CHAPTER TWO

{Thea}

I stormed away from the house out of both anger, and embarrassment. 

“If Curtis really is your husband, then I think you should know he’s a real piece of shit.”

Those were the words that came out of her mouth, and the look of disgust on her face didn’t exactly ease my racing heart.

I dialed Curtis’ number again and again, but all I got was his voicemail. 

How could he ignore me?

Or better yet… Why was he ignoring me?

He should have answered, he should have been there. Instead, he left me stranded outside what used to be our home, arguing with a stranger who now called it hers.

It took me about 10 minutes to get a cab, and while the cold wind blew through the streets of San Francisco, I barely felt it.

My mind was running wild with so many thoughts. I was trying my hardest to keep calm and understand what was actually going on with Curtis, and where he would be.

There was only one place he actually could be if he wasn’t home. 

“If I could even call it that anymore.”

And that was his office, Blackwood Estates.

Curtis’ company was a gift from his father on his eighteenth birthday, and he took pride in managing a piece of the Blackwood empire. 

Leighton Steels was meant to be the final piece to the puzzle. His dream of dominating the construction industry for new buildings was slowly becoming a reality, and maybe then his father would finally see that he was ready for a bigger slice of the Blackwood Empire cake. 

The Blackwoods were treated like royalty here in San Francisco, and truly, their reputation preceded them. 

The Empire began with a single company founded by Curtis’ grandfather, Joshua Blackwood, a ruthless businessman who built his legacy brick by brick, turning a modest real estate firm into a sprawling empire that had dominated the industry. 

Sitting in the back seat of that cab, I felt the world pass by slowly, and the sickening feeling that resided in the pit of my stomach refused to leave.

By the time we pulled up in front of the building, I was a mess.

I handed the driver a crisp fifty-dollar bill and yelled, “Keep the change,” before climbing out of the cab.

The lobby was sleek just as I remembered it; the curved half-moon front desk on the left, the welcoming waiting area on the right, and my destination—the elevators straight ahead.

“Hold it!”

A hand immediately shot out to stop me from walking any further. It was then I noticed the security man. 

“And who might it be you’re looking for?”

I stared at the security man in utter shock. “Since when does the security stop… me?”

“I need to see Curtis.” I said with a glare in my eye.

“And do you have an appointment with Mr Blackwood, ma’am?”

Ma’am? What happened to Mrs Blackwood?

“I’m his wife,” I snapped, “I don't need an appointment, let me through.”

He looked at me with a bored look on his face, like he could care less.

“I’m sorry, I can’t let you in without clearance. New security policy.”

“New security policy?” I repeated in sheer disbelief as my voice rose, “Are you kidding me? I’ve been here a hundred times. How dare you treat me like I’m just anyone, I’m your boss’ wife!”

He shrugged, “Rules are rules, ma’am. I’ll need to check with someone higher up.”

“Do it then. I’m not leaving here without seeing Curtis.” I spat.

My hands were shaking, but I folded them tightly across my chest just so the guard wouldn’t see how shaken up I really was.

He picked up his radio and muttered something quietly into it. Moments later, he received a response, and he nodded at me.

“You can go up. Put your bag in the tray and walk through the scanner.”

As outraged as I was, I had to comply. I suspected something terribly wrong had happened, but at least I was about to find out what it was.

I placed my bag on the conveyor belt and stepped through the scanner. When the guard waved me forward after a few seconds, I snatched up my bag and headed straight for the elevator.

I got in and punched the floor for Curtis’ office. Each passing second seemed to stretch longer as my heart hammered in my chest.

This entire thing felt like a rollercoaster, and I couldn’t wait to finally get off.

When the elevator doors finally opened, I stepped into the hallway and headed straight to Curtis’ office, but as I got closer, I spotted his familiar frame in the conference hall in a meeting.

“Curtis.”

He seemed really busy in there, but then he looked up, and his eyes met mine through the glass. I expected a lot of emotions to flash on his face, but he just stared.

He suddenly whispered something to the person next to him and walked out of the conference hall. 

I started to speak as he neared me, but before I could get a word out, he grabbed my arm hard enough to hurt.

“Curtis, what are…” I tried to pull away, but his hold tightened as he steered me toward his office.

As we got closer to his office, he bent and spoke in a low tone. A tone I'd never heard him use before.

“How are you here?”

“I’ve been calling you, I keep getting voicemail. I knew if you weren’t at ho…” I suddenly stopped, remembering that he had actually sold our home. 

Anger surged, and I couldn’t help it. “Why is there a keypad on our house, and who the hell was that woman?”

His eyes flashed with guilt, and the sight tore my heart into pieces.

“Not here.” he huffed.

He didn’t release me until we were inside his office, and his door slammed shut. 

Then Curtis did something I never thought possible, he shoved me away from him, causing me to bump into the edge of his desk.

“C-Curtis?”

“Who the hell let you in?” he demanded, his eyes flaring in anger.

Why was he angry? I was the one who deserved to be angry.

“I did.” came a sudden voice.

Both Curtis and I turned to the chair behind Curtis’ desk where the voice came from. The chair swiveled around, and I immediately recognized the short skirt and the brunette hair.

Jennifer.

Jennifer was Curtis’ secretary. The fact that she dressed in such a ridiculous manner showed she still hadn’t given up on chasing Curtis.

“Jennifer, you have exactly two seconds to tell me what’s going on here.” I demanded.

Jennifer gazed at me slowly, then with a scoff, she stood up from Curtis’ chair and walked past me. She stopped beside Curtis, who didn’t move. 

Why wasn’t he moving?

“Curtis darling,” she placed a hand on his chest as she purred seductively into his ears. “I think it’s time to tell her the truth.”