46

Chapter 46
Leo sat at the private lounge, surrounded by his business associates, feeling a sense of emptiness and despair. He had been trying to push aside his feelings of guilt and regret, but they kept creeping up on him.
He knew that he had made a huge mistake in marrying Rachel, and he couldn’t shake off the feeling that he had trapped himself in a marriage he didn’t want.
He downed his glass of brandy, feeling the warm liquid slide down his throat. He knew that he needed to get out of this situation, but he didn’t know how. He couldn’t help but think about how much he had hurt Rachel, and how much he wished he could take back his actions.
As the night went on, Leo and his associates finished up their business meetings and decided to stay back for a private party. He knew that he should head back to the chateau and face his wife, but he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Leo sat at the private lounge, surrounded by his business associates, feeling a sense of emptiness and despair. He couldn’t shake off the feeling that he had made a huge mistake in marrying Rachel, and he couldn’t bring himself to face her.
He knew that he needed to figure out what to do, how to navigate this new chapter in his life.
As the night went on, his associates raised a toast in his honor as a newlywed man, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of anger and frustration.
He gulped down his drink, feeling the burn of the alcohol in his throat. He couldn’t help but think about how much he had hurt Rachel and how much he wished he could take back his actions.
Feeling suffocated, he excused himself from the table and went out for some fresh air.
As he stood outside, he felt the cool breeze against his face, but his mind was consumed with thoughts of Rachel.
He couldn’t shake off the image of her looking beautiful at their wedding, and he couldn’t help but feel guilty for what he had done.
He knew that he needed to figure out a way to make things right, but he didn’t know how.
He couldn’t shake off the feeling that he had trapped himself in a marriage he didn’t want, and he didn’t know how to navigate this new chapter in his life. He knew that he had hurt Rachel deeply and he didn’t know how to make it right.
As Leo stood outside, lost in his thoughts, a lady approached him, trying to strike up a conversation. He barely registered her words, his mind consumed with thoughts of Rachel and how he was going to fix things.
The lady, dressed in a sleek black dress and towering heels, approaches the man with a seductive smile on her lips. “Good evening, handsome,” she purrs, running a hand through her perfectly styled hair.
“Not interested,” he growls, turning away from her and making a beeline for his car.
Leo sneered at her, he caught sight of the paparazzi lurking in the shadows, cameras at the ready. He knew that the last thing he needed was for his personal life to become a spectacle for the media to feast on. He moved past her to the crowd of paparazzi that had gathered just a few feet away.
As he speeds away from the scene, he can’t shake the feeling of disgust that has settled in the pit of his stomach. He knows that the paparazzi will have a field day with the photos they’ve just taken, and the thought of the inevitable headlines and speculation fills him with anger and frustration.
He drives all the way back to his Chatteau, the luxurious mansion that serves as both his home and his sanctuary. But even the opulent surroundings can’t ease the turmoil inside of him, and he finds himself sitting in his car in the driveway, lost in thought and brooding through the whole night.
Leo pulled his car to a stop in front of his grand Chatteau, the wheels crunching on the gravel driveway. He sits there for a moment, staring blankly at the imposing facade of the house, before letting out a deep sigh. He runs his hands through his hair and tilts his head back, closing his eyes as he takes a moment to collect his thoughts.
He feels the weight of the day’s events pressing down on him, and the memory of the patronizing woman and the paparazzi still fresh in his mind. He takes a deep breath, trying to steady himself and push away the negative feelings and thoughts that plagued him.
As he sat in his car, parked outside the chateau, he couldn’t bring himself to go inside. He didn’t know how to face Rachel, didn’t know what to say to her.
Leo finally made it back to the chateau by midday, after spending the early morning hours sleeping in his car. As he walked inside, he could feel the weight of his guilt and regret heavy on his shoulders. His neck was sore from the bad sleep posture and he immediately headed to the kitchen to pour himself a glass of brandy. The alcohol had only served in worsening his conditions as he felt like total shit but he wasn’t done yet.
He downed the drink in one gulp, feeling the warm liquid slide down his throat. But it did nothing to ease the tension he felt, the knot in his stomach only tightened.
Rachel walked into the living room, still dressed in her night shift, her hair disheveled and her eyes bleary from sleep. “Good morning, Leo,” she says, trying to make small talk with him. But Leo, lost in his own thoughts, ignores her and instead makes his way to the living room.
Rachel, feeling dismissed and hurt, makes her way to the kitchen to make coffee. As she waits for the pot to brew, she sees Leo sitting on the couch, his attention focused on the TV.
She could see the gloom and grime etched on his face, and she didn’t know what to say to him.
As she sat down to watch TV, she took a call from Celine. As she spoke to her, she caught the notice on the entertainment headline on the TV,
“Trouble in Paradise Already?” with a picture of Leo and an unknown lady standing close to each other. Her heart sank as she saw the headline.
She hung up the call and turned to Leo, her anger and hurt evident in her voice.
“What is this?” she asked, gesturing to the TV.
She walks over to Leo, her coffee cup shaking in her hand, and demands to know who the woman is. Leo, caught off guard, stammers as he tries to explain that it was just work and that he doesn’t even know the woman. But Rachel isn’t buying it, and she scoffs at him, her anger and disappointment evident on her face.
“You expect me to believe that?” she says, her voice cold and dismissive. “I can’t do this anymore, Leo. I can’t keep living like this.”
As she turns to leave, Leo panics, he can’t bear the thought of losing her. He quickly gets up from the couch and reaches for her, holding her back. ” Rachel, wait,” he pleads. “Don’t go!”