Chapter 4

She tapped her foot lightly against the ground, dark shades shielding her eyes as she sat in the waiting area.

The airport was slightly packed with people who looked like they were in no hurry to get to where they were going. But that was not the reason she'd put dark shades on.

It was to stop the woman who was so close to her from getting a glimpse of the dark circles beneath her eyes.

Her phone buzzed. It was Linda.

“Are you there yet?" The text read.

Soelen signed before typing back. "Yes.”

Linda didn't text for a short while, and for a second, Solene thought she'd given up on her, though Linda had been in total support of her living the state.

“There's no need to stay, Solene. You don't deserve this.” Linda had said days ago, her brows creased in that sweet concerned look Solene had seen in her eyes when Atlas fell sick and wouldn't take his medication.

“Are you sure?" Solene had asked, still shaken from the dinner. “I mean, I don't know where else to go. He's all I have.”

"You have me, Solene.” She rubbed her back. “I know you. And I know with or without anyone you're going to survive this. You always do."

Solene's smile had been weak, and her lips trembling as she called her lawyer two days after Nyla appeared.

It has been a fast process with little questions asked, as her lawyer watched the news. And in a few hours she'd collected the paperwork.

There was a high probability that Lewis wasn't going to be thrilled about signing, so Linda had advised to stick the papers in between a hospital operation form.

And to her surprise, it worked.

From here, she was supposed to be a free person. Yet, something stung painfully against her chest.

Her phone buzzed again. “You can do it, Solene. You're a strong woman."

"Strong woman." She read repeatedly.

“...at the Sterling showcase, Lewis Crawford and Nyla Hermes were spotted arriving together in a limousine…”

Solene followed the sound to the woman beside her, and her eyes landed on the two people on the red carpet.

Lewis and Nyla smiled for the cameras, glowing under flashing lights.

God, they looked like the power couple—perfect, like their purpose on earth was to be together.

The event was live, and whoever was filming had gotten their angles perfectly. Nyla's dress caught her eye.

It was one of Lewis's pieces.

Solene's heart ached. Lewis had never given her any of his pieces, even when she'd jokingly asked.

He'd said they were all expensive and were for high ranked investors to buy.

Solène turned away, trying to shut the sound of the flashing cameras and reporters asking questions out of her head. But it seemed the more she tried, the more chaos came.

Her eyes dropped back to her phone in her hand.

“You're a strong woman.”

She lifted her eyes to the departure board. Her flight was in an hour, but something was missing.

Her eyes dropped back to her phone, and she swiped away from Linda's inbox, scrolling till she found Mae and tapped on the call button beside it.

She stood as the call connected.

“Mae, have you boarded yet? Good." She grabbed her suitcase, rolling towards the exit. Each step a mirror of a woman who had endured till her limit. “Meet me at the showcase in ten minutes.” She said into the phone before clicking it off.

She'd planned to do this at a better time. But there was no way her mind would be at rest if she left the state just like that.

*****

Lewis strode backstage, his phone pressed to his ear. “So what, Chris?” he snapped. “I should keep hiding the mother of my child? What would that say about me?”

Chris, Lewis's friend, sighed on the other end. “And you just woke up one morning and said, hey, why not show up with my baby mama to a family gathering without informing my wife."

Lewis nearly rolled his eyes. “There was no need for all that ceremony—"

“We’re about to begin, sir. The curtains have been drawn for your opening designs." Lewis's assistant information, hurrying towards him.

“Sir," his assistant called urgently. "We're about to begin. The curtains have been drawn for your opening designs.”

He cut the call and moved forward. “Where's Miss A's assistant?" He suddenly stopped and slowly turned, realizing his assistant hadn't moved from where she stood.

Then he noticed the look on her face.

“Where's my designer?" He asked, stepping closer.

The woman paled. She stepped back. “We… we still haven't been able to reach her. Or her assistant.”

"What?” Lewis nearly screamed, turning a few heads. "Why hasn't she been visited yet?”

"I'm so sorry, sir.” She trembled. "We've never gotten an address before."

“So where were meetings held with her?”

"She…we usually meet her assistant in public spaces, sir. And the warehouse where her workspace used to meet us…it was empty as of this morning."

Lewis's heart sank, cold sweat forming on his forehead as a tiny voice whispered in his head. ‘You’ve been duped.’

He clenched his fists, almost snapping a vein. “Put her on call for me,” he barked. “Now!"

Across the room, Solene silently watched the woman fumble with her phone. She sat calmly in a corner, blending in with the crew who scurried around trying to find or remedy the situation.

The entire space was on fire, but Solene remained calm and just watched.

“The number you have dialed is not reachable at this time. Please try again later."

“No!" he yelled, squeezing the phone in his hand.

The assistant stepped back.

Solene's lip twitched.

Lewis's chest rose and fell. His composure was cracking, his mind was spinning.

‘This was not supposed to happen. This shouldn't happen!’ his mind raged.

Then the assistant stepped closer once more, her eyes wide with fear.

“Sir,” she whispered. "We have ten minutes."