Sailing Away From Her Heart

I hung up, and a cold weight settled in my chest. I canceled our reservation for the candlelit dinner at the fancy restaurant.

I spent three hours waiting, but Isabel Bluett never showed up. She said she was swamped with work. I believed her, never expecting she'd be out sailing with her assistant, Jack Leary.

How ironic.

After canceling the dinner, I returned the million-dollar bracelet to the jewelry store. The bracelet was meant to be a gift for Isabel for our third anniversary, but now it felt unnecessary.

I ordered all my favorite dishes and dug into a hearty meal. Not having to worry about Isabel's preferences made eating much more relaxed.

Once I had my fill, I finally headed home. To my surprise, Isabel beat me home this time.

The second I walked in, she threw me a box. "Here's the Halcyon watch you like. I got it for you."

I opened it, only to find it was a used model from years ago, barely worth 500 dollars. The gift she got me was so thoughtless.

It was so ironic, especially when I thought of the million-dollar bracelet I'd returned. Suddenly, it seemed like she didn't deserve it.

Isabel gave Jack a luxury yacht, but all I got was a second-hand watch. I was treated way worse than her assistant, and I was her husband.

"No, it's fine. I'm not into used watches." I was so disappointed. I simply threw the gift box onto the couch.

Isabel flared up instantly. "Cillian, what's your problem? Didn't you say you liked Halcyon watches? I put a lot of thought into this gift, and now you're acting ungrateful?

"Or are you comparing yourself to Jack? He's a key player in the company. What have you actually done? All you do is bury yourself in work and can't even handle clients. If we were counting on you, we'd have gone under long ago!"

Before she could finish ranting, Jack called. He was so loud I could hear him from where I was standing.

"Bel! Help me out! The clients are making me drink! I'm going to be in deep trouble if you don't get here soon!"

Isabel freaked out. "Send me the location! I'm coming now!"

I sneered inwardly. Jack was a man, and here he was, claiming the clients were forcing him to drink. What a joke.

Was it the clients forcing him to drink, or was he the one pushing drinks on them? Could Isabel be that clueless?

Seeing how frantic she was, I could tell she wasn't just going to "save" Jack. I hadn't picked up on their little secrets before, but now it was crystal clear.

"I might be stuck with clients tonight, so you're sleeping on your own!" Isabel said before rushing out.

The car engine roared to life downstairs.

I smoked the whole night through, and Isabel never came home.

…

Early the next morning, Jack sent me a photo of a hotel room bed.

"Mr. Lyon, don't get the wrong idea! I was drunk last night, so I ended up sharing a room with Ms. Bluett. She took care of me the whole night. She's such a kind soul!

"I see her burning out every day, and I feel bad for her. You should be helping her with client stuff instead of locking yourself in with tech all the time!"

He got increasingly cocky with each word, and I was done holding back. "Who the hell do you think you are? What gives you the right to tell me anything? Just focus on being a boy toy while you can because I don't think you're cut out for anything else.

"Your youth won't last long. So, you should impress a few more women before you lose your looks. Isabel won't be able to support you for long since this company's about to go under!"

After I got that off my chest, I felt so much better. Then, I blocked him before he even had a chance to respond.