Page 6 of Aquarius Awakening (BLP Signs of Love #20)

Another Disappointment

After a pleasant, relaxing evening with Milani, I was awakened by the constant ringing of my phone this morning.

I swore I had turned it off before I went to bed last night.

Once my eyes adjusted to the sunlight, I peered at the phone.

I was surprised to see a bunch of text messages and missed calls from Mason.

Before I got the opportunity to read any of his messages, he called again.

Groggily, I answered the phone. “Hello.”

“You finally woke your whoring ass up. What kind of married woman sleeps out at night? And you left this stupid ass note.” Mason berated me.

“When I said to call me, I didn’t mean in this manner. You didn’t come home for two days. What did you expect me to do?” I asked.

“I’m a man. You can’t do what I do. I expect my wife to be home when I get home. Every day, you give me more and more reasons to leave your ass. First, you can’t have kids, and now, you can’t come home,” he continued on his rant.

With each word that left his mouth, my heart ached. I continued to wonder how things had gotten so bad between us. The man I married used to tell me he loved me daily. Now, every time we spoke, his words pierced me like venom from a poisonous snake.

“This conversation is solidifying what I have been feeling. We need time apart. This marriage isn’t working.

If we’re being honest, it hasn’t been working for a long time.

I can’t keep allowing you to verbally abuse me because it hurts too much.

No matter how disappointed you are that I can’t get pregnant, I don’t deserve to be your punching bag,” I proclaimed.

“You think you are leaving me. Baby, let me tell you something. I have been done with this marriage for a very long time. Don’t worry about the rest of your things. I’ll be sure to burn them,” Mason seethed as he disconnected the call.

I looked down at the phone in disbelief.

Like any other heated discussion with Mason, my stomach churned.

As if speaking to him wasn’t enough torture, I decided to look over the messages he sent me.

With each message, my stomach continued to tighten.

Mason had been texting and calling all night like a crazy person.

Relief came over me when I remembered I had turned my location off before I left the house yesterday.

The thought of Mason knowing where I was worried me.

While he had never been physically abusive to me, there was no way to confirm that he never would be.

As I attempted to gather my thoughts, I glanced at the time.

I needed to get to the office for the meeting with the design team.

Leon was going to showcase some of the designs the team had been working on.

I hoped he took my feedback into consideration.

Time was winding down. We were only two weeks away from the fashion show.

I didn’t have time for any of Leon’s usual antics.

What a shitty way to start my morning in such a beautiful place.

Two hours later, I walked into my office.

It was unusually quiet, but I took that as a positive sign.

One thing I respected about my team was their desire to succeed.

Everyone who worked with me took pride in their work.

Aside from this morning’s antics, I was determined to have a good day.

I silently hoped the fashion show would put us ahead of schedule.

In the middle of catching up on some emails, Milani walked into my office.

“How was it waking up in Brooklyn’s version of paradise?” she asked.

“It was fine until the devil… I mean, Mason, called to ruin my day.” I sighed.

“Let me guess. He wasn’t too happy that you weren’t waiting on him hand and foot for once,” she joked.

“Not at all, but for once, we did agree on something,” I explained.

“That’s new. What did you guys agree on?” she asked as she tilted her head.

“Our marriage is over. I suggested we take a break, but my dear husband had to let me know he was over it a long time ago. You know he can’t ever say anything without going for the jugular. He always wants to hurt me,” I dismally stated.

I wiped the tears from my face. My lips quivered as I tried to stop a full breakdown. I felt like all I had done these past couple of years was cry. I’d gone from crying over being unable to conceive to mourning the loss of my marriage.

Milani looked at me with a saddened expression. She then reached over to pass me the box of tissues in the corner of my desk. “And how are you feeling about all of this? It’s one thing to have scenarios in your head, but hearing him say that must have been hard. I’m sorry he’s such an asshole.”

I took a deep breath to fight back the tears that threatened to fall. There was no time for tears. I had a business to run. If I didn’t get my head in the game, my team wouldn’t eat.

“It’s been a long time coming. Now, I need to move on from this. When you said I would know when I was tired, you ain’t ever lied. To hear Mason call me a whore first thing in the morning was it for me. I told him I was tired of being his punching bag,” I choked out.

Milani stood up and walked over to my side of the desk. She pulled me out of my chair and gave me a hug.

“I’m proud of you. I know it wasn’t easy, but one day, all of this will be a distant memory,” she whispered in my ear. After a few moments, she let me go.

“I’m going to need to stay at the rental a little longer. Can you see if they will extend my stay?”

“I’ll take care of that for you. If they can’t, I’ll find you somewhere equally fabulous to stay,” she teased.

“Girl, let me go into this bathroom and touch up my makeup. Can you gather everyone in the conference room? I’ll be out in fifteen minutes,” I stated.

Milani nodded in agreement as she exited my office.

I went into the bathroom in my suite to get myself together.

As I looked in the mirror, those sad eyes were once again staring back at me.

Milani was right. I did look thinner than usual.

Today was the last day of looking in the mirror and not recognizing myself.

I touched up my makeup before making my way to the conference room.

Everyone was present as I was the last one to arrive. “Good morning, everyone. I’m so excited to see what y’all have been working on,” I greeted the team.

Leon was the first to speak up. “We are excited to show you. How about we get started?” he offered.

I nodded in agreement as he called the first model.

Leon smiled as she walked out in a pink and white bikini with a pink ribbon that represented breast cancer.

Each year, we chose a cause to support, and this year, it was breast cancer.

One of our designers’ mothers had been diagnosed, so it was a moment that hit close to home for the team.

The bikini was cute, but there wasn’t much to design since we only incorporated the pink ribbon.

Luckily, it wasn’t the focal point of the show.

The next model walked out in a multicolored two-piece with sequins. It was cute, and the custom aviators that she wore went perfectly. There was a sarong that completed the look. We were off to a good start. In total, we would need ten pieces. I didn’t expect all the pieces to be completed today.

One by one, the models walked out in various looks. I continued to look at the models while remaining silent. It was hard to keep a poker face because I was annoyed. When the last model left the conference room, I was relieved.

“What did you think? It was hot, right?” Leon excitedly asked.

“Did we look at the same thing? The first two pieces will work, but the rest will not work,” I informed him.

“What do you mean?”

“We talked about this the other day. I told you I didn’t like those designs, yet I’m seeing them again. Did you listen to any of the feedback I gave you?” I asked him.

“I heard what you said, but I disagreed. The designs look great to me,” Leon replied.

All I could do was shake my head. I knew when we met the other day that his behavior toward me felt dismissive. “Leon, I didn’t approve the designs the other day, and I’m not putting them in my show. We will have to go back to the drawing board,” I calmly stated.

“I’m not trashing them. I think you have been in the game so long that you are losing your eye,” he responded.

I was two seconds from losing it. When Leon had authorized things without my approval, I knew he had lost his mind. Now, he stood in front of me as if his behavior was okay.

“You may like the designs, but they don’t follow the vibe of the Love Faith brand. As the owner and founder of this company, I have the final say. I need some new designs, and they need to happen quickly. We’re running out of time,” I advised.

“I can’t work under these conditions. I quit!” Leon yelled as he twirled out of the room.

I stood there numb and irritated. He couldn’t even quit without being dramatic.

Leon was a real piece of work. After all the years of us working together, this was how he chose to end things.

I stormed out of the conference room and back to my office.

Milani was on my heels as she entered my office right behind me.

“What am I going to do?” I asked her.

“You still know how to sketch, right?” she asked.

“Yes, of course, I still know how to sketch,” I confirmed with a puzzled expression.

“Good, because you’re going to go meet with your remaining design team. You’re going to roll up your sleeves and sketch your own designs,” she commanded.

“Are you joking? I haven’t designed anything in over five years. I’m so rusty. Ever since Leon arrived, I just adjusted his designs and approved them,” I explained.

“Right, and today is the day that you remind people what Love Faith is all about. You said his designs didn’t fit the vibe, so who better to give the correct vibe than you?” she asked.

If I were being honest with myself, it would be terrifying to be the head designer.

Five years was a long time in the fashion industry.

This industry was constantly evolving, so I felt a little out of my element.

Everything was happening so fast that it felt like I couldn’t catch my breath.

I was a nervous wreck at just the thought of putting myself out there again.

Milani continued to stare at me while she let me get myself together.

“Are you ready to be my favorite free-spirited Aquarius again?” she asked.

“It’s not like you’re giving me much of a choice. We both know there’s no way I can find a replacement for him with this timeline,” I answered.

This was crazy. I was all for getting back to my roots, but this seemed extreme.

Time was of the essence, so I took a deep breath before leaving my office to head to the design team’s area.

I was certain they were as nervous as to what was going to happen next.

Thanks to Milani’s pep talk, I was back in front of my brand.