Sealed With A Vow

Chapter 27- A Shocking Sight

"You sure you don't want me to explain the incident with the mailbox to Derek?"

"Yes. It was my fault and therefore my responsibility to deal with. Thanks, though," I said to Charlotte, smiling gratefully.

"Well, let's hope all goes well."

She gave me a hug then hopped out of the car just as Elliot was turning into the driveway. I waved good-bye to them both before heading towards my own house.

To say that I was experiencing nervousness right now would be an understatement. It was more along the lines of a major panic attack and fear for my life.

Sweat began to form on my palms, and the sudden increase of blood flow rushing through my veins caused me to feel faint. My heart was beating so fast, I wouldn't be surprised if it jumped out of my chest any minute.

As I neared my neighborhood, an internal battle arose as I debated whether to drive straight home or head to the grocery store. The truth was, we still had an ample amount of food at home, but I wasn't ready to face Derek yet.

My fear got the better of me, and I ended up choosing the latter. If Charlotte were here, she'd probably laugh at my attempt to stall like this. The moment the light turned green, I did a quick u-turn and drove back onto I-5, sighing in relief.

After spending a pointless hour inside of Ralphs, I finally decided to head on home. It was nearly eight already, and I couldn't hide from my husband forever. So, I put my big girl pants on and walked out the store with a single carton of milk in my hand.

Upon my arrival, Derek stood on the porch, phone in hand and busy typing away. As I pulled into the driveway, he glanced up and his eyes widened in surprise.

I gulped nervously, turning off the engine before mustering up the courage to drag my butt out of the car. The moment Derek saw me, he came rushing in my direction with a look of horror on his face.

"Oh my god, Claire, what happened?", he exclaimed, grabbing both my cheeks with his hands.

"I-I'm so sorry. T-there was a mailbox but-," I began to explain, stuttering like an idiot when he interrupted me.

"You hit my car into a mailbox?!" His tone raised an octave and I stared at the ground, drowning in a sea of guilt.

Derek's eyes wildly scanned over the damage done to his BMW, his fingers running over very scratch and dent as he cursed under his breath.

"We'll talk about this inside," he said bitterly, turning on his heel to head towards the house.

I reluctantly followed him, setting my suitcase by the stairs then went to put the milk in the fridge. When I got to the living room, Derek was standing with his arms folded across his chest. His angry expression bore no hint of sympathy, and I was more scared than ever.

"How the hell did this happen?", he demanded authoritatively.

"Charlotte and I were at a party," I responded.

"And then what?"

His eyes were locked on mine, and I braced myself for the outburst I knew was about to come.

"We both had a couple drinks."

"My god, Claire, don't tell me you were drunk when you got in the car." He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration, mentally praying to God to give him the strength to not kill me then and there.

Well, at least that seemed like what he was doing.

"I wasn't! I was quite sober."