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Chapter 3

Audrey Westbrook

~•~

Vincent mumbled something to Cierra before he approached me. My heart was beating really fast and I had to take a deep breath because it felt like everyone in the building could hear my heartbeat.

“What are you doing here?” Vincent asked, his voice almost inaudible. “Can we talk outside?”

My mouth fell open.

After what had happened, he still had the guts to ask me what I was doing at his office.

“I’m not going outside,” I said, forcing my voice to sound steady. “Let’s talk here, Vincent. Or you don’t want her to listen to our conversation?”

My voice was rising in anger and I could see how embarrassed Vincent looked. He probably didn’t want me to cause a scene in front of everybody.

Cierra was still standing by the elevator. I glared at her when our eyes locked for a few seconds.

“Audrey… Please,” he begged. “Don’t do this here.”

I blinked. Why was he trying to make it sound like I was acting crazy out of nowhere?

Everything had been great between us and I couldn’t understand why he would parade around with his ex-girlfriend while humiliating me publicly.

I took a look at everyone present in the lobby. They were looking at us and whispering stuff to themselves.

I cared about my reputation and wasn’t looking to humiliate myself further. Swallowing the heavy lump in my throat, I turned around and walked out of the building.

Vincent trailed behind me.

“What are you doing here?” he repeated. The question only made me more annoyed.

“Are you seriously asking me that?” I asked, unable to hold back a bitter scoff. “You totally ignored my birthday and spent the night somewhere else. Do I also need to remind you that you snubbed all my calls and messages?”

He didn’t respond immediately.

He stroked his beard once and stared at me like he had something to say but chose to stay quiet.

“Vincent…” I continued, taking another deep breath. “I didn’t come here to fight or cause a scene. I just came here to talk to you.”

Vincent didn’t look like he wanted to talk about what was going on. I was certain it was because he felt too guilty and couldn’t face me.

But I needed to know.

“Please, tell me what’s going on,” I pleaded, my voice slightly cracked. “You can’t just shut me out and stay mute when I ask for an explanation.”

He was still quiet.

My phone buzzed again.

“Leave me alone,” I muttered under my breath as I reached for my phone and switched it off. Then I turned to Vincent. “Please…”

He finally cleared his throat.

“Just go home, Audrey.”

My eyebrows shot up. That was all he had to say? Dismiss me like he hadn’t just heard everything I said?

“Vincent. Are you really picking her over your wife? After four years of marriage, you just want to discard me like this?” I asked, incredulous. “You want everyone to laugh at me.”

I wiped off the tears that had glistened at the corner of my eyes. I couldn’t break down in public.

Vincent scoffed. “I’m not picking you over anyone. And you always care about what people will think or say.”

He sounded so calm.

How was he so calm when he was about to blow up my world? Vincent spoke to me like I was a stranger who happened to live under the same roof as him.

He couldn’t even look at me for more than ten seconds.

What the hell was going on?

“Why did you miss my party? Why did you get my dream car and give me false hope?”

He tilted his head. “False hope? I never told you I was getting you that car for your birthday.”

I opened my mouth to speak but I could barely form any words. How could someone who flew my friends and me to Paris for my previous birthday speak to me like I was just some random person who was bugging him?

What went wrong?

Suddenly, he turned around and left.

I wanted to run after him, and demand answers without leaving until I knew exactly what was happening.

But instead, I let him leave.

I didn’t think he would really leave while I was standing alone in the parking lot. My chest tightened.

After everything we’ve been through together, he could just walk away from me without giving me a single explanation. Back to the same building where his ex was waiting for him.

My hands shook so badly that it took me a few seconds to open the car door.

Vincent wouldn’t avoid me forever. Maybe he was going through something and needed space for a bit. We would talk about everything some other time.

I finally arrived at my office.

As I stepped out of the car, I pulled back my shoulders to improve my posture. Even if I was having a rough time, no one else needed to know about it.

My stomach twisted as I made my way into the building even though I tried my best to pretend like I was okay.

“Ma’am, I’ve been trying to reach you,” my secretary said as I stepped out of the elevator. “The client left angrily because you weren’t answering your phone.”

I drew in a long breath.

My mind instantly went to Vincent.

He was the reason why I had lost my client. I was already on thin ice with the firm because of the last rumors that circulated about me online.

“Can you forward his contact information to my email?” I asked quietly. “I’ll reach out to him and explain the reason why I was late.”

There was no way I was going to say what actually happened. I would come up with a story or something. But I knew I had to get that client back.

She shook her head. “No, ma’am. He already said he’s working with another law firm out of frustration. They had a whole conversation while he was waiting for you.”

“Just send his contact details.”

With a nod, she left.

I went into my office.

My boss was sitting comfortably on my chair as if she owned it.

“Just because it was your birthday doesn’t give you the right to keep a client waiting,” she said flatly. “Either you get that client back, or your job will be on the line.”

My heart sank.

I was on the verge of losing my marriage, and now, my job was also at stake?