash Elizabeth.
My body is beginning to get hotter, and my veins feel like they’re vibrating.
“I’ve known about your relationship with this girl since you were stupid enough to stand outside the coffee shop like a lost puppy.
Your driver isn’t as bright as you think he is, Theo.
You would think he might check for trackers once in a while, wouldn’t you?
” She sounds nothing like herself, and I’m beginning to question whether I have ever really known who she is.
She doesn’t love me, but her sudden rise in jealousy is confusing.
I look at her with disdain. I hate her. With every bone in my body.
Not just for this, but for all the times she has screwed another man.
For every time she used my son against me.
For that day she made me sign that stupid contract.
I’m a fucking idiot.
I press my hands to my eyes.
“You’ve been following me?” I ask, seething through gritted teeth.
“Well, not personally, I haven’t got time for that,” she shrugs.
“But the photographers at the papers really enjoyed getting my messages letting them know when you left the house! You didn’t answer my question though, Theo.
Is she worth it? Is she a good fuck? Because if you’re going to screw around with some little girl, I hope it’s at least satisfying you.
” That is all it takes. I lose the little bit of restraint that I have left.
I cross the room in two strides, towering over her.
I grab hold of her arm, tugging her towards me.
The veins in my hand pulse as my grip tightens.
I know that it’s going to mark her, yet I can’t seem to let go.
She stands nose to nose with me, smirking, unflinching.
“Do not talk about her like that,” I growl.
“I don’t love you and I know damn well you don’t even like me, so why are we still here?
You may like to pretend and allow everyone to think we’re one happy family, but I’m sick of it.
I’m fucking done with your shit, Olivia.
” She laughs in my face, smirking like she’s already won.
My fingers are still wrapped around her arm as her skin dents beneath my grip, but I can’t seem to release her.
“The difference between you and me, Theo, is that I’m not stupid enough to parade my affair for everyone to see!” Her voice is low and firm. I laugh sarcastically, short and sharp.
“You must be forgetting about all the endless articles about you and your affair. There’s been that many, Olivia, I could tell you where his fucking mole is on his arse.” I retort. I’m not even sure she’s in her right mind. The entire world knows about her affair. It has for two years.
“It’s fine, Theo. I’ll call off the wolves.
You might want to tell your little side piece about your wife’s news though.
You’re going to be a dad again. Congratulations.
” And with that, she yanks her arm free from my grip, pats me on the shoulder and saunters out of the room, leaving me with my rapid breathing and blurry vision attempting to process what she just told me.
With a rage I have never felt before, I explode.
I heave the glass coffee table into the air.
The photos flutter to the floor around me as the table smashes on impact.
I storm through the room like a bull, tearing through everything in my path.
I rip pictures off the wall, wrecking the living room.
Never in my life have I felt such a fierce, primal need to protect someone.
“What the fuck is wrong with you, Olivia?” I roar at the walls, well aware that Olivia is long gone across to her side of the house. I know that baby is not mine. I haven’t touched her in months, let alone slept with her. It’s impossible.
My chest heaves. My veins pulsing angrily through my muscles. I stare at the ceiling, gathering myself before looking at the mess scattered around me. Broken glass crunches under my feet as I take a step toward the door. I storm out, slamming it behind me.
I stride to the garage where the car is parked for the night.
I inspect every inch of it, running my hand around every nook and gap.
Eventually, I find a small black tracker lodged in the wheel arch.
I rip it free and slam it on the ground, stamping on it until it smashes into pieces.
I stare at the pieces and am hit with a sudden jolt of sadness.
I slowly sink onto the floor and lean up against the tyre, my head falling into my hands.
I don’t know how long I sit there, but the world feels like it slows.
All I want is to get away from her, and now with Olivia pregnant, this mess is bigger than anything I could have imagined. I have no idea how to deal with it.
All I want is Elizabeth. I want to hold her, kiss her, lie with her all night. Olivia’s pregnancy has made sure I will never be free.