57

57
Leo’s heart sank as he watched Rachel leave. He had bared his truth to her, exposing his true identity, only for her to reject him. The once magnificent Chatteau now seemed empty and cold, reflecting the emptiness in Leo’s soul. He walked around aimlessly, the weight of his actions bearing down on him. He felt a deep anger and frustration, and before he knew it, he was lashing out.
He threw a lamp across the room, watching as it shattered into a thousand pieces. The sound echoed through the Chatteau, a symbol of the destruction of his relationship with Rachel. He continued his rampage, tearing apart the furniture and trashing anything that came in his path. He let out a roar of anger, letting his emotions take control. He had thought that telling Rachel the truth about his identity would bring them closer together, but instead, it had driven them apart.
Leo tried to call Rachel, desperate to fix things, but he was met with silence. He frowned as he realized that she had blocked his number. He felt a deep pain in his chest, realizing that she didn’t want anything to do with him. He sunk onto the couch, defeated, and cried. For the first time in his life, Leo felt truly alone.
Leo woke up to a cold and empty bed, the sheets still creased from where Rachel had been lying just a few hours earlier. He stumbled out of bed and rubbed the sleep from his eyes, wondering where she had gone.
As he walked through the Chatteau, the silence was deafening. He could feel the emptiness of the place, a physical ache that threatened to swallow him whole. He walked into the living room and found that several objects were strewn about, shattered on the floor. He couldn’t remember trashing anything, but he must have in his anger and frustration.
He reached for his phone, hoping to call Rachel and fix whatever had gone wrong. But as he unlocked his phone, he saw that her number was no longer in his contacts. He tried calling her, but the call wouldn’t go through. That’s when he realized that she had blocked him.
He sank onto the couch, feeling a heavy weight settle in his chest. He thought he was doing the right thing by being honest with Rachel, by baring himself to her. He never expected that she would leave him.
All his confessions and baring his soul to Rachel, only for her to run away from him in the end. He tried to steady his breathing, but the thought of losing her made him feel like he was suffocating.
He snatched his phone from the coffee table and dialed William’s number, pacing back and forth in the living room. The call went straight to voicemail and Leo let out an exasperated sigh. He needed to talk to someone about what had just happened, and William was his closest friend and advisor.
He quickly dialed his security team, giving them strict orders to keep a watchful eye on Rachel’s every move. He couldn’t bear the thought of losing her, and he was determined to find a way to make things right.
Distracted with work, Leo tried to focus on anything other than Rachel. But every time he closed his eyes, all he could see was her face and the hurt in her eyes as she left him at the Chatteau. He couldn’t take it anymore. He decided to leave the Chatteau and find a new place to stay, anything to escape the memories that haunted him there.
He packed his bags and left.
*****
Rachel stumbled out of the taxi, her legs weak and unsteady, as she made her way to the front door of her home. The flashing lights of the paparazzi outside her house made her squint, but she held her head high and pushed her way through them.
“Rachel, what happened at the Chatteau?”
“Did you and Leo break up?”
“What’s going on with you two?”
The questions came at her from all sides, but Rachel ignored them, only focusing on the key to her door. She finally made it inside, locking the door behind her and leaning against it for support.
Her mother was waiting for her in the living room, looking worried. She wrapped her arms around Rachel and held her tightly, soothing her with soft words.
“It’s okay, my love,” she whispered. “Just let it all out.”
Rachel clung to her mother, tears streaming down her face, as she finally gave in to her emotions. The events of the last few days had caught up with her, and she felt overwhelmed.
“How did they find out?” Rachel asked through her sobs. “Why are they here?”
Her mother pulled back and looked at her, a frown on her face. “I’m not sure, but it seems like someone leaked the story to the press. They’ve been hounding us for answers all day.”
Rachel’s heart sank. She’d thought that she and Leo could escape the public eye, but now it seemed like their relationship was the talk of the town. She felt exposed, vulnerable, and more than a little anguished.
“I just want it all to go away,” Rachel said, her voice barely above a whisper.
Her mother stroked her hair and held her close. “I know, my love. I know. But we’ll get through this together, okay? You’re not alone.”
Rachel nodded, taking comfort in her mother’s words, but she couldn’t shake the feeling of anger and betrayal. How could Leo have hidden such a huge part of himself from her? How could she have been so blind to the truth?
She and her mother sat there for what felt like hours, holding each other, as the storm of emotions raged within Rachel. But eventually, she knew that she had to pull herself together. She took a deep breath and wiped away her tears.
“I’m okay,” she said, her voice stronger.
“Why did you do this to me?” she whispered. “I told you I should have never married someone I barely knew.”
Her mother stroked her hair, trying to comfort her. “Running away from your husband won’t solve anything, dear. You’ll have to speak with Leo soon.”
Rachel pulled away, tears streaming down her face. “He can wait. I’m not ready to see him yet.”
The two women spent the next few hours relaxing in the living room, drinking tea and catching up. Rachel’s mind kept wandering to Celine, her best friend, and she finally mustered the courage to call her. She was surprised when Celine didn’t answer, and she left a message on her voicemail.
“Celine, it’s Rachel. I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing. I miss you. Call me back when you can.”
Rachel’s mother noticed the distress on her daughter’s face. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m just worried about Celine,” Rachel replied. “I haven’t heard from her in a while, and it’s not like her to not return my calls.”
Her mother put a comforting arm around her. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine. You need to focus on yourself and your marriage right now.”
Rachel sighed, clearly not wanting any discussions about her wrecked marriage. She wondered if there was any way either of them could every pick up the broken pieces and fix up all the cracks.
“He can wait. I’m not ready to see him yet.”
The two women spent the next few hours relaxing in the living room, drinking tea and catching up. Rachel’s mind kept wandering to Celine, her best friend, and she finally mustered the courage to call her. She was surprised when Celine didn’t answer, and she left a message on her voicemail.
“Celine, it’s Rachel. I just wanted to check in and see how you’re doing. I miss you. Call me back when you can.”
Rachel’s mother noticed the distress on her daughter’s face. “Is everything okay?”
“I’m just worried about Celine,” Rachel replied. “I haven’t heard from her in a while, and it’s not like her to not return my calls.”
Her mother put a comforting arm around her. “Don’t worry, everything will be fine. You need to focus on yourself and your marriage right now.”
Rachel sighed. “I know you’re right, but it’s not that simple. I don’t even know where to start.”
Her mother smiled. “Just take it one step at a time.