CHAPTER FORTY TWO.
ONE YEAR LATER.
“Adele!” A voice called from behind as Adele was heading towards the elevator. She immediately stopped on her tracks and turned around to see who it was. A wide smile spread on her face when she saw her colleague, Chase, walking towards her, smiling as well. Chase was a senior editor at the publishing firm himself and he was employed one month after she had been employed.
Since they worked together on many projects, they had gotten quite close and many people in the firm thought they were having an affair.
Chase himself had been making advances towards her, but she had done her best to keep her distance as she wanted nothing to do with him.
“Hey, Chase. What’s good?”
“Everything, I guess.” He replied, shrugging his shoulders as he came to a halt before her.
Chase was a very cute guy, the kind of guy who was almost as beautiful as a girl and most girls in the firm threw themselves at him, but he didn’t like it.
He was always very neat and his outfit well ironed and he had this graceful smile he wore almost all the time that never failed to show his beautiful dimples.
Apart from the fact that Jamal was two months older than him, she wasn’t attracted to him because of his looks. He was too cute. Not her ideal type of man.
She loved hot men. Men who had intimidating looks and a domineering aura around them wherever they went.
Men like Jamal.
“Cool.” Adele nodded.
“So, I can see you are heading home.”
“Uh-huh. I’m quite exhausted, I would love to go home and rest.”
“Sounds great. Mind if I walk you to your car?” He asked with raised brows. Adele chuckled lightly, giving him a playful look.
He always did that everyday.
“It’s not like you’ll let me leave if I say I mind.”
“I’m glad you figured.” He began leading the way to the elevator and Adele just followed behind, smiling and shaking her head.
The ride down to the ground floor was a quiet one and Adele was grateful. Talking with Chase was not something she was in the mood for at that moment especially when she knew it could lead to him asking her out for dinner which she would turn him down and then he would leave him disappointed and her conscience won’t let her have a good night’s sleep.
The elevator took them to the underground parking lot where the employees and big bosses parked their cars.
“Thank you for accompanying me.” Said Adele as she fished out her car keys from her bag and walked towards her car.
“Anytime, love. Drive safe, have a good night’s sleep and see you at work tomorrow.” He wished with a beaming smile . Adele only nodded as she opened her car and got in.
Chase waited for her to drive out of the lot before he walked back to the elevator.
It had been one year since Adele and Jamal had that heated argument at her house which led to her almost slicing her throat before Jamal. After that incident, he never showed up before her again and she was grateful. She kept sending him divorce papers everyday for three months consecutively, but he didn’t sign any. He either delivered them back in pieces or in ashes. She had no other option but to stop sending them and let things be.
He neither called nor texted her and she was grateful because she finally got the time to be away from him and heal as she should.
During the year, Dominick Co had grown to even higher heights. Jamal seemed to have become richer and even more powerful. Everyone had something to say about him and Adele was low-key proud of all that he had accomplished. She knew his parents were very proud of him as well.
After about ten minutes of driving, Adele arrived at the hospital. She had not been feeling well lately, so she made an appointment with her new doctor. She had cut all ties with all of Jamal’s doctors after her previous hospital check ups after the miscarriage so they won’t give him any update about her health condition.
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“You seem to be improving compared to the last time you were here. That means you are taking your medications diligently.” The doctor remarked, his eyes boring deep into Adele’s. He had both hands on his office table with his fingers intertwined. His immaculate white lab coat was perfectly ironed. His face was neatly shaved and even his hair was just intact. His neatness reminded her of Jamal, causing her to chuckle and blush unexpectedly.
The doctor, on seeing this, was amused. He thought she was blushing to what he just said.
“Did I say something funny, Miss Mackenzie?” He asked and Adele quickly shook her head.
“No! No… I’m sorry, I just remembered something.”
“Can I hear it?” He pried.
Adele raised her head up, giving him a mortified look and he only smiled. She calmly shook her head.
“No, it’s nothing that concerns you. About my medication, yes, I’m taking them diligently. I want to get well, you know.”
“That’s great to hear.” He remarked with his eyes wandering around Adele’s fingers. She had no ring and that meant she was neither engaged nor married. The perfect opportunity for him to shoot his shot.
“If that’s the case then, I believe I should be on my way.”
“Miss Mackenzie, would you mind going out to dinner with me tonight?” The doctor asked and Adele’s eyes opened wide in shock, giving him an intense look.
The man grinned, making Adele even more uncomfortable.
“Excuse me?”
“I asked if you’d mind going out to dinner with me.” He smiled this time around.
Adele cleared her throat and shifted uncomfortably on her seat.
“Yes, I mind.” She stated firmly. The man’s left brow rose. He was surprised to have her reject him.
“Why, if I may?”
“Because…because…” Adele stammered as she thought of what to tell the man so he’ll stop asking her questions about the issue once and for all.
“Because…?”
“I’m married.” She blurted out before her brain could make a judgement whether that phrase could come out or not. The man sitting before was flabbergasted. His mouth flew open in shock as he looked from her finger which was ringless to her face.
After a few moments of staring, he suddenly chuckled, while shaking his head.
“Miss Mackenzie, you are a terrible liar, you know that right?” He mused and Adele groaned.
“I’m not lying. I’m married.”
“Well, if that’s the case then why don’t I see a ring on your finger and most importantly, why do you still go by your maiden name and not your husband’s name?” He questioned with a sickening smile and Adele sighed at his attempt to act smart.
“I owe you no answer to any of those questions. Like I said a while ago, I’m married, so it’s not appropriate for me to go out with other men, take it or leave it.”
“That’s a weird way of turning a man down, Miss Mackenzie. Anyway, that won’t stop me from achieving my goal.”
“What goal?” Adele was confused.
“I’ve had eyes on you for a while now, Adele. I’m interested in you and I don’t want to say I’m in love with you cuz it’ll sound like the lie a highschool boy would tell to get into a girl’s pants.” Adele shrieked on her spot. “I’m not trying to get into your pants, I’m trying to make your way into your life, into your heart, so I’m going to take things slow. Are you okay with that?” He stared intensely at Adele and she suddenly went all hot. Her palms clamped with sweat and she could not even look up at the guy.
It felt so strange to hear those words from a man after such a long time and at that moment, she didn’t know whether to be happy that a man would still find her appealing or afraid that Jamal might find out and get offended. After all, they were still married.
She smiled up at the doctor with her heart throbbing hard in her chest.
“No I’m not. I know I go by my maiden name and have no ring, but indeed, I’m married and my husband… My husband… he can be nonsensically possessive of me at times, especially when he sees a threat. So I’d advise we drop this conversation right now and if there’s nothing else for us to talk about, I shall take my leave.” She fidgeted with the handle of her handbag and held it close to her, ready to be dismissed.
“Now I’m even more curious to know you than ever, Miss Mackenzie. However, since this conversation is, as I can see, making you uncomfortable, let’s call it a day.” He smiled and Adele instantly rose from the chair.
“I’ll email you our next appointment date. I look forward to seeing you again, Miss Mackenzie.” A sweet smile formed on his face and Adele merely nodded as she stormed out of the office.
The moment she closed the door behind her, she clutched her chest with her left hand and let out a deep sigh she didn’t even know she had been holding.
She hadn’t had such an overwhelming conversation in a long time.
The sound of her phone ringing in her handbag snapped her out of her thoughts. She quickly fished it out and sighed yet again when she saw an unknown number on the caller ID. She quickly killed the ringer and threw the phone in her bag. She wasn’t ready to talk to anyone she did not know. As she made her way out of the hospital, the phone kept blasting in her bag and at some point, she gave up and answered the call.
“Adele speaking, how may I help you?” She said curtly, caring less about the fact that she was being rude.
“Adele.” A deep baritone voice called and instantly, all the hair on her body stood erect. Adrenaline spread throughout her body, causing her heart rate to increase and she clutched the phone tightly in her sweating plans to prevent it from sliding off and falling to the ground.
That voice…
It was a voice she would recognize anywhere and anytime and it had a special way of calling her name.
That voice belonged to no one else, but Jamal.