Chapter 19

"What a weird gift," Christina stated, taking a closer look at the picture. 

"Guess it belongs where I'd choose to put it this morning— in the trashcan." Rachael rolled her eyes as she went back to her seat. She widen her eyes when she looked at her wristwatch and saw it was three minutes after twelve pm. "Oh my gosh! I have to go now." Rachael hurried out of the office, leaving them to decide on what to do with the incomplete picture. 

She waited impatiently for the elevator to open. Her mouth became agape when the door slid open and revealed Charles. His head lift from his phone to walk out when he saw Rachael who was about to cover her face with her bag. 

It was pointless anyway. He was going to see her. Charles already knew what she had on, and the bag was, too, small to cover her entire face. 

"Hey," he began with a smile," I was just coming to see you." He stood at the entrance. 

What was he doing there? She didn't want him there by the way. Seeing him brought the memories of yesterday.  It was painful remembering that her wedding was stopped because of that crazy bitch, Vivian.  

"Well, I can see that. That's why you're on this floor," she said, blaming the stupid receptionist for not consulting her before allowing Charles to come up to her office. Now she had to get rid of him without him knowing what she was up to. "How may I help you," she asked, smiling nervously. 

"Umm... Actually." He scratched his head. "It's lunch time, right?" Charles looked at his watch to make sure. "I want to take you out for lunch."

What? 

"I'm sorry, Charles," Rachael stated, releasing herself from the nervousness. Being nervous wasn't going to help her get away from Charles without him suspecting a thing— probably the wrong thing. "I have an appointment," she informed him, glad that she didn't lie about that. "It's a good thing you saw me on my way out. You won't say I am refusing."

Charles wasn't stupid to just believe her like that. Who knows if the receptionist had called to tell her he was coming up, even when he had told her that he wanted to surprise Rachael. Or maybe that nosy Jimmy had alerted her. 

"Appointment?" Charles furrowed his brows. "How could you have an appointment when you weren't supposed to be at work today." He walked from the elevator when it made a loud noise, obviously telling him he had been standing there for too long. 

"Thanks to you I am here." Her statement stung very hard. She saw the hurt and guilt all over his face. "This is 'my' office Charles so I don't have to explain everything to you. But...because I have respect for you as my husband to be, I will let you know that I rescheduled all my appointments."

It was a good thing Rachael still loved him, despite what happened yesterday. The feeling of her love and respect brought joy to his heart. 

"I'm sorry, Rachael. I don't want you going through so much pain because of me." He held her arms. 

"I'm already going through so much because of you," Rachael told him, staring deep into his eyes. "And I don't want that to keep happening. That was the main reason I came to work today. Whenever I look at you, there's a flashback from yesterday," she confessed to him. 

He could feel it. He could feel her losing patience. Her voice, her looks, and everything proved she was getting tired of him already; she was losing hope. 

"Let me make it up to you, Rachael," Charles begged her. Rachael, at that moment, wanted to give in, allow what happened to be a dead history, and wait for him to tell her what secret Vivian had for him, but it was, too, hard for her to just do so. 

"Taking me out on for lunch won't help, Charles." She removed his hands from on her arms. "You know exactly how to make it up to me, how to take away this swirling pain." Tears were beginning to form in her eyes. She wiped them before they could fall and pressed the button again. 

It was all Vivians fault. If only she hadn't, without second thoughts, gone to his wedding, he and Rachael would have been celebrating their marriage. They would have probably waken up in each other arms after having the best sex of their lives like they had planned to. Thanks to Vivian everything was cancelled, and he had to sleep with an erected dick. 

That shit hurt. It was like going to bed on an empty stomach. 

"Rachael." He spun her around and embraced her. He let her cried in his chest while he patted her. "It's OK, baby."

OK? Nothing was OK. Why aren't they married now if everything was OK? Why is she crying instead of smiling? Nothing was OK!

She didn't mind him calling her a baby. She was crying like a baby, so she deserved to be called a baby. He could call her a zygote if he wanted to, because calling her baby was an overstatement.  

"I have to go now, Charles." She withdrew from his embrace. "I am late already." Rachael didn't want herseld crying the whole day. Even if she cried the whole day, Charles wouldn't tell her. 

"You can't go looking like this." He wanted to hold her again, but she didn't allow him to. The only thing that his did was made her weak. Rachael wanted to be strong. She needed to be strong. If avoiding his embraces was the price then she would gleefully do that. 

"You already made me looked terrible in front the whole world. I don't mind being seen in this state by my employees— it's clearly what you want." Rachael walked into the elevator, leaving Charles stunned. She stared at him as the door closed slowly. 

Charles rushed to the elevator before it could close completely. 

"What is it, Charles? What do you want now?"

"I want you to answer me honestly." He inhaled deeply. Rachael sighed. "Do you still love me?" He opened the door wide to get a better view of her. 

Rachael glanced at Charles. "To be honest, my answer to that question is my big secret. Until you tell me yours, I'm not going to tell you mine," Rachael answered. "Now, do you mind getting away from the door. Trust me you will repair it if anything happens to my elevator."

Charles allowed the elevator close. He kicked the door angrily. He hoped she didn't get the feedback of the kick from the other side of the elevator. 

This was all too stupid. The only reason he wasn't telling Rachael was because he didn't want her to hate him, but not telling her was making matter worse. She was hating him for not telling her, even when he knew that telling her would make her hate him, or even drag her into it.

Hiding a crime is a crime.

Fuck!