Chapter 13
“Moura, are you seriously going to stay mad at mr?” Austin’s voice slurpened, frustration leaking through his words. “Why can’t you understand met It hasn’t been easy for Sailing Tech to get to where it is
“If I don’t consider the bigger picture, hundreds of people could lose their jobs. Have you Leven i
thought about that? Do you even
Austin was practically pleading now, throwing every cand on the table. He’d already humbled himself, and offered Maira everything he could- everything except the one thing she really wanted. The title of wife.
If she would just come back to him, he’d do whatever it took to make her happy in every other way. But no matter how hard he tried to bridge the gap. Moira didn’t just refuse to budge–she seemed to relish in pushing him further away
I’m not mad at you,” Moira said coolly, her steady tone cutting through his desperation. Tim married, Austin. If you don’t believe me, feel free to check at city hall, li’s all on record.”
The color dramed from Austin’s face at her words, his jaw cleaching in disbelief.
“Chasing after married woman? Trying to wreck someone else’s marriage? Maybe you should think long and hard about your own conlequences. Mr. Santiago, she said, the morking edge in her voice leaving no room for argument
Without waiting for a response, she tumed on her heel and strode away, her head held high. The echo of her heels against like a victory march. She didn’t glance back once as she disappeared into her apartment complex:
juvernent sounded
Austin stood there, his eyes burning with frustration as he watched her walk away. He seethed for a moment before dorming to his car, his
knuckles white around the steering wheel as he drove straight to city hall.
He’d intended to go in and check right then and there, but after finishing a cigarette in the car he changed his mind. A heavy such escaped has lips. and he flicked the cigarette buit out the window, turning the car around and driving all
Back at home, Moir couldn’t shake the growing feeling of regret. Maybe telling Austin I was married and sending him toi rity hall to check wasn’t the smartest move, she thought, anxiety swirling in her stomach.
What if he digs into my marriage and finds out about Virgil? What if he uses his commections to mess with Virgil career the way he wrecked m
Austin had power, status, and enough connections to make Virgil’s life a living hell if he wanted to. The idea of dragging him into her meis filled Moira with guilt and anxiety.
For the next three days, Moira wrestled with the consequences of her impulsive words, wondering if she’d just invited a storm into Virgil’s life Finally, during her lunch break, unable to take the silence any longer, she grabbed her phone and dialed Virgil’s number.
The call connected almost immediately, and the sound of the ringing tone sent a wave of nervous anticipation through Moira. She hadn’t realized just how much she’d been hoping for this moment until it hit her a feeling she hadn’t fully processed yet.
Before she could gather her thoughts, Virgil’s voice cut through the line, cold and distant. “What’s up?”
The sharpness in his tone felt like a splash of ice water. Her chest tightened, and the tentative excitement she’d been carrying evaporated in an instant, leaving only nerves in its place.
“Uh… sorry to bother you at work,” she stammered, trying to sound casual. “I just wanted to check in.*
She hesitated, her mind scrambling for the right words. She couldn’t bring up Austin–there was no way to explain that without raising questions. After all, what man would be okay with his wife even mentioning her ext
Vigil let the silence drag out before responding, his voice as flat as ever. “What do you want?”
“I just wanted to ask… is everything going okay at work? Any issues lately?” she asked, fumbling to sound nonchalant.
Another pause, longer this time. Moira’s stomach twisted, wondering if she’d overstepped. Then she added quickly, almost ton casually. “I was thinking… if you’re free, maybe we could grab dinner sometime? After work, maybe?”
“Sorry, Ms. Ellion,” Virgil replied, his tone cool and detached. I’m busy. I don’t have time for that
“Right… okay,” she mumbled, her chest tightening. She tried to brush it off, but the rejection hit harder than she expected. She shouldn’t have been surprised–Virgil had made it clear from the start that he was too busy for her.
She had been foolish to think otherwise, yet the disappointment still stung more than she wanted to admit.
There was a brief silence before the soft click of the line disconnecting
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Chapter 13
Moira stared at her phone, a swirl of disappointment and confusion building in her chest. “What was Lexpecting? That he’d drop everything for me! That he’d care even a little? She let out a bitter laugh at her own foolishness,
“All he did was the bare minumum, arranging a doctor for my mom. Maybe it’s just because I’m his wife, but there’s no affection behind it, no care beyond the obligation. I’ve been reading too much into this. Maybe I should just stick to our agreement and stop making a fool of myself
The bitterness crept in as she thought about how she’d been chasing something that wasn’t there.
Every day after “work.” Moira headed straight to the hospital to be with her mother. Weekends were no exception. But this Saturday, the moment she walked into the room, Jane’s expression told her something was off
“Why are you here again?” Jane asked.
- her tone more annoyed than welcoming
Moira blinked, caught off guard. She instinctively glanced at her phone to double–check the date. “It’s Saturday, Mom. I don’t have work today.
She set the thermos down and started unpacking the food she’d brought—Jane’s favorite dishes, along with two boiled eges.
As she peeled an opple, Jane broke the silence, her voice sharp. “You should be spending time with Virgil, not hovering around me. I wont be here forever 19 keep you company, you know.”
Moira frowned, still peeling. “Virgil’s busy. He doesn’t have time for me?
Jane wasn’t buying it. “Busy doing what? Paige told me Virgil’s off today. His whole weekend s free, actually“
Moira froze mid–peel, her surprise obvious.
Jane caught the hesitation and doubled down, her voice rasing with frustration. You didn’t even know he had time off? How are you supposed to keep him if you don’t pay attention?
“Men like Virgil don’t stay single for long. If you don’t step up, some other girl will snatch him right out from
from under you
Moira hadn’t even known Virgil had the day off. And the fact that he didn’t bother to reach out to her! Tut stung more than she cared to admit.
“Why is it always on the to make the first move?” she thought. “Virgil hasn’t exactly been jumping at the chance to spend time gwth me. So why should I be the one running after someone who doesn’t seem that interested?”
“Now stop sining around here. Call him,” Jane urged. “Invite him to do something–catch a movie, go out for dinner, anything! Sitting here peeling apples like a retiree is not gonna help you keep him.”
Kicked out of the hospital room by Jane with strict orders not to come back that evening. Moira found herself with too much time and nowhere to go. Her mother had also made it clear she was on her own for meals.
Aimless, she wandered the mail for a while, killing time by window shopping By lunchtime, she shot a quick text to Zea. [Want to grab some lunch!]
Zen replied almost immediately. I’m in Where are we meeting‘]
Moira smiled, relieved, and texted back the name of their go–to spot. Just as she was about to head there, her phone fang. Seeing Virgil’s name on the screen made her stomach flip unexpectedly.
She picked up quickly. “Mr. Adams? What’s up?” she asked, keeping her tone as casual as possible.
“I heard from my mom you like blue cheese, Virgil said, his voice as calm as ever. “Picked some up for you.”
Moira’s heart sank a little. She wasn’t sure what she’d hoped for, but “blue cheese” wasn’t it “Oh, that’s… thoughtful of you,” she managed “Where are ywa? I’ll come grab it.”
“No need I’ll drop it off. Where are you?”
Caught off guard, she quickly railed off Zea’s address, then hung up and grabbed a taxi back to the apartment.
When Virgil arrived at Zea’s apartment complex, the security guard barely glanced up from his phone before waving him through. He found the right building and took the elevator up to the twenty–second floor.
He approached the door of 2201, and knocked. After a moment, it opened to reveal a shirtless man standing in nothing but boxers.
The guy froze for a moment, his eyes widening at the sight of Virgil. “Since when did delivery guys look like they walked out of GQ” he quipped. glancing down at the blue cheese Virgil was holding
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Chapter 13
The man raised an eyebrow and scratched his head. “Uh… I thought I ordered fried chicken, i
en, noi, uh, fancy cheese”
He moved to close the door, but Virgil stepped forward, his hand on the doorframe, stopping it from shutting
The guy frowned
your deal, man?
Virgil’s gaze hardened as he glanced at the apartment number. “Does Moira Elliott live here?”
Before the half–dressed man could respond, the elevator doors dinged open, and Moira stepped out. Her eyes went wide when she saw Virgil standing in the hallway with the shirtless guy in the doorway.
Virgil turned his head to look at her, his sharp gaze pinning her in place. His expression was unreadable, but the terision in his jaw spoke volumes,
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