Chapter 8 - THE CONFRONTATION
A month later,
Adrian found me.
I was walking out of my office toward the parking garage.
He looked terrible.
His suit was old,
the one he had from before he met Celeste.
He had lost weight,
and his eyes were hollow.
"Mara,"
he called out,
stepping from behind a concrete pillar.
I didn't stop,
but I didn't run.
"What do you want,
Adrian?"
"I'm sorry,"
he said,
the words sounding practiced and hollow.
"I made a mistake."
"I was blinded by her shine."
"I realize now that you were the one who always had my back."
I stopped then,
turning to look at him.
I saw the man I used to love,
and I realized I didn't even recognize him.
"You didn't want someone to have your back,
Adrian."
"You wanted someone to be your floor."
"Someone you could walk on while you reached for the stars."
"And now that the floor is gone,"
"you're just falling."
"I've divorced her,"
he said,
stepping closer.
"It's over."
"She's a mess,
Mara."
"She's blaming me for everything."
I laughed,
and it was a genuine,
light sound.
"Of course she is."
"You are a liability,
Adrian."
"You're a man who brings nothing to the table but an appetite."
"Please,"
he whispered.
"Give me a chance to make it up to you."
"I'll do anything."
I reached into my bag and pulled out a five-dollar bill.
I handed it to him.
"For the bus,"
I said.
"I hear you had to sell the Porsche."
His face twisted in a mix of shame and rage.
I walked past him,
the sound of my heels echoing in the garage.
I got into my car and drove away.
May you like
I didn't look in the rearview mirror.
I didn't need to see his shadow anymore.
