Chapter 8

[Madelyn]

His soft and wet lips leave mine. He breaks away from the kiss- or whatever you can call this. His eyes are now open. Staring at me while I stare back. Neither of us speak. Neither of us breathe. The silence is so loud you can hear a pin drop. I don't know what to say. What can you do in a situation like this? But I suppose I should say something before the silence swallows us both whole.

I take a deep breath and break eye contact once by blinking.

"Thanks-"

"Are you-" We both say at the same time. I look away. I look down at my hands fidgeting in my lap. Why did I thank him? Why did I even-

I clear my throat.

"Lucian! Oh-"  someone says. Both me and Lucian turn to face the person that just saved us from awkward silence. My throat closes up when I look at the beautiful woman standing in front of me. She's wearing a red short dress that's hugging her body perfectly. Her dark brown hair is styled in a perfect bun with a few strands loose in front of her face.

"Isabella." Lucian says in a deep voice. I turn my face too look at him. He's looking at her with a look of guilt. I look back at the girl and then back at him. Oh.

Oh.

My face heats up and I'm too embarrassed to look at either of them. I didn't know he- why wouldn't he tell me he was- I look down at my lap.

"Chi è la ragazza?" The woman says in another language I don't understand. It's Italian. Lucian breathes out.

[Who is the girl?]

"La moglie del mio dipendente." He speaks in a low voice.

[My employee's wife.]

"Oh." She says. Finally a word I do understand. Not very informative though. I'm not mad at Lucian. I'm mad at myself. For letting this happen. I-I mean he's together with someone!

I stand up from my seat on the couch and fidget with my hands while I open my mouth to speak.

"I should go- I forgot to do something." I whisper and excuse myself. I begin walking with fast steps towards his hallway. I hear mumbling behind me. Lucian is telling me to stop. But I ignore him.

I crouch down to put on my shoes. I shouldn't have come. I should've just gone home. With Nick. My husband. Oh my god- I stop moving. I- I cheated on Nick- a warm hand is placed on my shoulder. I don't have to look behind me to know who this familiar warm hand belongs to.

"Why are you leaving?" Lucian asks behind me. "Stay." I shake my head. Not trusting my voice. I stand up straight and reach for the door handle. "Why are you in such a hurry to leave, love?" My hand stops. Yet again I'm paralyzed. That name. That stupid nickname. I shrug his hand off my shoulder and stare down at my shoes.

"I-" my voice breaks. Another person enters the hallway and footsteps are approaching me from behind.

"Imma give you two some privacy." Isabella says and opens the door I was just about to walk out of. She leaves and closes the door behind her. I don't get it. Isn't she his girlfriend.

"My sister." He says, as if he is reading my thoughts. I release a breath I didn't know I was holding. "Why are you sad?" He says after a few seconds of silence. His body towering me from behind as he puts his hand on the door in front of me.

I cheated on Nick. Just like Nick cheated on me. I cheated. He cheated. Were both the bad guys. Neither of us are good people.

"Madelyn. Talk to me." I turn around and lift my face up to meet his eyes with mine. His eyes are distressed. Trying to figure me out.

"I cheated on Nick- I am not better than him. I've stooped to his level. I-I-"

"You did not cheat." He hushes me and brings both his warm hands to hold my face. "You would never cheat Madelyn. You are a good person. What we did was not cheating. It does not even count as a kiss."

I close my eyes and listen as a tear slips through my eyelashes. I did cheat though. I kissed Lucian. Lucian kissed me- we kissed.

"Open your eyes Madelyn. Open your eyes and listen to me." I shut my eyes tighter when he says my name again. The way it's affecting my body is bad. Bad. So bad. It shouldn't affect me at all. "Do as I say. I do not like to repeat myself." I can feel his stare through my closed eyes and open them. He is staring at me. I was right. He's staring at me with such intensity. He really wants me to listen.

"I'm sorry."

"Do not apologize. Listen instead. Nothing happened between us. Nothing. I was just trying to keep you from burning your tongue. Okay?" My heart breaks. Somehow hearing him say those words breaks my heart even more. I nod. I look at him and smile a sad smile as I nod. Nothing. It was nothing. I was nothing.

I am nothing to him.

"Yes." I whisper. Not trusting my voice.

I'm feeling pathetic. The realization of what I am doing is settling in my head. What am I even doing? I'm standing in front of my husband's boss, crying. Because he kissed- because he helped me. My face heats into a dark shade of red and turn around again. Facing the door.

His hands drop from my face and I take a deep breath. "I should probably get going-" I laugh a laugh that holds no humor whatsoever.

"Okay. If that is what you want." He whispers behind me. His voice suddenly feels closer. Like he's moved closer to my back.

No. He hasn't. Stop imagining things. "I will call my driver and tell him to take you home." He says after clearing his throat. "He will be waiting for you in the lobby."

"That's really not necessary-" I'm about to turn around but he grabs my shoulder to keep me from turning.

"Yes, it is. Sweet dreams Madelyn." He says before I open the door and leave. I don't even turn around to tell him goodbye. I just close the door in his face. I jog down the hallway, towards the elevator. I click the button and jump inside the elevator as soon as the doors open. I don't know why I'm in such a rush. It's not like he's following me-

I press the button that says first floor and wait impatiently for the door to close.

I don't allow myself to calm down until the doors are fully closed and the elevator is moving. I let out a dramatic breath and breathe in just as much air.

Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. I press my hands to my temples and massage them. What was I even doing? Why did I even cry. I cried in front of a full grown ass man.