28

Chapter 28.
Lucas sat behind his desk, looking at his computer screen without actually seeing it. He couldn’t focus on anything, not even the emails that kept pouring in. He needed to clear his head and think about what he was going to do.
After a few moments, he stood up and walked around his office, pacing back and forth. His mind was racing with thoughts, and he couldn’t seem to calm down.
He picked up his phone and dialed Emily’s number. After a few rings, she picked up.
“Emily, can you come to my office? I need a file,” he said, his voice shaking.
“Sure, I’ll be there in a few minutes,” Emily replied, trying to keep her voice steady.
When she arrived, she knocked on the door and waited for Lucas to invite her in.
Emily walked slowly towards him, her eyes never leaving his. She placed the file on the desk in front of him and stood there, her arms crossed tightly across her chest. Lucas looked up at her and noticed how distant she seemed, her usual bubbly personality nowhere to be found.
“Is everything okay?” Lucas asked, noticing the tension in the room.
Emily took a deep breath before responding, “No, Lucas, everything is not okay. I can’t believe you won’t divorce Andrianne even though you claim to love me.”
Lucas leaned back in his chair, his mind racing. He knew he had hurt Emily deeply, but he couldn’t bring himself to leave Andrianne. She was his first love, the woman he had thought he would spend the rest of his life with.
“I’m sorry, Emily. I know I hurt you, but I just can’t leave Andrianne,” he said, his voice filled with regret.
Emily looked away, tears streaming down her face. “I can’t do this, Lucas. I can’t be with someone who won’t choose me over someone else.”
Lucas reached out to take her hand, but she pulled away, backing away from his desk. “I have to go,” she said, turning towards the door.
“Emily, please don’t go,” Lucas pleaded, standing up from his desk.
Andrianne sat on her bed with tears streaming down her face. Her mind was in turmoil. She couldn’t understand why seeing Steve again had affected her so much. She had moved on from him a long time ago, or so she thought.
As she sat there, she went over the events of the day in her mind. She had woken up in a strange room with no memory of how she got there. And then, she had seen Steve, her first love. The man who had broken her heart all those years ago.
At first, she had been scared and thought he was a kidnapper. But then he had explained everything to her, and she had recognized him. Andrianne felt angry and confused. She wanted to leave, but Steve begged her to stay. She had eventually stormed out of his house, still feeling a mix of emotions.
Now, as she sat in her room, she couldn’t help but think about how her life had turned out. She had married Lucas, a man she married under duress and majorly under her father’s influence. And then, Steve had come back into her life, throwing everything into chaos.
She wiped away her tears and tried to calm herself down. She knew she needed to talk to Lucas about what had happened, but she didn’t know how to broach the subject. She wasn’t even sure what she wanted to say.
Andrianne lay down on her bed and closed her eyes, trying to clear her mind. But the more she tried to push away her feelings, the more they consumed her. She realized that she needed to sort out her emotions before she could have any meaningful conversation with Lucas.
So, she decided to take a break from everything and just focus on herself for a while. She got up from the bed, went to the bathroom, and washed her face. She changed into comfortable clothes and went to the kitchen to make herself some tea.
As she sat at the kitchen table, sipping her tea, she thought about all the things that had happened that day. She realized that she needed to confront her past and make peace with it before she could move on with her life.
Andrianne didn’t know what the future held, but she was determined to face it head-on. She knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but she was ready to do whatever it took to find her happiness again.
Andrianne’s phone rang, interrupting her tears. She sniffled and reached for the phone on the nightstand, seeing Carmen’s name flashing on the screen. She answered, her voice still shaky.
“Hey, Carmen,” she said, trying to sound normal.
“Andrianne, is everything okay? You sound upset,” Carmen asked, concerned.
Andrianne hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to respond. But she knew that she needed to talk to someone, and Carmen was her closest friend.
“No, everything’s not okay,” Andrianne said, her voice breaking. “Can you come over? I really need to talk to someone.”
“Of course, I’m on my way,” Carmen said, sounding worried. “Just hang in there, okay?”
Andrianne nodded, even though Carmen couldn’t see her. “Okay, I will.”
Andrianne tried to compose herself as she waited for Carmen to arrive, wiping away her tears and taking deep breaths. She knew she needed to tell someone what was going on, but she didn’t even know where to begin.
When Carmen finally arrived, Andrianne met her at the door and they hugged tightly. Carmen looked at Andrianne with concern in her eyes.
“Okay, spill it,” Carmen said, leading Andrianne to the living room.
Andrianne took a deep breath and started to tell her everything that had happened. She explained about Steve showing up at the bar, taking her back to his place, and her subsequent panic attack. She talked about her conflicting emotions, and how she didn’t know what to do.
Carmen listened attentively, nodding sympathetically. “I can understand why you’re feeling so confused,” she said. “But you need to remember that you’re in a committed relationship with Lucas.”
Andrianne nodded, knowing that Carmen was right. “I know, but I can’t help the way I feel.”
Carmen placed a hand on Andrianne’s shoulder. “I know it’s hard, but you need to make a decision. Do you want to be with Lucas, or do you want to explore this other path?”
Andrianne thought for a moment before responding. “I don’t know yet. I need to figure things out.”
Carmen nodded in understanding. “Take your time. Just make sure you’re honest with yourself and with Lucas.”
Andrianne smiled, grateful for Carmen’s advice. “Thank you for coming over. You always know how to make me feel better.”
Carmen hugged Andrianne tightly. “Anytime. I’m here for you.”
As Carmen left, Andrianne knew that she had a lot to think about. She had to decide what she wanted and be honest with herself and Lucas.