Lib Novel Page 178
Her gaze drops to the envelope. “I thought these were divorce papers.”
Something in my chest twinges at the thought, and it takes me a second to find my voice again. “If that’s what you want.”
“That’s the only way forward.”
Unlike the silence in the room, there’s a voice screaming inside my head.
How is this moving forward when my life has returned back to where it was before her?
“Goodbye, Charles.”
An uncomfortable feeling claws at my chest, begging to be released as I watch her leave.
“Daisy?” I call out her name right when she reaches the door.
She looks at me over her shoulder, eyebrows raised.
“Did you say last night that you loved me, or…was that a dream?”
Her brows pull together. “I love you, Charles A. Hawthorne.”
38
A NEW PREGNANCY EXPERT IN TOWN
CHARLES
“What do you think about this for the spring catalog, Mr. Hawthorne?”
One of the PR interns aims his laser pointer at the projector screen, but my gaze is fixed on the date on the bottom of the screen.
It’s been exactly two months today since Daisy walked out of my office.
Two months since she confessed her love for me.
And two months since we last spoke.
“Charles, the team is waiting for your opinion.” Jimmy clears his throat, tapping lightly on the wooden table.
“Sorry, guys, but something urgent just came up and I have to be somewhere. I trust your judgment in picking the best fit for the company.” I’m already up from my seat. “Can’t wait to see what you decide.”
I can feel all the eyes tracking my moves as I step out of the room, but what’s the point of sitting in a meeting when my mind is elsewhere—with that far more important thing that’s waiting at my desk.
Sometime later, a knock breaks my concentration. I’ve just tucked the book into the top desk drawer when Jimmy enters my office.
“What the fuck is happening, Charles? You leave every meeting abruptly with one or the other lame excuse. If you don’t have time, inform my team beforehand, will you?”
“I did apologize before leaving, didn’t I?” My gaze narrows.
I’m the CEO, for fuck’s sake.
But Jimmy’s concern for my irritated mood lasts less than five seconds before he pushes another set of my buttons.
“Where is Daisy, by the way?”
“Can you stop repeating the same question every fucking day?”
“I will. The day you give me an answer that makes fucking sense. What’s going on between you two?”