TOO LATE TO LOVE ME

Vanessa My vision seemed blurry due to the tears that had pulled in my eyes. I stared at myself in the mirror wondering where I had gone wrong. My carefully styled hair was perfectly on my shoulders and my lips glistened with the cherry red gloss I had applied earlier. I couldn't stop the tears and they fell freely causing my mascara to run down my face. I looked like a joker. I wiped my eyes angrily and washed my face. Then, I stalked out of the bathroom. “Alfred!” I called. The man ran over without hesitation. He was my butler. His dark suit glistened in the moonlight as he approached. “Ma'am?” He answered, sounding out of breath. I took a deep breath to regain my composure. I had gotten good at hiding my true emotions from other people. “Clear this mess.” I gestured to the buffet that had been laid out. Today was the third anniversary of my marriage and I had taken time to prepare a rooftop dinner for my husband and I to celebrate. But Dominic was nowhere to be found. His phone had been switched off all evening and I had no way of reaching out to him. “But, you haven't even touched the food at all.” He protested. I glared at him with all my might until he apologized and called the other servants to start cleaning up. I walked over to the balcony and closed my eyes allowing the night air to cool my emotions. I heard the servants chattering behind me, but I turned them out and didn't pay them any attention. Not until I heard my name being mentioned. Cold shivers ran down my spine and I suddenly trained my ears to hear what they were saying. It was too late, so I was only able to catch the tail ends of the conversation. “I'd also rather marry a rich man and have all the luxuries in the world. He can cheat as much as he likes and I wouldn't care.” One snorted. The other snickered in response and laughed amongst themselves. I whipped around instantly, my eyes searching to know who had said that. The maids noticed. A look of horror crossed their faces, and they began to hurry out of the rooftop before I could unleash my anger. The minute they left, my legs gave out and I fell to the ground and cried. Dominic used to adore me. It wasn't a marriage of love but one of convenience. But even at that, we had come to respect each other and pay our respective dues. The strain on our marriage was now as a result of my inability to conceive. Dominic acted like he didn't care about it, but I could now see how much we had drifted apart because of it. “Ms Patterson.” Alfred's voice called, pulling me out of my thoughts. I looked up from my feet to see him looking down at me with pity. “You should go down to your quarters. You might catch a cold out here.” He wrapped his jacket around me. I sniffed and stood up. “Is he home yet?” I asked. Alfred shook his head sadly. “He must have had a lot of work to do.” The man said in a flimsy excuse. It was our anniversary and my heart hurt that he couldn't have taken the day off for us to celebrate. I took the elevator in a daze and went down to our living quarters. Everything passed in a blur as I kept walking till I got to the bedroom. I took off my dress and laid it out carefully on the bed before climbing under the covers. The bed vibrated causing me to jump with a start. “What the hell?” I wondered and looked around wildly for the source of vibration. It definitely wasn't my phone, I was sure. I never received any calls because my social circle was limited. Then, I spotted Dominic's tablet lying somewhere on the far end. He must have forgotten it. I rushed to it and picked it up to silence it. The screen lit up with another incoming call. The caller ID read ‘partner’ and I assumed it was one of his associates. So I just silenced the phone and carefully dropped it on the dresser. Just as I laid down again the screen lit up with a text. My curiosity got the best of me and I peeked to see what the disturbance was about. The notification bar showed a text from the partner, but the words displayed were shady and provocative, and my heart plummeted when I read it. What do you think my lingerie would like when it is displayed on the floor of your office? There was a sexy cat emoji attached to the text. I hoped to God it didn't mean what I thought it meant. I blinked and read the words again hoping it would disappear, hoping that somehow, it was a trick of the light. But it was still there. Why would Dominic’s partner send such a text? Could it be a mistake? So many questions rummaged through my head and I couldn't bear it any longer. I scrambled out of bed and quickly threw on the nearest pair of jeans and t-shirt that I could find. I ran downstairs and hollered at the driver. By this time it was some hours past midnight. He looked at me with sleepy eyes but I didn't care. “Take me to the office! Now!” I ordered and got into the car. The driver ran in too and quickly put the car in drive. Then, we spend off into the darkness. My heart thumped every step of the way not knowing what to expect when I got to the office. But I prayed to the universe and whoever was listening to not allow my fears to come true.