“What the fuck D!!” He shouts down the phone at me.
“Where the fuck have you been! Willow met some guy after work and they’re currently having coffee in a cafe up from the bookstore. I can leave Andrei to watch while I take Alina home, but you need to get the fuck here. Now.” He shouts again and hangs up.
She’s with someone? Who the fuck would she be with? Is it whoever has been following her. My heart rate amps up and I feel murderous again as I rush to the lounge. I race past my men grabbing the keys to my car from my office deciding I’ll drive myself rather than dealing with Mikhail right now.
“Whoever is going to watch the apartment tonight, come with me now.” I announce on the way back to the door. Three of my men quickly get up from the poker table and follow me. We make our way to my car and I jump in, starting the engine and racing out of the parking space as quick as I can. The back end of the BMW slides out for a few yards down the road at the pace I took off. Whoever the fuck Willow is with is a fucking dead man.
Chapter Sixteen
Willow
Sitting in the cafe with Fred is bringing back too many memories for my liking. He met me outside the bookstore and faced an angry Alina who had promised me she wouldn’t kill him when she saw him after I told her he had shown up. She didn’t kill him obviously, but she did give him a year’s worth of curse words, insults and ego destroying words. I’m surprised he just stood there and took it instead of running in the other direction.
When we got inside the cafe, he told me to get a table while he ordered me my favourite coffee, a caramel latte with extra cream and extra caramel. It irked me that him still remembering what I loved sent a jolt of happiness to my heart temporarily.
“So how have you been?” He asks, taking a sip of his own coffee.
“Really? That’s how you’re going to start this conversation Fred?” I sigh and sit back in the lounge chair I’m in.
We’re nestled in the corner of the cafe. It’s cute and cozy, or it would be if I wasn’t sat here with him.
“What do you want me to say Wills? I’m not going to get on my knees and beg like I’m some kind of dog, but I’ll do whatever I can for you to forgive me. I’d like some time to show you that you can trust me again if you will let me.” He says while leaning forward and setting his coffee down.
“Trust you again.” I huff a laugh with no amusement behind it.
“You think I would ever be able to trust you again? You were cheating on me for an entire year, and not just sleepingwith someone, but going out on dates, giving her gifts, flowers, everything Fred. Everything I always wanted from you that you made me feel like an entitled bitch for even asking for, you just gave to her freely.” I feel my eyes beginning to water and my hands turning numb. I feel like I can’t take a deep enough breath as I remember what our relationship was like and how he made me feel.
“I’m sorry Willow. I felt pressured by my dad, Maria was his business partners daughter and you know how it is. They kept trying to set us up and one thing led to another. I made a huge mistake and I was an asshole.” He says as he reaches for my hand and I pull it to my chest away from him.
I hear his words, I look at his face, but my head feels fuzzy and the room starts feeling like it’s growing smaller, then bigger again all at once.
“No, asshole isn’t a strong enough word for you.” I manage to get out as I start to feel a tightness in my chest.
“You have no idea what you put me through when I found those messages and what would of happened if I didn’t find them? Would we still be together while you continue to cheat on me?” I feel the numbness from my hands start to spread up my arms as my chest gets tighter and tighter as the room begins to zone in and out even more and I know I’m going to have a panic attack. Something that hasn’t happened in months since learning to deal with my feelings about myself after leaving Fred.
I try to focus on his face but now it feels surreal that he is actually in front of me and I’m talking with him.
“I need to go to the bathroom.” I say quickly and I jump up and take quick steps towards the toilets as everything around me becomes a blur. I push the door open and run inside before slamming it shut, turning the lock and falling to my knees.
My heart is racing and my hands are sweating as I fumble around all of my pockets to look for my phone to call Alina.She was so good at helping me through my panic attacks before, she’ll know how to help me now, but I must of left my phone on the table because I don’t feel it anywhere on me.
I can’t breathe, the numbness now spreading over my whole body as I begin to feel like I don’t even know what my own name is.
I take short quick breaths while sobbing and clutching my chest as I lean my forehead against the cold metal door.
My vision starts to go hazy and I feel like I’m going to pass out. Fuck! I’m going to pass out in this bathroom on my own. My heart is beating so fast I feel like it’s going to explode. No, I can’t pass out here by myself.
I try to stand to unlock the door so I can at least grab my phone to call Alina, but I can’t move. I’m literally paralysed and I’m too hot in my jeans and coat. I’m sweating so much but my hands are shaking too much to do anything.
I don’t know how many minutes go by before I hear shouting from the other side of the door and I want to shout back and tell Fred to shut up, to just shut the fuck up and leave me alone but I can’t do anything except sob uncontrollably while sucking in what little breaths I can.
Suddenly I feel the door being jolted against my head and I try to shuffle as best as I can away from it for Fred to open it. He must of got a master key from the barista.
Everything is so hazy and I feel like I’m about to die so I don’t even care now if he walks in and sees me like this.
I’m panting, sweating, sucking in any air I can get while spreading myself on the cold floor. The door bursts open and in what feels like seconds I’m enveloped in someone’s arms.
“Willow look at me.” I hear a panicked voice but it sounds like it’s at the other end of a really long tunnel and I clutch my chest again and squeeze my eyes shut harder while crying.
