OLIVIA
Until Adrian walked away, I couldn’t get my eyes off him. There’s something special about him that makes me want to call him back.
I never wanted him to leave. Just the few minutes I spent with him, I felt like a real woman again. He rejuvenated the sparkle in my life. He was the missing link I needed.
“Is he gone?” Kate rushed to the living room and startled me.
“What’s wrong with you? How would you walk in like that?” I scolded Kate. I was so rooted in Adrian that I never saw her coming.
“Yes, he is gone.
Guess what? We just sealed the deal. He promised to send the contract to my mailbox,” I told Kate. Her joy knew no bounds. One would think she owned the company.
“What are you going to do about him?” Kate asked me after the brief celebration.
“What about whom?” I avoided her question like a plague and sauntered to the bar to grab a bottle of whiskey. I poured a small portion inside a glass. Before I could take a shot, Kate snatched the glass from me.
“No alcohol.
Remember your health. When did you suddenly develop a drinking habit? This isn’t you,” she treated me like a kid.
I needed the alcohol to distract myself from falling deeply for Adrian. I would rather not throw myself at him and appear so cheap. If he wants me, he should come get me.
“Enough about Adrian.
I just want to be focused on the deal,” I told Kate and walked away to my room. That was the very least I could do to avoid more questions. Kate was starting to dig deep. I wasn’t certain how long I intended to withstand her pressure.
I turned on my phone after arriving in my room and the first call that went in was from Cyril.
“Argh! Don’t you ever get tired?” I flared up and gnashed my teeth. I wouldn’t mind switching off my phone for the whole if that would make me avoid speaking to Cyril.
“What can he possibly say to me that would be better than what Adrian told me?” I said to myself.
Adrian has done tremendously by making me happy for the first time In a while. I’m scared that Cyril might take away that happiness from me with his irrational attitude.
He won’t stop calling my phone. My head was blank. I can’t even think straight to save my life. I know how obstinate Cyril is. He won’t stop calling until I answer the phone.
“What do you want?” I yelled at Cyril. I couldn’t withstand his pressure. It was only natural that I answered the phone. I needed to hear what he had to say, even though I knew it was never going to make sense to me.
“What took you so long to answer the phone? Are you practically ignoring me now?” Cyril screamed at me.
At that moment, happiness eluded me. What I had left was chaos, sorrow, and grief. I knew that speaking with Adrian wasn’t a great idea, yet I went ahead, believing that I could withstand his trouble.
I couldn’t respond.
I kept staring at my phone as though it were my first time using one. Replying to Cyril’s ranting would only endanger my health.
Adrian made me feel better again. He was my antidote. I’m afraid that I might collapse again if I stay on the phone and engage Cyril in a heated argument. He certainly knows how to get on my last nerves. He does it so effortlessly and it makes me wonder if he studied at the University.
“What do you want, Cyril? I am not caught up in your drama right now. I got a lot going on in my head right now,” I told Cyril. I never expected anything positive from him.
I know he could be a jerk occasionally. Regardless of how clueless Cyril was, I expected him to ask about my health. I doubt he is even aware that I was hospitalized.
“You got a lot in your head by bringing your numerous boyfriends into our matrimonial home?” Cyril accused me.
“What the fuck did you just say?” My brows rolled up. I widened my mouth astonishingly. It took me a while to realize that.
“You heard me right, didn’t you? The fact that I wasn’t home doesn’t give you the impetus to turn our home into a brothel. Show some respect to the union, would you?” It took me a while to realize that he was talking about Adrian.
“It’s Adrian’s, dummy.
He came to seal the deal.” I revealed.
“Oh! Adrian?” His voice suddenly skipped at the mention of Adrian’s name. Now I know what it feels like to be cheated on.
I was glad that Cyril was able to know the pain I go through each time he cheats on me. Sadly, he can’t accept what he dishes out to people.
“Look, I’m sorry, okay?
I never meant to upset you. Of course, I trust you. I got a call from the estate security that a mystery man showed up at our home. I just needed to be certain that It was for a good reason,” Cyril apologized. It feels like a dream to me. He barely apologized. The world must be coming to an end. It’s not something I get to witness more often.
I didn’t let his apology get into my head knowing that it didn’t come from a place of sincerity. He did that under duress. No amount of apology could take away the pain from my heart.
“You know what?
Maybe you are right. I guess I have to start frolicking with different men. I need to know what it feels like to cheat In my marriage,” I threatened Cyril. Despite how broken he made me feel, it’s good to know that I still have an atom of confidence embedded in me.
“You would do no such thing. Come on, we all know that’s not happening. You don’t even have the guts for that,” Cyril assumed. He was so certain that I would never attempt such.
“Wanna try?
Get off my phone, you punk!” I yelled at Cyril and ended the phone.
My day was ruined, all thanks to Cyril’s tantrums. I wish I never answered the phone. Now the event is stuck right inside my head. I doubt I will be able to forget it.
“I guess I should just switch off my phone and sleep. I was better off without my phone on. The problem started when I turned it on,” I said to myself.
As I was about to switch off my phone, a text popped on my screen. I wasn’t bothered knowing it might be from Cyril. Giving up isn’t his watchword.
Another text popped again. This time, I was tempted to open the text and to my surprise, it wasn’t from Cyril the way I imagined. It was from Adrian. He just invited me over for dinner at his penthouse.
“Is this a dream?” I rubbed my blurry eyes to be certain It wasn’t a dream. It turned out the text was real.
Adrian just knew how to show up when it mattered! I quickly dashed outside to inform Kate about it. I’m pretty sure she would be excited too. Guess who had the last laugh now? Me!