Page 28 of Reclaiming Izabel

The night prior, Drake left right after dinner, saying he had some errands to run. He didn’t return until two that morning. My recent insomnia kept me awake and I knew he was pacing outside my door. I held my breath for a while, thinking he’d knock, but he walked away instead.

Drake answered my question with a tight nod. No elaboration. Not a single word.

Resentment that’d been simmering over the weekend boiled over. “This isn’t going to work,” I burst out.

I’d surprised Drake with my reaction, judging from the flicker in his eyes.

“Give me a bit more time, baby, and I can tell?—”

“Three years weren’t enough?” I screamed. “Why come back now when you can’t commit fully to this marriage?”

His eyes turned cold. “This isn’t like you, Izabel. I have a job to do.”

“I’ve never stopped you from doing your job.” Reining in my overrun emotions, I shot him an arctic smile and yanked the door open. “So go ahead and do it.”

I did my best not to slam the door. I couldn’t go back to that. To barely existing. I wasn’t going to waste another precious minute of my life on it. I got into my car, backed down the driveway, and motored off. When I reached the second stoplight, I noticed I was white-knuckling the steering wheel. I was gripping it tight to prevent myself from shaking. Muttering a curse, I parallel-parked beside the neighborhood sidewalk to calm myself.

I was angry.

Pissed. Off.

How did one go on after surviving the stages of grief, only to find out it was all for nothing?

When I arrivedat the office, Cindy was already at her desk. “So,” Cindy gushed as she came around to meet me. “How did it go?” The sly smile on the twenty-eight-year-old blonde confused me until I remembered my date with Kyle on Friday. That felt like ages ago after everything that happened over the weekend.

If there was one person who wanted me back in the saddle, it was Cindy. It was through her clever machinations that I ended up going to the Solace gala with Kyle, which in some way paved the way for him to ask me out.

At my pained smile, Cindy frowned. “What happened? Was he a jerk? Do I need to punch him in the nuts?”

“Slow down, slow down.” I laughed at the outraged expression on my friend’s face. Clearly her loyalty was to me. “Kyle was the perfect date.”

“Then what?” she squinted. “No chemistry?”

“Uh…”

“Bad kisser?”

I gave up and walked into my office.

“Bad in bed?”

“Cindy!” I exclaimed in a half-shocked, half-amused tone.

My friend chuckled. “You’re so fun to mess with. Seriously though, you need to get some action.”

I grimaced. “I don’t think that’s gonna happen anytime soon.” Especially after Drake pussy-blocked me on Friday. Not that I was ready to sleep with Kyle. I was a widow—wasbeing the operative word.

What a mess.

More like a disaster.

Cindy sat in the chair in front of my desk, all levity gone from her adorably freckled face. Her blue eyes searched my countenance. “Okay, Maddox. Out with it.”

“I can’t talk about it,” I hedged.

“This isn’t about Drake, is it?” Cindy’s voice was so gentle, it made me cringe. “He’s been gone for three years. He would want you to find happiness again.”

I burst into hysterical laughter, startling my friend, but I couldn’t stop even when it sounded more like a cackle of bitterness than amusement. And once the laughter started, I couldn’t stop. Tears burned my eyes. I couldn’t determine if I wanted to laugh or cry.

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