Disregarding all proper etiquette, I ignore her pleas and bust into the meeting room, panting as I search the boardroom table for Quinton. Twelve pairs of eyes snap toward my livid state, and Quin blinks at me.
“Emery?”
“We need to talk.” I harden my features. “Right fucking now.”
Quin doesn’t react to my foul language as he glances around the table. “Let’s take a short recess.” He stands up, keeping his posture straight and confident as he struts toward me. He places a gentle palm on thesmall of my back, whispering in my ear as he guides me out of the meeting room. “Relax, darling.”
Relax? He expects me to relax? How? How the hell am I supposed to relax? I grumble under my breath, blood thrumming with rage as we slip into his office, and he shuts the door behind us. Quin remains silent as I pace back and forth in front of him, fuming as I struggle to calm myself down enough to explain my rash behavior.
“Emery…” He tilts his head, brows scrunched with concern. “Perhaps you should sit down.”
I whip my head at him, glaring. “I can’t. I’m… I’m too fucking angry to sit.”
He frowns. “Well, then at least please breathe. Can you do that for me, darling? Can you take a deep breath?”
“No!” I flap my arms, jaw clenched. “I can’t, Quin. I can’t fucking breathe, okay? I can’t get enough oxygen into my stupid fucking lungs. You wouldn’t be able to breathe either if you saw what I saw.”
Quin hesitates before taking a tentative step toward me. He’s smart for hesitating. The force of my fury might be enough to turn him to ash. It’s wise to keep his distance.
“What did you see?”
“Damon.” My gut twists with crippling betrayal as the anger morphs into anguish. “I saw Damon.” Hot, baffled tears flood my vision as I dig my nails into my palm. “I saw him with another woman. He was… They were… They were holding hands, Quin. He…” I rip my gaze away from Quin, unable to believe the wordscoming out of my own mouth. “He was smiling at her. They… They were smiling at each other.”
“Damon…” Confusion captures Quin’s stoic features. “Damon was with another woman? I don’t?—”
“Understand?” I scoff, unable to find a safe emotion in which to sink my rattled claws. “Yeah, I don’t either. What the fuck?” I glare up at him. “Did you know, Quin? Did you know he was fucking around? Is that why he left? Is that why he abandoned me?!”
Quin blinks in surprise, and quickly the shock fades to pain, a childlike hurt. “I’m offended you’d think I’d keep something like that from you.” His jaw ticks. “No, Emery. I have no knowledge of another woman.” He sucks in a sharp, steadying breath. “Perhaps you didn’t see what you thought?—”
“Don’t.” I stalk toward him, my back and heart aching. “Don’t you dare try and tell me that I misread the situation. You and I both know Damon does not keep female company. And if he did, wouldn’t we know about them? Hmm? Wouldn’t he mention that he’s made a new ‘friend?’”
“Emery…” Quin gambles putting a comforting hand on my shoulder. Despite the urge to jerk away, I force my body to cement and accept his attempt at grounding me. “I honestly do not believe that he would?—”
“Cheat on me?” I cock my head, forcing the tears to remain barricaded behind steel nerves and bolted rage. “He abandoned us, Quin. I never believed that would happen either. No matter how hard things got, I neverimagined him leaving. Perhaps we don’t know him as well as we thought.”
“I’m sure there’s a logical explanation…” Quin trails off, rubbing his chin. “I don’t…” He shakes his head. “It doesn’t make any sense. I know, Damon. He’s not one to?—”
“Not one to what? Fuck around? Use sex to solve his problems?” I expel an incredulous scoff. “Right. Because Damon is such a eunuch. I forgot.” Realization dawns on me. “Huh… It all makes sense now.”
Quin looks at me with pity. “Emery…”
“No. It makes perfect sense.” I pull away from Quin, aimlessly walking around his office as I put the pieces together. “It’s because I was shot, wasn’t it? Because I couldn’t…” I wince, a knife slicing through my fragile ventricles. “Because I was put on bed rest. He… He needed…”
“Emery, please. Don’t you dare think such vile thoughts.” Quin appears before me, wrapping me in arms so tight that I fear I may crack.
“It’s the only thing that makes sense,” I whisper into his chest, gripping the fabric of his dress shirt. “He must’ve… He must’ve found someone else.”
Quin presses a chaste kiss on the top of my head, subtly rocking me side to side as if attempting to put a restless child to sleep. “Let’s not jump to conclusions, darling. Let’s not do that. After all this time. After everything we’ve been through…” He swallows. “I think we owe Damon the benefit of the doubt. Just this once. Let’s grant him some grace, shall we?”
“I hate him,” I whimper, squeezing my eyes shut. “I hate him, Quin. I ha?—”
“Shh…” Quin threads his fingers through my hair in lulling strokes. “I know, darling. I know. There’s an explanation. I know there is. Trust me, Emery. Please, just trust me.”
“I think we should go away,” I whisper, willing my brain to find a sliver of hope in his words but the effort proves futile. “I-I don’t want to be in New York anymore. Can we go somewhere? Anywhere. Please, Quin.”
He sighs. “I don’t think running away is the solution, Emery.”
I peer up at him through damp lashes. “It’s not running away. It’s a… It’s a vacation. Don’t,” I bite my lip. “Don’t people take like…babymoons or something?”
