After finishing my dinner, Gwen boxed up the leftovers for me.
“Have a great night, Aubrey. Hopefully, we’ll see you soon.”
“Thanks, Gwen. Have a good night.”
Opening the door and stepping out, I walked down the street, tapping my cane in front of me. As I turned the corner, I abruptly stopped when my cane hit something or someone standing in front of me. That scent. It was him.
“Aubrey.”
“Ethan.”
“How are you?”
“I’m fine. Thank you for asking.”
“Did you just come from dinner?” he asked.
“Yes,” I replied as I held up my container. “What are you doing over here?”
“I had a dinner meeting, and as I was walking out of the restaurant, I saw you.”
“So you decided to stop in front of me?”
“I guess so.”
“I need to get home, Ethan. I have a lot of essays to grade.”
“Please wait. There’s something I need to say first.”
“What?”
“I’m sorry for what happened and what I said the other night. I just wanted you to know that. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”
I stood there, taking in his scent and trying to hold my composure. He sounded sincere and, even though he broke my heart, I accepted his apology.
“I accept your apology.”
“Thank you. It means a lot to me.”
“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to get home.”
“Please let Harry drive you. He’s just around the corner.”
“No. I can walk. Enjoy the rest of your evening, Mr. Klein,” I spoke as I moved to the side and walked away.
It was nice that Ethan apologized, but it made me wonder if he would have called and said he was sorry if he hadn’t run into me. A part of me believed he would because if he didn’t stop me, I never would have known he was in the same area. He could have just kept going, but he didn’t. I appreciated his apology and it took away some of the bitterness I had towards him for saying what he did, but it didn’t change the fact that I needed to move on and forget about him, which I felt I could do now. It was going to be tough, but I’d overcome tougher situations in my life and I survived.
As I stuck the key into the lock of my apartment door, I heard Mr. Morris’ voice from down the hall.
“Hello, Aubrey. It’s me, Jack Morris.”
A smile crossed my lips as I turned my head in the direction in which his voice was coming from.
“Hello, Mr. Morris. How are you?”
“I’m great, young lady. How are you?”
“I’m fine. Thank you for asking. Are you going to see my Aunt Charlotte?”
“I am. We’re going to see a show on Broadway tonight.”
“Which show are you seeing?”
“Jersey Boys. Charlotte expressed an interest in it, so I got us two tickets for tonight.”
“I’ve heard it’s very good. Have a good time,” I spoke as I opened the door.
“Thanks, kiddo. I’ll talk to you soon.”
I gave him a small smile before walking into my apartment and shutting the door. After I locked up and put my leftovers in the refrigerator, I went into the bathroom and started the water for a bath. As I was relaxing and soaking up the lavender smell from the few drops of oil I placed in the water, my phone alerted me that I had a text message from Ethan. Drying my hands on the towel next to the tub, I reached over and pressed the message button on my phone as it read to me his text.
“I just wanted to tell you that you looked really beautiful.”
A sick feeling in the pit of my stomach emerged and I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to hear that from him. Maybe he felt that since he apologized, it was okay to toy with my emotions. But it wasn’t okay and I wasn’t going to stand for it anymore. I spent the last couple of days in the hurt phase and now I found myself entering into the angry phase. How dare he say what he did to me. How dare he use me the way he did. I didn’t care how broken of a man he was; it didn’t give him the right.
“Thank you. But please don’t text or call me again. The damage is done, I forgave you, you made yourself perfectly clear on where you stood as far as I was concerned, and now it’s time for me to forget that I ever met you.”
I waited for a response that never came, which was fine with me. I said what I needed and it was time to close that chapter of my life. Tomorrow, I would start a new chapter; one that didn’t involve a man named Ethan Klein.
Chapter 23
Ethan
I sat on the edge of my bed and read her text message. She forgave but she still hated me and I deserved it. When I saw her walking down the street as I exited the restaurant, I couldn’t help but smile, because that was what she did to me. Nobody had that kind of power or control over me. Dr. Perry was right; I could feel the control over my emotions and feelings slipping away and it scared the fuck out of me. She wanted to forget she ever met me and after reading that, I felt like I had been stabbed in the heart.
The next morning, I got up from my desk and walked outside my office on my way to the tech department when I noticed Holly wasn’t at her desk.
“Lucy, where’s Holly?” I asked.
“She’s in the bathroom. She’s not feeling well.”
“What’s wrong with her?”
“Morning sickness.”
I sighed as I rolled my eyes and headed to the tech department.
“Well?” I asked Rob as I approached his office.
“You gave us three days, Ethan. It’s only been two.”
“Do you have anything at all?” I asked with irritation.
“We’re making some progress. We’ll update you tomorrow once we have more. By the way, I’ll have the demo glasses ready for you tomorrow.”
“Have you tested it out yet?”
“No. We thought we’d let you do the honors.” He smiled.
“Wise decision.”
Walking back to my office, I noticed Holly still wasn’t at her desk.
“Lucy, where’s Holly this time?”
“She’s back in the bathroom.”
Turning around, I went to the women’s bathroom and opened the door.
“Holly, are you in here?” I asked.
“Yes, Mr. Klein.”
“It seems to me that you spend more time in here than you do at your desk and now I’m seeing this as a problem. You assured me that there wouldn’t be a problem.”
“I’m sorry, sir.” She emerged from the stall, wiping her mouth with a piece of toilet paper.
I stood there shaking my head and stared at the paleness of her face. “Just clean yourself up and get back to work.”
I arrived home that night at seven thirty, poured myself a drink, and waited for Dr. Perry to arrive. I stood in front of the painting I purchased, which was still wrapped up and leaning against my wall. As I removed the brown wrapping, I stared at it as I sipped on my drink. Aubrey wasn’t the only one who lived in a world of darkness. But I was not so sure that she did. She had found things that put light in her life, regardless if she could see or not.
The doorbell rang and when I walked over and opened it, Dr. Perry was standing there.
“Good evening, Ethan. Are you ready for our session?”
“Hello, Dr. Perry. Yes. Please come in.”
I led her to the living room and had her take a seat in my black leather chair while I sat on the couch.
“May I get you something to drink?”
“No. I’m good. So tell me how the past couple of days have been. Did you reach out to Aubrey?”
“I actually saw her last night. I had just finished with a dinner meeting and as I was leaving the restaurant, I saw her walking down the street.”
“And?”
“I stopped in front of her and I apologized for the things I said that night and I told her that I didn’t mean to hurt her.”
“How did she respond?”
&
nbsp; “She accepted my apology and then got away from me as fast as she could. I sent her a text message and told her how beautiful she looked. She responded by telling me never to call her again and that it’s time she forgot she ever met me.”
“Do you blame her?” Dr. Perry asked.
“Not really.”
“Aubrey is now protecting herself like you’re protecting you. And you can’t blame her for that.”
“I know.”
“What happened with Sophia was a long time ago and I thought you were healing from it. After our last session, you told me you accepted the fact that it wasn’t your fault and then I never saw you again.”
“Because the nightmares stopped. After two years, they finally stopped.”
“Do you know why they stopped?” she asked.
“Not really.”
“Because you successfully buried all your emotions and feelings. You became numb, not letting anyone ever get close to you. Unknowingly, you let your guard down with Aubrey. Something about her touched you, and it touched you enough to follow her to Shakespeare Garden that Saturday morning. Maybe it’s time, Ethan, to start living life again the way it should be lived. You’ve suffered and endured enough pain over the past nine years. Sophia had problems way before she met you. You swooped in and tried to save her, but you couldn’t. What happened was not your fault. She was already in an altered state of mind from the drugs. It’s time you let go.”
I watched as she glanced over at the painting.
“What a lovely painting.” She got up from her chair and walked over to it. “Who painted it?”
I walked over and stood next to her.
“Aubrey’s best friend, Penelope. It was her art exhibition at the gallery the night I met Aubrey. She told me something that night while we were talking about the painting. This was before I knew she was blind. She asked me what I saw when I looked at it. So, I described the painting to her and then she asked me what it meant to me. I told her I didn’t know and then she spoke these words: ‘Even in a world of darkness, there will always be light.’”
“Is the woman in the painting Aubrey?” she asked as she glanced over at me.
“Yes.”
“Why did you buy this painting, Ethan?”
“I don’t know.” I looked down.
“I think you do. Our time is up.” She grabbed her purse and headed towards the door. “Call my office and schedule an appointment for next week. I think weekly sessions for now would be a good idea.”
“I will, and thank you for coming here tonight.”
“You’re welcome. Have a good night, Ethan.”
“You too, Dr. Perry.”
Chapter 24
Ethan
As I was walking down the stairs, the smell of Belgian waffles put me in a halfway decent mood. I really didn’t have time to sit and eat breakfast, but today, I would make an exception.
“Morning, Ingrid,” I spoke as I walked into the kitchen and poured a cup of coffee.
“Good morning. Is that safe to say today?”
“Yep, and it’s only because I could smell those Belgian waffles all the way upstairs.” I smirked.
“Ah, it’s good to see you in a better mood.”
“Well, I’m really not. But I’m working on it.”
She set the plate of waffles down in front of me and I immediately dug into them. As I was enjoying every last bite, my phone rang. It was my mother.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Good morning, son. How are you?”
“I’m fine, Mom. How are you?”
“Good. Good. Listen, I’m coming into the city today to do some shopping. How about taking your mom to lunch?”
“I would like that. What time?”
“You tell me. You’re the one who has the hectic schedule.”
“Why don’t you come to my office around twelve thirty and we’ll go to that little French restaurant you love.”
“Twelve thirty it is. I’ll see you then.”
“Bye, Mom.”
I took the last bite of my waffles and pushed the plate forward.
“Taking your mom to lunch?” Ingrid smiled.
“Yeah.”
“How’s Aubrey doing, Ethan?”
Even though I never told Ingrid what happened between us, she could sense something had, and she was brave enough to ask.
“Aubrey told me never to call her again. She wants to forget she ever met me.” I sighed.
“Oh boy. I’m not even going to ask.”
“Good, because I don’t really want to talk about it. I’m working on things, Ingrid.”
A small smile graced her face as she looked at me.
“I’m happy to hear that.”
“I have to get to the office. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Have a nice lunch with your mom and tell her I said hi.”
“I will.”
Climbing into the limo, I shut the door. A perplexed look took over Harry’s face as he looked at me.
“What?” I asked.
“You didn’t slam the door today. That’s a good sign.”
“Just drive, Harry.” I sighed.
He let out a chuckle and pulled away from the curb. When I arrived at the office, I noticed Holly wasn’t at her desk.
“Lucy—”
“Bathroom,” she spoke without even letting me finish my sentence.
I turned around, headed to the bathroom, and opened the door.
“Holly, are you okay?” I asked.
“I will be, Mr. Klein. I’ll be at my desk in a second. I’m sorry.”
“Don’t rush. Take your time.”
I walked back to my office and found Charles sitting at my desk.
“Good morning. Are you into stalking your employees in the bathroom now?” He smirked.
“Very funny. Get out of my chair,” I spoke as I set my briefcase down. “Shouldn’t you be at work?”
“I had a meeting this morning, so I figured I’d drop by before heading to the office.”
“What time was your meeting?” I looked at my watch. “It’s only eight o’clock.”
“It was at six. It was the only time a new and very wealthy potential client could meet. So, what’s going on with you?”
“What do you mean?” I sat down and leaned back in my chair.
“You’ve been distant lately.”
“I’ve been busy,” I spoke as I shuffled some papers on my desk.
“Too busy to tell your best friend what’s going on in your life? I mean, come on, Ethan, what’s up with Aubrey?”
“She hates me. Told me never to call her again. End of story.”
“I see. Nothing new there. A lot of women tell you that all the time. But this time, it’s bothering you.”
“Not really.”
“Come on, Ethan. Jesus Christ, it’s me you’re talking to. What the fuck is going on in that head of yours?”
“I’m losing control,” I spoke through gritted teeth. “I’ve developed feelings for Aubrey and I can’t stop them.”
“Bro,” he spoke in a low voice. “It’s okay. You’re human. There’s nothing wrong with that.”
“I don’t do feelings. You know that.”
“You used to. But since Sophia, you’ve closed yourself off to everyone. At first, I understood and figured you’d get over it. But as the years went by, you got worse. Your company became your obsession. It’s all you live for and it’s not healthy.”
“It’s the way I like it.”
“I’m not buying that bullshit anymore, Ethan. And neither are you. Because if you did, you wouldn’t be in such a shit mood 24/7 over a girl you barely know. Now,” he got up from his chair, “you know I love you like a brother. We’ve been through some serious shit together. But I can’t stand by you anymore when you’re like this. It’s time to put the past to rest. There was nothing you could have done, and if you can’t accept that, then I no longer feel sorry for you. You’ve created an
image for yourself. Do you really like people calling you The Iceman? Damn it, you can’t let one person ruin your entire life and change the man you used to be. I have to go.” He shook his head as he walked out the door.
Picking up a pen, I threw it across my desk.
“Excuse me, Mr. Klein,” Holly softly spoke as she popped her head through the door.
“Come on in, Holly.”
“Umm—” She looked down and folded her hands.
I let out a sigh. “Just say whatever you have to say.”
“I have a doctor’s appointment first thing Monday morning. I tried really hard to get a later appointment, but they were all booked. So I wanted to ask you if it’s okay that I come in a little late? If not, I understand.”
I sat there and watched this girl tremble from head to toe before my very eyes. She was scared to death of me and I couldn’t blame her, judging from the way I treated her over the past two years.
“It’s fine, Holly. Just come in when you can.”
“Really?” Her head popped up.
“Of course. Your doctor’s appointments are important. I understand.”
“Thank you, Mr. Klein.” She smiled. “I promise I’ll be in right after. It shouldn’t take very long,” she spoke with excitement.
“You’re welcome.”
She turned and headed for the door. “Thank you again.”
“By the way, if you and your husband are still planning that trip to Hawaii, you can have the time off.”
Her face lit up and a wide smile splayed across her face.
“Mr. Klein, are you sure?”
“Yes. You should go celebrate your one-year anniversary in Hawaii. Hopefully, your morning sickness will be over by then.”
“I don’t know what to say except thank you so much. You have no idea how much this means to me.”
“You’re welcome.” I smiled. “Go call your husband and tell him the good news.”
****
I was making my way back to my office after a meeting and Lucy informed me that my mother had called. Pulling my phone from my pocket, I noticed I had two missed calls from her.