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Oh boy. She's got it so wrong. But I don't tell her that. Not when I just realized what it is I need to do. “All right, girl. I'll think about it. Thanks. Now, enough about me; tell me what you've been up to.”
She launches into talking about herself. We spent the next hour discussing her love life. She's seeing someone new, too. I made her promise to introduce me to him soon before I ended the call. With the phone in my hand, I start to do what I know is inevitable.
—Rafael, I would like to end our current arrangement as I am no longer comfortable with it. It's been fun while it lasted, but I'd like things to go back as they were before, and I'd appreciate it if you respect my decision.—
I hit send before I can talk myself out of doing this. It's cowardly to break up with him over a text, but what we have isn’t even a real relationship, so there's that.
The past hour has made me realize I've been playing with fire these past weeks. Rafael and I will part ways eventually, but I fear if I let this continue, I’ll be too deep in to turn back.
He's given me more than enough to see Tara through school. After releasing the hundred thousand from the auction, he wired an extra five hundred thousand to my account. I tried to reject it, but he wouldn't have it.
I did this for financial security, and now I have it. What other reason do I have to continue this? I started because of money, and now that I have all the money I need, I should stop before I get hurt. I'll still keep my job if he lets me. Speaking of my job, I need to go in today before it's too late. Today is meal prep day.
As I step inside the mansion about an hour later, I know there's no way I can continue working for Rafael. I'm too deep in. Maybe I should text him back and say it was a mistake so I can stop feeling miserable?
No.
If I'm feeling this way right now, then it's just going to be worse in a couple more days, weeks, or months, however long it takes before he gets tired of me. I need to do this for myself.
As I work, my thoughts are all over the place. Sometime during the day, Sadie pops into the kitchen and pesters me with small talk. I try to engage her as best as possible, but since my head is so foggy with emotions, I can only do so much.
“Ivy, are you all right?” Sadie asks at some point.
Those words reach me deep within and have me pausing from what I'm doing. I open my mouth to speak, but no words come out. Just tears streaming down my face.
Sadie looks at me in alarm, her eyes filled with horror. “Oh God, what did I do?”
“Sadie, come here for a minute?” We both turn at Rafael's voice. He's standing at the kitchen entrance, his eyes on me, although his words address Sadie.
Sadie rushes toward him, and I watch him stare at me with his eyes burning hot before he turns on his heels and leads his niece out of the kitchen.
What have I done?
Chapter Nine
Rafael
I'm in the middle of a board meeting when the message arrives. Before Ivy, my phone was never active during work hours. But I've stopped silencing it since we started seeing each other, which is why I saw the message when it came in.
I read it, shocked to the bone at the content. She called what we had an arrangement. I can't believe it. The remaining minutes of the meeting are hell for me since I can't just walk out. I ran out immediately after it was over, though, not giving the people there an afterthought.
When I woke up without Ivy beside me this morning, I knew something was off, which was why I called and reassured her that I was all hers. But she clearly doesn't see it that way.
I can't remember the last time I drove myself, but I do today, driving like a man with everything to lose to her apartment. I bang on the door, and soon someone is opening it. But the person is not Ivy. From the striking resemblance, I assume it’s her sister. “Hello Tara, I'm—”
“I know who you are. You're Ivy's boss. What are you doing here?”
Ivy's boss? She didn't tell her sister about us. That realization hurts me more than her message did because I know I'm going to change her mind. No way she's leaving me. “I'd like to see Ivy,” I mutter.
“She's at work, your house. Shouldn't you know that?” she asks, looking at me like I've lost my mind.
I nod. Of course, she's at the mansion. I just thought she would have left after she sent the message. When she said she wanted things to go back to how they were, I didn't quite understand. “Right. Sorry. I was coming from work. I wasn't sure she'd be at the mansion. Anyway, it's nice to meet you, bye.”
I rush back to my car and drive to the mansion within fifteen minutes. I'd barely put the car in park when I fling the door open and run inside. I don’t have to wonder where she is. I can hear Sadie’s voice from the kitchen, so I rush there to find Sadie in front of a crying Ivy, trying to comfort her.
This would normally be a sight that would melt my heart because of how special both girls are to me, but I know the reason she's crying is probably because of that ridiculous message. I wonder what prompted it. It certainly can't be that email Tamara sent because I reassured her of that this morning.
“Sadie, come here for a minute?” My niece quickly rushes toward me, grateful for the interference. I dial my driver and inform him to drive Sadie home. “Go wait in my car. Mark will come take you home soon.”
