“Do you have any fucking idea how much you hurt my wife? She is the very reason I live for. Get the fuck out of my face, get the fuck out of my office and get your fucking ass to London and resign, or I swear to God, Linda, I will make the remainder of your time in my business a living fucking nightmare,” I threatened.
“Daimon, I did this—do you have any idea how much it hurt to see you marry her. To see you love her. I was here, Daimon; right here and never once did you even see me other than your fuck toy,” she said with spite.
“Didn’t you want me to go after, Addie? Didn’t you say you liked her drive and her bitchiness?” I was so confused with Linda. She supported me when I wanted to go after Addie. She was there telling me how much of an asshole I was to my wife. What the fuck did this woman want?
“I already told you. I like Addie. This has nothing to do with her. It has to do with you and me. I couldn’t go on if I just didn’t at least tell you how I felt. I was pissed that you used me. It fucking hurt, Daimon,” she spat out.
“You’re something else, you know that, right? You couldn’t have told me this here, like you are doing now?” I hissed.
“We’re even now. You humiliated me and now I humiliated you,” she answered furiously. That was the thing with Linda. She was this confident, proud woman, fucking smart in business and knew what she wanted. The thing was, that as smart as she was in her professional life, she was quite the fucking opposite in her personal life.
“You love me and yet you do all this to hurt me?” I said angrily.
“I may love you, but I love me more. I deserved better than finding out you were getting married through the New York Times. I deserved more,” she said defiantly.
“Yeah, maybe you did, but I will never forgive you for what you have done to Addie. Humiliate me. Go after me if you want, but going after Addie, making her look like a fucking common whore, that I will never ever forgive you for. Now get the fuck out of my office, before I throw you out,” I said menacingly.
“I didn’t make her into a common whore, you did,” Linda said calmly.
“Get out. Now.” My voice was cold. A sadistic calm came over me as I glared at her. Linda froze still, her eyes widened as she watched me carefully. “Now, Linda!” Linda gathered herself and scrambled out of my office, nearly falling over as she closed the door behind her. I walked over to my desk and press the intercom,
“Yes, Mr. Evans?” my secretary answered.
“Get my fucking lawyers, now,” I hissed into the phone.
“Ye—” I hung up on her. I held the receiver in my hand tightening my grip on it, until my anger boiled over and I began beating it into the phone. I kept thrashing away at it until it began to fall apart. Even then, I just couldn’t stop. I loved this woman. I’d loved Addie all my life, but still, I was this fucking piece of shit, ruining everything I was building with her. There would be no way Addie would stay with me, not after this. My Addie wouldn’t want this kind of attention. I fucked up too many times to make this up to her.
I left the office and headed to Darren’s bar. Rafe insisted I come and meet them. I wanted to go home to Addie, to be with her, but I knew my Addie wanted to be left alone. That was what I said to myself, but the truth was, I was scared shitless, that once I walked into our home, she’d be gone. I hesitated and didn’t call her all day. I didn’t want to hear the words, “Daimon, I’m leaving you.”
“Over here,” Rafe called out the moment he saw me.
“Hey, wher—?” The next thing I knew, I was on the ground, my face throbbing.
“I told you to take care of her,” Darren hissed as he glared down at me. I slowly eased up, massaging my jaw.
“I deserved that,” I said quietly as I tried to walk past him.
“Enough, Darren!” Rafe ordered.
“I let you hit me once because you were right. Hit me again, asshole, and see what will happen to you,” I threatened.
“She deserved better then what you’ve done to her,” Darren bit out angrily.
“Don’t you fucking think I know that?” I shouted.
The crowd around us began to move away, giving Darren and me a whole lot of breathing space. We stood there, Darren not moving a fucking inch, while I stared at him menacingly, narrowing my eyes, readying for anything he was about to throw at me.
“Guys? We’re here to have a drink and relax a little. Fuck, man, I don’t fucking get it? Addie is pretty. She’s nice, but seriously…”
“Careful what you say next, ‘cause it might be the last fucking words you’ll ever say,” I growled at Rafe.