Out of the Storm - COMPLETE

Chapter 42

Jules

"WHAT'S HIS INFATUATION with the women from our office?" Charlie mumbles. I'm concentrating on making it seem like I'm unfazed by them, by Theo and Anna. It takes every ounce of willpower to not march back over to them, to ignore that I notice the intensity between them. It reminds me of what we had. But maybe we didn't have anything after all. Was it all a game, a ruse, a means to get information? Has he just moved on to Anna? Is he screwing it out of her? So, Charlie asking me a question about them and me answering like I know what he's talking about, that I care about them, that I notice them would be an obvious giveaway that I'm not over Theo. Furthermore, I'm definitely not over Anna fucking my fiancé and now moving on to Theo. I know this is jealousy that's coursing through my veins, but again, I can't show any signs of that. I have to keep it all bottled inside. So. Many. Emotions. "Jules."

I blow out a breath and glance over at Charlie as my arms pull the row machine faster and faster as I push each question that popped into my mind about Theo and Anna, each interaction they share farther back. I can see them out of the side of my eye, though, and it's like with each breath, they resurface.

"Dammit, Jules. You don't even have ear buds in. What the fuck?"

"Huh?" I ask, glancing at Charlie.

"Don't act like you're not watching them." He rolls his eyes and shakes his head. "Like you don't care that he's with her instead of you."

I stare at him. Is he actually serious?

Yeah, things have been better the past couple of weeks than they've been in a long time. But only because Jake forced me to spend time with him. I'd like to think it was because I started making time for him in my schedule, expressed that his drinking scared me, and we've been communicating more.

There are remnants of the Charlie I fell in love with that have been emerging.

But I've read about this.

It's like a honeymoon period in domestic abuse. Even though Charlie never hit me, he's been slaying me in other ways. He's trapped me financially, manipulated me. What I can't understand is how he figured out it was Theo I was with. He must read my mind, though. "Jules, I'm not stupid. I saw the way you looked at him. I was watching through the glass. You nearly charged them when you got here."

"No, I nearly charged Anna." I turn my head to glare in his baby blues. This is the first time we've done the gym together. Maybe I should have recommended this sooner, a way to see Theo without making it obvious that's what I was doing. Except, if this is how seeing Theo is going to be, this may be my last time coming here.

He looks genuinely perplexed. "But why would you care who she's exercising with if you didn't feel something for him?" He doesn't skip a row.

I shrug, my breathing becoming more labored, and not because of this damn row machine. That's twice I've almost forgotten I'm wearing this stupid necklace that Jake gave me, twice I've needed to remind myself I'm being watched and that the FBI is listening to every single word of this conversation. It's easy to forget for a short period of time, to pretend, that maybe Charlie isn't a jackass trying to ruin me. "I don't know."

"Do you want to be with him instead of me?" He lets go of the handle and stops moving, straddling the machine.

I arch my brow. "Do you want to be with Anna?" I ask. Shit. I'm not supposed to let on that I know about them.

His brows furrow. "I'm not sure why you'd ask me that."

My head nods, and I slow my speed. "It doesn't matter what I want, anyway. You've made it clear what I can and can't have. It all comes with a price and a consequence."

He runs a hand through his hair. "Yeah, it does. I've been thinking about the firm."

"Oh yeah?" My eyes bulge. I turn my whole body to look at him so the video will capture whatever he's about to say.

"I want to focus more on storm chasing. Hawke and Hemingway was never about me. It was about you, Jules. I'm sorry I lost focus of that. All I ever wanted was to give you everything you wanted. I got lost somewhere along the way."

I want to just burst into laughter, but I can't because tears that are dripping down my cheeks, my chest tightening. Nothing escapes.

He wipes them away. "If you want it, you can have it. If you want him..." He nods toward Theo. "If he makes you happy, then you can have him too."

Does he think by signing over the firm to me that will be the final nail in my coffin? Does he think that will save him? Of course, it's not like I've been able to get any info on him anyway. So, who's to say I need any help sealing my fate.

"I'll have the attorney draw up the papers tomorrow." He stands and plants a kiss on my head. "I'm not sure how we got so fucked up, but take what you want. You deserve it." Before he walks away, he glances at them and then back at me.

He's a fucking liar. I'm so angry. Angry that I can't call him on his bullshit. And furious that I can't go take what I want, what I thought would be mine if I had this exact opportunity. I'm still trying to wrap my head around what the hell Charlie's up to. What exactly does he think I deserve? Does he think setting me up for a life confined in prison is how one attains earthly bliss?

But he's gone, and I'm dumbfounded. What would make him give up on us this easily? My freedom from him was way too easy. This wasn't mentioned in those articles I read about domestic abuse. Guys who are as territorial over women as he has been over me don't just let the woman walk away.

Was I blind? Did I not see the whole picture?

I can't go to Theo. Jake will see everything. Unless...

Jumping from the row machine, I pace toward the bench press where they are. Theo's not looking at me. He's staring down at Anna. She blows out a breath. "I'm not fucking Marco over. It's you, Theo. Marco's fucking you over."

My heart starts to race. Oh. Fuck. Is Jake working with Marco? Did he know that we were getting close, that Theo was going to be able to figure it all out? What if Jake's not even FBI? Why is Anna telling him this?

All I can think is I can't wear this necklace another second because I don't know who I can trust. At that exact moment, Theo's head pops up. He glances around him, his brows furrowed. And in that moment, our eyes connect. My hands are on the clasp around my neck. When it's undone, I let it fall to the ground and run away. I have to get out of here.

What. The. Fuck. Just. Happened?