Page 106 of Eternally Yours
It’s 11:55 p.m. when I check the time on my phone. Morgan, Aubrey, and I have been drinking since five this evening. I think we’ve at least had a bottle of wine each, with a couple of shooters. I’m surprised we aren’t drunker than this, only a slight buzz, enough to feel good.
We’ve been dancing for the past hour while waiting for Silas and Clay to call. But now that it’s almost time, I’m excited. I miss my husband dearly.
Having him to myself all summer was perfect, and my mind forgot that it was only temporary. It’s okay though, soon I’ll get to see his handsome face fill my screen. And the day after tomorrow, he’ll be home with me again.
I light up my phone again, sitting on the couch while Brey and Morg keep dancing to a new pop song I haven’t heard before.11:58 p.m., two minutes.My heart begins to flutter with exhilaration, and I can’t stop the smile from spreading on my face as I watch the digits on my phone change.
Milo hops up onto the couch and rests his head on my lap. “You excited to see Daddy too, bud?” He offers me a little whimper, then closes his eyes as I stroke his fur.
The distinctive sound of a video call coming in pulls my attention. I watch Morg as she squeals and jumps to her phone, answering quickly. “Happy New Year, my love!” she shouts into the phone, kissing the screen repeatedly.
Clay gushes over her, saying he misses her. How beautiful she is and that he can’t wait to kiss her. It makes me miss Silas even more. I turn my phone over and tap the screen.12:02 a.m.
A knot forms in my stomach, and I know disappointment shows on my features when I see Aubrey looking my way with a sad smile.
“He’s probably just not paying attention,” she offers kindly.Yeah, maybe.
Morgan hangs up with Clay after a million ‘I loveyou’s’ and turns with thebrightest smile I’ve ever seen, although it quickly vanishes when she sees my face. “He didn’t call?” she asks quietly.
A lump grows in my throat and all I can do is shake my head.
“Clay said Sy was still at the bar when he left... maybe his phone died and it didn’t turn back on in time. We’ll just wait it out a little. I’m sure he’ll call,” she says with a convincing smile. But I don’t feel it, and the more minutes that tick by without a call, the worse I feel.
Worry begins to creep in my bones the longer I wait.
What if something happened? What if he’s hurt or in trouble? It’s not like him to back out of his promises. No, it’s probably nothing. It’s just the wine talking, I’m being paranoid. He probably just fell asleep before he had time to call me. Yeah, that would make sense.
But the feeling growing in my gut tells me I’m wrong. I don’t understand it, but it’s like my body is trying to warn me of something.I just don’t know what...
It’s 1:15 a.m. when the girls finally head to their assigned guest rooms while I walk to my bedroom with heavy footsteps. My mind is going in a million different directions, and I don’t know what to think. I’ve texted, I’ve called, but nothing. No sign from him.
I plug in my phone and lie in bed, tossing and turning, looking at my phone, waiting for it to light up. For him to tell me he’s okay...
It’s 2:27 a.m. when I finally give up and close my eyes...
He never called.
Chapter thirty-one
Cecilia
Stupid, stupid, stupid, STUPID!
At exactly 5:42 a.m., my beautiful, amazing life falls apart. My heart shatters into a million pieces along with it.
The vibrations from my phone wake me up from a restless sleep. With shaky hands, I reach for the lit-up device. The first thing I see are hundreds of tags, comments, DMs, and a few texts from co-workers.
I open a text from Steve first, and the only thing his message says is, “I’M GOING TO KILL HIM!!!” Shaking my head in confusion, I pull out of the text thread and open my Instagram app that keeps pinging with new notifications.
Suddenly his message makes sense, and the confusion clears. My body freezes over. My lungs stop working. My hands shake aggressively while my eyes fog over.
Because there at the top of my page is a picture of my husband. The man I love more than life itself, kissing another woman. A woman who isn’t me... a woman who looks nothing like me.
A loud sob rips from my throat. I raise my hand over my mouth, trying to keep it in as tears overflow down my cheeks. I swipe up to the next picture, and again I’m hit with another brutal assault to my heart. This one of them entering the hotel together.
I drop the phone to the ground and run to the bathroom, my emotions too strong as they pull everything from inside, and I vomit my guts out into the bowl.
I hear the door opening from a distance and Aubrey’s soft voice calling my name. “Cece? Cecilia? Are you okay?”
