Chapter 04

ROBERT'S POV

On the drive down to a hotel, I could not keep my hands off Emily. I was like a starved man finally in front of a banquet and I was eager to start feasting. 

When we arrived at the hotel, I quickly paid for a room. The moment we were left alone in the room after being shown,  I pulled her and we fell into the bed… 

I sighed now and turned on the bed cuddling Emily. I knew she was not Flora but just for tonight, I pretended she was. 

Emily stirred in bed and turned to face me, her almond shaped eyes with their hazel color almost bringing me to tears.

“I have to go”, she said.

“So soon? Thought we would be together all night.”

“I've got work tomorrow,” Emily replied, sitting up in bed and beginning to get dressed.

I wanted to grab her and pull her back to me, I wanted to savor this moment with Flora's look alike just so I could be catapulted to that far away time when me and Flora had had the best time of our lives but I said nothing and simply began to get dressed too. 

“I'll drop you off at the bar”, I said…

Now, I wished I had remained in the hotel room and not opted to drop off Emily at the bar.  

The minute Ariana slapped me, I knew I was beyond redemption. 

As much as I did not care much for Ariana, I knew staying married was essential. 

“We have to get out of here”, Barbara hissed at both of us. “You're creating a scene”.

At that, I lifted Ariana swiftly from the ground and began to walk out of the bar, with her kicking her feet furiously in the air and hitting me on the chest.

I brushed past Emily who was still standing at the door stupefied.

Outside in the parking lot, I put her down and began trying to calm her down.

“Would you please stop shouting?” I  snapped.

“You're a cheat Rob, you are a despicable person. How could you do this to me?”

“Oh please!” I snapped enraged. “You have no right to call me despicable, you are no better!”

“Do our vows mean nothing to you, Rob? You are married, remember? I would think that they counted for something, I did not think you would run after just any woman!”

“Are you blind? She looks like Flora…”

I knew that for Ariana, it was like a slap in the face.

I hurt her. I felt guilty immediately but I pretended that I didn't.

She was stunned into silence before I heard her scream,

"Get away from me. I need you to get away from me Rob!"

“Hey, hey, hey”, Barbara called out, attempting to placate both of us. “You both need to calm down, let's go home. You know I cannot stand all the shouting especially in public. For God's sakes you're both world class executives. This could blow up the local news.”

“That's all you care about, isn't it Barbara? You're just like Ariana, both of you cold as ice”.

“You will not speak to me in that manner Mr. Stone”, Barbara said, her voice carrying a warning tone.

“Rob, Rob”, someone called from the bar's door walking towards their direction.

“Oh great”, Barbara said with a sigh, frustrated. “The tiny hoe's coming here”.

“She is most definitely not a hoe, Barbara”, I snapped, clenching my jaw

Barbara rolled her eyeballs but said nothing. 

“You didn't tell me you were married”, Emily said, sounding distraught. 

I wanted to hit something. I felt trapped by my own vices and I was finding it increasingly difficult to breathe.

“It did not matter Emily”, I said.

“What do you mean? I would think that's an important thing to tell a girl you meet at a bar if you were planning to sleep with her”

Ariana chuckled and soon, she was laughing hysterically, unable to control herself with Barbara trying to calm her down.

“You…you…you really…thought he…would…call you back?” She asked, laughing and gasping for breath. 

Emily looked hurt and simply turned and began to walk away.

“Happy now?” I shouted at Ariana.

“You know what? Fuck you Rob!” Ariana screamed at me. “I'm the one who's hurt here. I'm the one who is pregnant. I'm the one who has to sit at home hoping my husband comes home to me early enough to ask me how I'm doing. I'm the one who passed up a promotion at a job I love doing simply because I wanted us to spend more time as a family!”

“Well I didn't ask for all of that did I?” I asked, my voice booming in the streets so loudly even the honking of cars on the busy street could not drown it out. “I never asked you to give up anything for me Ariana, never…in fact, I never asked anything of you”.

“You asked me to marry you”, Ariana yelled. “You asked me to marry you Rob, have you forgotten”.

“It was a business proposition Ari, and if I remember correctly, your parents asked you to,” I said quietly. “Why do you fail to understand that?”

We were all quiet for a while each wrapped in our own thoughts and Barbara simply tired and probably eager to go back home to her bed.

“Um…I think we should all go back home, talk better”, she suggested.

“I'm not going anywhere with him.” Ariana said.

“Oh for God's sake stop being a child Ariana, you want Barbara to drive you all the way to our home before going back to hers?” I demanded angrily.

“She's my friend and not yours, you don't get a say in this Rob”, Ariana said stubbornly, folding her arms across her chest. 

“I would carry you if I have to Ari, don't play with me”, I said, gritting my teeth.

Barbara sighed. “C'mon Ari, just go home with him, I'm kinda tired myself but I promise I'll be there first thing in the morning”.

Ariana's shoulders sagged in defeat and hurt and before anyone of us could say anything, she turned and began to run. 

She ran away so suddenly. I somehow felt panic.

We ran after her, calling her name and shouting at her to stop.

Barbara saw it before I did and signaled to me that there was danger ahead.  I saw it before the truck driver began to press his horn desperately. I saw it before Ariana took that bend and I began to scream her name loudly, pleading for her to stop, my voice going from fear to trepidation to sadness.

“Ariana!”

It was when Ariana was sprawled on the floor in a pool of her own blood that it dawned on us what exactly had happened.