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“Thanks, have a good day, bye now.”
Claudia disconnected the line and sat down in her seat. Her benefit was a couple of weeks away, and her nerves were frazzled about how well it would go. Would she meet the goals she set? Five hundred thousand dollars is what she wanted to raise. But was it too much? Claudia rested against her chair and twirled in the swivel seat.
Her cell rang that familiar tune and where she wanted to smile and be complaisant, she felt obstinate.
“Good morning,” she answered.
“And what a good morning it is.”
Claudia couldn’t stop the smiled that tugged at her lips.
“About last night,” she started, her insecurities creeping back in. “It was a mistake.” Jaden was quiet, so Claudia continued. “I can’t be in a relationship with you Jaden, I’m sorry.”
“Why are you doing this?”
Claudia shut her eyes and leaned back in her chair.
“I have issues. I can’t very well be in a healthy relationship with anyone when I don’t know what that entails. I’ve never been in one before. I wasn’t raised in a family that set good examples. Maybe that’s why I always settle for losers, but I don’t want to hold you back. You deserve a woman who’s put together, and unfortunately, that’s not me.”
“Claudia.”
“I’m sorry Jaden, I really am. I’m sincere when I say, I hope you find the woman of your dreams.”
“Claudia.”
“I have to go.”
“Don’t hang up.” There was a desperate cry in his voice.
Claudia hesitated. “I’m sorry,” she said disconnecting the line.
Jaden slammed the cell phone against the wall effectively shattering the smartphone. A wolfish growl seeped from him, and he balled his fists tight causing veins to populate across his forearms. Claudia seemed hell-bent on moving forward in a relationship without him, so why should he even bother? There was no shortage of women in Chicago or elsewhere. He should just move on and let her be.
But no other woman could replace Claudia. She was effectively in his system, cording around his heart like red blood cells. Jaden squeezed his temples. What do you do when the woman you want doesn’t want to be with you? His door swung open, and Jonas stepped in taking in the streak against the wall and shattered phone laying on the floor.
Jaden’s head snapped up; his mouth set, ready to go off on whoever dared to enter without an invitation. Seeing Jonas, Jaden swallowed the expletive on his tongue.
“Claudia?” Jonas asked.
Jaden agreed without words, shaking his head up and down. Jonas sighed. “Did you tell her?”
Jaden shook his head no.
“Why not? I thought we agreed you would.”
Frustration boiled over. “She didn’t give me a chance. She just…” Jaden sighed, “Ended our relationship.”
“What are you going to do about it?”
Jaden held him with a lethal glare. “I’m not doing a damn thing. She doesn’t want to be with me.”
“You don’t believe that no more than I do.”
“She told me she didn’t.”
“In those exact words?”
Jaden dithered. “She said something to the effect of, I deserved better or some shit. I don’t know why she assumes she’s not enough for me, it’s driving me crazy.”