Arabel's POV
As a tear trickles down my cheeks on my way out, I begin to wonder why.
I keep asking myself if this heaviness inside my heart is because Richard keeps confessing his feelings for me while igniting mine, or if this is just because he kissed me again.
After I warned him.
I gave him a chance.
He ruined it again. He couldn't hold himself back.
In a haste to be far from here, to gather my thoughts and decide on what I really want, I bump my shoulder into someone just as the elevator opens.
I stumble backward, but I am quick to grab myself, stopping me from falling to the ground.
“I'm so sorry,” the young woman apologizes quickly, squatting down to grab my phone, which rolled down from my hand to the floor.
I plaster a quick smile on my face so she won't assume I am offended by what happened. It is not entirely her fault; I wasn't looking either.
I was blinded by my tears.
When she looks up, my eyes flash in recognition as a low gasp leaves my mouth, making my heart beat louder than ever before.
Eve.
What the hell is she doing here?
I suddenly feel a skitter of panic washing over my skin.
“I'm so sorry, are you okay?” She grabs my shoulder, scanning my body to see if I am hurt.
My phone is on her other hand, so I dart my eyes away from here, realizing she hasn't recognized me yet as Richard's ex-wife. As blood roars in my ears, I grab my phone and brush past her into the elevator.
With my head bent, the elevator closes and begins to proceed downstairs as more tears threaten to spill.
I hold them in.
Eve. Richard. Are they together? Were they together before I came back to New York? Was it because of my appearance that Richard decided he was done with her, just like he was with me in the past?
Didn't he just mention that no woman had stepped foot in his apartment except me and my mother? Was all of that a lie?
I scoot backwards, squatting down and clamping a hand around my mouth to stop myself from bursting into tears.
Richard is a liar.
How many lies has he fed me? Was his confession of love for me also a lie? How am I supposed to even differentiate his lies from the truth?
When the elevator dings open, I rise up immediately, pushing back the lump of dread in my throat and the tears behind my eyes as I make my way out to the garage.
I shouldn't be sad. We are not a thing. He can date whoever he wishes to date.
Another part of me disagrees when I imagine the look that would appear on Eve's face when he went to tell her about our divorce. That haunted me for years, even though it never happened.
I thought it did until my mother told me he caught her cheating on him.
Almost sprinting, I get to my car, jump in, and reverse out of the garage towards the gate. When I am out, my gaze flickers to the back window of Richard's bedroom, showing the view outside.
Then I see him.
He is staring out into the night, but I can barely make out his expression and emotions.
I wish I could.
Suddenly, he turns around, and my instinct tells me Eve is already at his door. Like someone expecting a guest, he disappears, forcing me to turn off my car's engine and wait.
In curiosity.
Expectation.
Hope.
A minute is gone and Richard isn't back, nor is Eve coming out to the gate. If she hasn't been a frequent visitor here, then he wouldn't hesitate to show her out.
Obviously, she has been here before. Frequently. A consistent guest.
I experienced the same sense of foolishness as I did when he requested a divorce, despite my belief that our relationship was progressing.
With a flare of rage, I slam my head on the wheels, my hands clenched into balls, my body trembling.
My mind races back to everything he has said and done to make me believe he is a changed man, and he loves me now. Unlike before.
But then, everything is just a lie. Richard wants nothing more than to break me one more time, and I doubt if I can survive it.
With this thought, my mind reels back to the day we had dinner at Ashley's, after their honeymoon. That same day, Ashley and I got into a fight when they realized Daisy had a striking resemblance to Richard, and I was dishonestly pretending not to know him, even though he was my ex-husband.
Caleb asked him to go out and date again, and Richard told him he had survived his first heartbreak and doubted if he would survive another.
Why did he say that when he was already with Eve? Does Caleb even know he is with her? Does he even know about Eve or the full details of his divorce?
Ashley also mentioned she had never seen him with any woman. Did Eve never visit him at the office? Was she always here instead?
Realizing that Ashley didn't even know that this apartment belonged to Richard until now, pain crawls into my heart. Ashley would never have known when she didn't even know where her boss was staying.
Eve would never have visited Richard at his office. His mother must still be against their relationship.
Feeling pathetic at the sudden truth before me and my absolute foolishness, I gaze up, tears streaming down my eyes.
Even though Richard and I are not a thing, I can't deny the twisting in my heart. How it is shredding into pieces yet again at this new discovery.
If I had been quick to accept him and given him a second chance, is this how he would have betrayed me again? Not just for any other girl, but for this same evil woman?
I thought his obsession had faded. Obviously, it hasn't. And I doubt if it will in a long time.
Finally giving up, I ignite the car engine into action, determined not to look up at the window to see if Richard is back. But my resolve fails me.
I shut my eyes tightly, letting another tear roll down my cheek. When I have enough courage to look up, I slowly open my eyes and gaze up at the window.
Richard is not there.
A sob escapes my lips, and I slap myself mentally as regret sets in.
I shouldn't have trusted him. I shouldn't have told him about Daisy. I shouldn't have admitted that I was Arabel.
I should have kept up with the pretense. Maybe I wouldn't feel this bad seeing him with her.
The regret in my heart expands, filling my lungs as nerves twist through my gut. Unable to contain the pain in my heart, I move away when a shadow flicks through my eyes, and I halt abruptly again.
Eve is out.
She just walked past me to a car right in front of me, which I never noticed.
Her face shines brightly as she jumps into the car, excitement running through her entire body, shocking me to the bone.
For a moment, I expect some doubts about all the assumptions in my head, but now that has been dashed.
I lift my head just in time to see Richard back in the same position as ever by the window.
Still shirtless.
His face, expressionless.
Suddenly, a weak smile scrape up my throat at my stupidity. My foolishness. It turns into something more as I laugh more, until I begin to tear up again.
The car Eve just entered has driven off, but here I am still seated, pampering my wounds.
With determination, I kick-start the car again, just in time to look up and see Richard still by the window. Before I can drive off, his gaze finds mine.
And his jaws drop open in shock.