Holding On

Fifty-Eight

George had never known that betrayal could hurt so much. But coming from his wife, the woman he loved, the woman he'd spent more than four years of his life with, the one he could've least expected it from, the pain was much more than anything his mind could've conjured.

It'd been three days. He'd spent three days away from Emma and his daughter for a reason other than business - a very drastic reason at that. That night, Emma had revealed so many things, and his mind was still a chaotic mess, unable to decide what to believe.

He'd never known Emma to be of a deceptive deposition, and so it'd been hard coming to terms with the lies she suddenly unearthed. And on the night of her revelation, the emotions had been too much—the anger, disillusionment, and the fear—that he wasn't sure how he would've reacted had he not left.

He certainly hadn't trusted himself to keep from exposing the vulnerabilities he'd swore to himself he'd kept locked away tight and buried. And he certainly wouldn't have held back from lashing out the questions that'd run a petrifying marathon through his head.

Wasn't he enough for her? Hadn't he loved her enough? What was it about Zain that wasn't it with him? How could her feelings for the guy survive four years of separation? Had she ever really loved him or had he just been some kind of rebound?

He had just been too terrified to learn the answers to those haunting questions.

And he'd practically skedaddled, which had been a wise move; barely had he been in his car did he break down in a way he wouldn't have wanted Emma to see.

Sighing helplessly, George gave up trying to concentrate on the file in front of him, which was the same thing which had happened yesterday. Ruffling a hand through the hair he'd barely taken time to comb today, he thought of how Emma had tried to reach him after he left that day, how her calls rang through the night.

Every time he would look at the screen and his endearing name for her appeared, a jolt of pain would zap through his heart. He tortured himself with looking each time until it'd become too much to bear and he'd turned off the phone.

She didn't try reaching him the day after, still hadn't called today.  And he missed her, missed her badly despite how hurt and betrayed he felt.

The telephone rang, distracting him from his plague of thoughts. “What's it, Alice?” That was the name of his new secretary. Guilt seared his conscience whenever he thought of why he'd had to assign his old one to the assistant manager.

“Zain's here.”

George tensed as his secretary's words came through, red fury tearing through his veins. “Let him in.”

Tying for a semblance of control as the coward who hadn't had enough guts to come to his company yesterday to face him entered his office, George gave him a cool look. He'd thought of so many ways he would react on seeing Zain and now that the man was finally here, he found the options jumbled in uncertainties.

“Partner.” Zain greeted, his stance wary and uncertain, his shoulders squared, and the aura of belligerence around him had George clenching his fist on the desk and gritting his teeth so hard he feared they would shatter.

From the way Zain quirked his brows, George knew he'd so quickly shattered the facade he'd decided to put up. Damn his sensitivity! “Not holding back the hostility, I see.” Zain mused as he stepped forward.

The taunt had George jolting to his feet as he glared at the man who'd managed to fool him for so long with his pretences. He felt his nostrils flaring, suddenly wishing his eyes were knives. Zain would be dead in less than 5 seconds.

Zain put out his two hands persuasively. “Calm down George. A man like you should know that violence isn't the answer.”

His heavy breaths betraying the rage he felt, George sunk back into his chair. “Just how many times did you laugh at me because you thought I was so stupid for not realizing you were stabbing me in the back, huh?”