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“She’s my personal assistant, for God’s sake. It’s just business.”
The coldness in his voice was more biting than the words that left his mouth.
It felt like the air was knocked out of me as I stumbled backward, tripping over the train of my dress. I saw Veronica’s eyes on me. The pleasure in them as she watched me absorb Troy’s words like punches to my gut. The pleasure in seeing me fall.
Everyone in the room seemed to suck in a collective breath as I fell to the cold marble floor, people scattering like broken glass. My face turned as red as the satin dress that draped around me. Troy turned slowly and his eyes fell on me. Before he could even move or utter another word, I quickly pulled myself from the floor and ran. My ears felt like they were burning as a silent scream passed through them, blocking out the music, the clinking of glasses, the hum of voices. I could have sworn I heard Troy call after me, but I wouldn’t stop. I wouldn’t let these people see me cry. I wouldn’t lethimsee my cry.
Tears burned at the back of my eyes and fell down my face in warm streams as I ran through the large hall and out the doors to the harsh, cold evening air. I ran down the steps and down the red carpet to the sidewalk, not looking back. I hailed a cab and clambered inside. A quiet sob escaped me as it pulled away from the fairytale I had let myself fall for.
Back in the reality of my small apartment in Queens, in my dress that felt too big for the space, I struggled to reach the zipper. I felt like I was suffocating in the façade of the dress. The diamond jewelry. The shoes. I turned in a circle, trying to free myself and failing. I crumpled to the floor in a heap as the sobs escaped me.
I heard a knock at my door, startling me. I slowly stood from the ground as the knock sounded again.
“Who is it?” I called out, my voice shaky.
I had a brief moment of panic as I imagined my stalker on the other side of the door. The long blond hair. The eyes that were so dark they could be black. The smile that was more of a sneer across his dry lips.
“It’s me.”
Troy’s muffled voice floated through the door, calming my heart that had begun to race.
I remained quiet.
“Please let me in,” he said. “Please, Monica.”
I took a deep breath before unlatching the top lock and the three other locks that lined up beneath it. I opened the door and found his hands on the doorframe, his head down in shame. He looked up quickly and his eyes looked frantic.
“Thank God. Are you okay?” he asked, taking a step forward. Reaching for me.
I stepped back, avoiding his touch.
He looked taken aback.
“Monica…”
“Don’t touch me,” I said, every word enunciated as if it could hold its own in a sentence.
I saw him wince as he put his hands down at his sides.
“Look, I’m so sorry for what Veronica said back there. It was vile. I… I don’t even know what to say. It was inexcusable.”
He thought this was abouther.She could have launched a hundred insults at me, but the weight of what he said would crush me more than her spew of hatred.
“Veronica…” I said slowly.
“Look, I never told you about her. I should have. She is my ex-wife and has made it her mission to make my life a living hell. I can’t seem to get her out of my life.”
I let out a laugh that sounded more angry than amused. He made it sound like he was a weak man who couldn’t stand his ground, and it made me feel nothing but pity.
“We got married on a whim in Vegas. It feels like a lifetime ago. It was stupid. So stupid. I couldn’t risk disappointing my father by ending things. I couldn’t risk his reputation. So I tried to see it through. I couldn’t, though.”
I realized then the issues he had ran far deeper than I could have imagined. The man in front of me was actually a boy who was terrified of ever letting his father down. He revolved his world around it, making choices that weren’t for him, but for the man who raised him. The man who had inadvertently ruined his son.
Troy continued, “We divorced years ago. There is nothing between us.”
“Just like there’s nothing between us?” I asked, narrowing my gaze.
He opened his mouth, but nothing came out.