Chapter 84
Chapter 84
Me: Baby I think we should head to the Maldives for our year anniversary. What do you think?
Me: How’s the shooting going today? I miss you.
Me: Hello, if you happen to see my wife please let her know that I love her and I have been trying to contact her for the past few hours. Thanks
Yep, I sounded like a total sap but I couldn’t help myself. I had been texting my wife non-stop since I got up but she hadn’t been responding. This was the last day of shooting and they were doing a lot. I was sure that she would get back to me when she could but I hated not being able to speak with her.
I was missing her like crazy but at least now the days had ticked by fairly quickly and to my surprise, it was all thanks to my sister-in-law.
Over the last few weeks, we had gotten closer. And as strange as it was to say I actually enjoyed her company and she was less annoying than usual which was a first.
She made the house feel less empty while Adie was gone.
If you had told me six months ago that I would be civil with Corinna I would have laughed in your face. Corinna and I were like oil and water.
But I had learned more about her in these last two weeks than I had in all the years I had known her. And I had to admit that she wasn’t half bad at all. She was a decent person when she wanted to be.
I stared at my screen again, willing my wife to reply but deciding that I would likely not get a reply out of her any time
I sighed and hopped out of the bed. I had been contemplating heading to the gym and I think this was the exact sign that I was waiting for. At least it would take my mind off Adie for the time being and I could focus on other things.
I typed in a message just to let her know where I will be.
Me: Going to the gym, baby, love you.
I grabbed my bag and headed out of the house.
It took me 30 minutes to get to the gym. I was already thinking of my workout plan when I bumped into a familiar face. “Angela?” She was about three cars away from mine with her head buried in her phone.
She looked up when she heard my voice and smiled “Oh hey, fancy seeing you here. I didn’t know you were a member?”
Invictus was a high-end gym that was exclusive to the rich and famous in the area. I had been coming here since we moved to LA. I loved the place. It wasn’t 100 crowded and allowed me to feel more at ease. Having the name I had and the wife I did. meant that a lot of eyes followed me wherever I went.
“I’ve been a member for months now. How long have you been a member?”
“I just joined a week or two ago. Do you mind if I join you for a quick sweat session?” Property © of NôvelDrama.Org.
“Sure.”
Immediately I was reminded of my wife’s words and how she did not want me around this woman. But she had been such a help to us it felt rude to turn her away. She was only asking to work out and it was innocent fun.
“Let me grab my bag.”
I waited for her and we walked into the gym together making small talk. I made sure to keep the conversation friendly and short. I knew that everything I was doing was innocent and I was not cheating by any standard but my wife’s words rang loudly in my head.
Maybe I was over thinking or maybe I was concerned just enough to make sure that I didn’t lead this woman into thinking that maybe there could be something there between us.
“So what are we working on today?” She smiled as we got into the gym.
“Are you sure that you want to do my workout program?”
She nodded enthusiastically.
“Okay then, we start with light cardio.”
“When you say light?”
I looked over my shoulder at her. “We’ll start with a light 3-mile run to warm up.”
Her eyes bulged out of their sockets. “Oh okay, we can do that.”
I walked us to the treadmill and started our workout.
After running and about an hour and a half of arms and core, I felt the energy in my body circulating. I felt fit and strong and my mind was a little more clear.
“You okay, Angela?”
She had her elbows on her knees with a bottle of water in her hand. “Never better.”
Her face was red and sweat dripped down her face. She looked absolutely done with life right now and I couldn’t help but to laugh a little.
“You find my suffering amusing, Mr Steyn?”
“Only a little,” I teased her. “But you did well today.”
“I was struggling for air in the first ten minutes. I was holding on for dear life if I’m being honest with you.”
“And hang on you did, I extended my hand for a high five which she gave me. “I need to head out now. I need to call Adie and see if she’s free.”
Angela nodded. “She’s still in Paris?”
I nodded. “But she’s flying back in a few days.”
And I couldn’t wait. The next time she had one of these trips I was going with her. The business could survive two to four weeks without me. What was the point in owning a billion-dollar empire without being able to step away and having it run as its own machine.
I grabbed my stuff and headed out with Angela who was once again busy on her phone. I turned to tell her goodbye when my car came into view but I stopped short when I noticed that she herself had stopped a few feet back from me.
Her eyes were wide as she stared at her phone. Slowly, her gaze lifted to meet mine.
“Damon…” she said before she handed me her phone to look at
I walked to her and grabbed the phone.
Immediately my entire stomach dropped.
I was staring at my wife having what seemed to be an intimate dinner with the very man she had told me not to worry about. They were the front page story on yet another sleazy tabloid. What boiled my blood even further was the article title.
‘Adelaide ditches wedding ring to go on date with movie star Gabriel
I stared at the picture and sure enough, her ring was not on her finger. It was naked and bare of the large diamond I had laid on it almost a year ago.
“Where the fuck is her ring?” My voice was ice cold, like the feeling that was settling over my chest.
“Damon, maybe this isn’t what it seems like. Maybe this is all taken out of context.” Angela was trying to help me see reason but I was far too angry to try and bring logic to all of this.
The longer I stared at the picture the angrier I became. She had told me that he felt nothing but the way he was looking at her was the same way 1 looked at her. He was looking at her like she was his sun.
She wasn’t his fucking sun. She was mine.
“I need to go,” I handed her back her phone before I turned and headed to my car.
“Damon,” she called after me. “Where are you going?”
“Paris.”
My wife had some explaining to do.