Agonizing.
Each upward lurch seems to mirror the frantic beat of my heart.I close my eyes, trying to steady my breathing, but the image of the security guard’s skeptical face flashes in my mind.
What if I’m wrong?
What if James isn’t here?
The thought sends panic shooting through me.
I’ve put on this complete farce, risked being caught in a lie, and for what?To find an empty office?
But then I remember Jake’s words, the “boisterous ones.”And the blatant annoyance in James’s dark eyes when he conceded to meeting me there for dinner.
He has to be here.
A sliver of hope, fragile but persistent, flickers in my chest.Maybe this will finally force him to face me.To face us breaking it off.
I open my eyes, my gaze fixed on the illuminated numbers above the door.Each one feels like an eternity.The faint hum of the elevator motor only amps up my anxiety.
Come on, come on.I plead with the ascending machine.
I hold my breath, a silent prayer escaping my lips that this desperate gamble isn’t a mistake.That I’ll find him in there and put an end to this charade.That maybe, he’ll agree to end it all.
Here and now.
The elevator stops with a ding that punctuates my resolve.The doors slide open onto a dimly lit floor lined with darkened offices.I step out, footsteps muffled by the plush carpet.The air carries a faint scent of institutional cleaner.At the end of the corridor, giant glass doors bear the opulent gold lettering:Devlin & Sons Financial.
My hand hesitates over the heavy chrome handle.I push gently, expecting the solid resistance of a deadbolt.Instead, to my surprise, the heavy door swings inward smoothly, allowing me to slip inside before it whispers shut behind me.
My heart pounds in my chest, a frantic drumbeat in the sterile silence.On my way to the empty reception desk, my step falters as a sound cuts through the quiet.
Laughter.
Muffled, but undeniable.
It’s light, musical, and distinctly feminine.
My gaze darts down the intersecting corridor, towards the closed doors of the private offices.
The laughter comes again.Louder.Closer than I thought.
I move silently down the corridor, following the sound.
The anger simmering all night burns hotter when I realize it is coming from the last office on the right.
I quicken my pace.I know,I know, I don’t want to see what’s on the other side.But I can’t stop.
The laughter spills into the hallway, mingled with the murmur of voices.His and hers.My fingers tighten around the band of my engagement ring, a glaring reminder of this farce.
I stop just outside the door.
My pulse throbs in my temples, a pounding rhythm drowning out everything else.A roar fills my ears.My legs threaten to give way.But as I stare at the sliver of light under the door, a strange detachment settles over me.Like I’m watching this happen to someone else.A silent observer in my own nightmare.
I raise my hand to knock, then hesitate.
No.
No more games.
