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Rachel felt nervous and unsure as she stood outside Leo’s door. She was about to take a chance and put her heart on the line, but now she wasn’t so sure. She took a deep breath, trying to steady her nerves, and knocked on the door.
To her surprise, Leo answered almost immediately, and Rachel felt her heart skip a beat as she looked up and saw him standing there, bare-chested and with a smoldering look in his eyes. It was enough to distract her for a moment, making her forget the reason she had come to his room in the first place.
But then Leo took control, pulling her into the room and leaving Rachel with no other option but to follow. As she looked around, she noticed the tension and desire in his eyes and realized that he was intent on continuing what they had started on the terrace.
Just as Leo leaned in to kiss her, the bathroom door opened, and out walked Roseline in nothing but her undies. Rachel was in shock, and she pulled away from Leo, feeling her heart break into a million pieces. She could feel Roseline’s smug gaze on her, challenging her, but Rachel had no fight in her. She felt defeated, and all she wanted was to leave.
Leo tried to explain, telling her that it wasn’t what it looked like, but Rachel didn’t want to hear a word he had to say. She apologized for disturbing them and turned to leave, with a heavy heart. As she walked away, she couldn’t help but wonder if she had just made the biggest mistake of her life.
Leo sprinted down the hallway after Rachel, his heart pounding in his chest. He reached out to grab her arm, spinning her around to face him. “Rachel, wait, let me explain,” he said, his voice thick with emotion.
She yanked her arm away from him, tears streaming down her face. “Explain what, Leo?” she said, her voice trembling with anger and hurt. “I just walked in on you and Roseline in your room!”
Leo sighed heavily, knowing he had a lot of explaining to do. He stepped closer to her, reaching for her cheek, but she reared back from him. “Don’t touch me!” she yelled, and before he could react, she slapped him across the cheek.
Leo rubbed his stinging cheek, watching as Rachel turned and ran down the hallway. He felt a mixture of anger and regret, knowing that this was all his fault. He should have been more careful with Roseline, he thought to himself as he stomped back to his room.
When he entered his room, he found Roseline lying on his bed, a smirk on her face. Leo’s anger boiled over, and he pointed a finger at her. “Get out of my room, Roseline. And you’re fired. I can’t believe the damage you’ve caused. I should have never let this happen.”
Roseline sat up, her expression turning pleading. “Leo, please, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause any trouble. I just wanted to be close to you.”
But Leo was beyond forgiving. He stalked over to the door and yanked it open. “Get out, Roseline. And don’t ever come back.”
As he slammed the door behind her, Leo let out a roar of frustration and thrashed things in his room. He had never felt so angry and regretful in his life. He had allowed his desire for Roseline to cloud his judgement, and now he had lost the only woman he had ever loved.
**
When Rachel arrived back from the wedding trip, she felt more scared than ever before. The image of Roseline in Leo’s arms haunted her thoughts and dreams. She felt like she needed time to herself, to clear her mind and get her thoughts together.
Rachel called her boss at H. R and requested an extra week off work so that she could focus on getting her brand together. She was all alone in the house since Madeline and her lover made a detour on their way back. She felt like she needed this time to herself to heal and move on.
But no matter how hard she tried to push it away, the thought of Leo and Roseline kept creeping back into her mind. She felt so much anger and frustration towards Roseline for intruding on her and Leo’s moment. She thought about how much she would love to hurt Roseline, and before she realized it, she had broken a glass in her hand.
With a sigh, Rachel treated her injuries with the first aid kit and berated herself for thinking that Leo would love her back. She contemplated throwing in the towel and asking for a divorce. But a small part of her brain tried to reason with her, reminding her of Leo’s fidelity. He had kissed her and wanted her, but the sight of Roseline only made her see red.
Rachel felt so confused and torn. She didn’t know what to do or how to move on from this. All she knew was that she was on a lonely road ahead and she had to find the strength to keep going.
As Rachel walked out of the car and onto the bustling street, she felt overwhelmed. The city was alive with energy, but it did nothing to alleviate the weight that sat heavy on her chest. She had taken a week off work to focus on her fashion brand, but now that the time was here, she felt more lost than ever.
“This one?” The agent from the investment company asked, gesturing to a large brick building.
Rachel sighed and looked up at the building. It was grand and imposing, but it wasn’t what she had in mind. “I don’t know,” she said. “It doesn’t feel quite right.”
The agent nodded sympathetically. “Well, let’s keep looking. We have a whole list of potential locations.”
Rachel trailed behind the agent, feeling like a ghost. They visited several more locations, each one more grand and prestigious than the last, but none of them felt like the right fit for her brand. She couldn’t put her finger on what was wrong, but nothing seemed to click.
Finally, after a long day of searching, Rachel and the agent parted ways. She was exhausted, both physically and emotionally, as she walked back to her apartment.
Once inside, she collapsed onto her couch and stared at the designs that were spread out on the coffee table in front of her. She wished that things were easier, that she could just magically find the perfect location for her brand and be done with it.
Just as she was about to lose herself in a spiral of self-pity, her phone rang. It was Celine, calling from her honeymoon.
“Hey, Celine,” Rachel said, trying to keep her voice light.
“Rachel, are you okay? You sound so tired.” Celine’s concern was palpable, even over the phone.
Rachel sighed. “I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed, that’s all. Trying to get this brand off the ground is harder than I thought it would be.”
“And don’t even get me started on Leo,” she added, the memory of Roseline in his arms still fresh in her mind.
Celine was silent for a moment, then said, “Rachel, I know what you saw must have been a shock, but Leo is faithful. I know he loves you.”
Tears prickled at the corners of Rachel’s eyes. She wanted to believe that, she really did. But the image of Roseline in Leo’s room was burned into her mind.
“I just wish we could talk about it,” she said, her voice breaking.
“You should,” Celine said firmly. “Leo loves you, Rachel. And I know that if you just talk to him, you’ll be able to work things out.”
Rachel hung up the phone, feeling a little bit of hope start to blossom in her chest. Maybe Celine was right. Maybe if she just talked to Leo, they could work things out. She made a mental note to call him later, when she was feeling stronger.
For now, she had designs to focus on. She picked up a pen and started sketching, letting the creative energy flow through her and push all her worries to the back of her mind.