Sealed With A Vow

Chapter 28- Three Little Words

After the death of Nick and my father, I had thought I'd be incapable of experiencing that gut wrenching pain ever again. But for some reason, the scene in front of me hurt so much worse.

The woman I hated most was standing pressed up against my husband with her lips locked on his. Her fingers grabbed at the collar of his shirt, pulling him dangerously close.

I just stood there frozen like a statue, feeling the sharp edge of a knife drive through my heart. At that moment, Derek spun around to look in the direction of the door, pushing Ashley away from him.

His blue eyes met mine, and he instantly grew pale as he stared at me in absolute shock and horror. Simmering with fury, I stormed towards him, my heels echoing throughout the entire room.

"Claire-," he began when Ashley interrupted.

"Um, you could've at least knocked?" Her tone was glacial, and she shot me an accusatory look.

I glared at her menacingly, feeling the anger rush through my veins as I directed my attention to Derek. Before he could utter a single word, I did what I'd wanted most ever since I stepped foot inside his office.

I slapped him.

"Oh, and enjoy your cake," I said scornfully, taking the tiramisu out of its box and rubbing it all over his face.

Ashley stood there with her mouth hanging wide open in disbelief, and I turned to look at her as well.

"And you? Go to hell!", I spat, my voice laced with venom. She laughed contemptuously, and it took every fiber of my being to not wring her neck.

By then, Derek had managed to wipe off some of the cake with his hand, and he winced in pain when it came in contact with his cheek, which was now red from where I'd hit him. Seeing his face only angered me even more, so I began to exit the office.

On my way out, I heard the sound of his steady footsteps behind me and quickly increased my pace as he continued to call my name.

I was about to reach the elevator, but being the klutz that I was in high heels, tripped over my own foot and nearly fell when a pair of strong arms caught me.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I turned around to thank the person, but grew sick to my stomach when I saw who it was.

"Claire, stop run-",

"Get the hell away from me," I ordered. Derek dropped his hands in defeat.

The moment the elevator door opened, I quickly got inside, and the look of despair in his eyes was the last thing I saw before it closed shut.

When I walked into Wells Fargo, I told my boss that I wasn't feeling well, and he let me take the remainder of the day off. Once I was in the shelter of my own car, the tears of hurt and pain poured down my face, and I cried like never before, wishing the earth would just swallow me whole.

***

I had no idea how many hours I lay limp on the couch, but I just didn't have the will to eat or shower like I normally would at this time. At least I'd changed into a comfy tank top and pajama pants.

Never in my life had I thought that I'd ever behave like this, crying over a man that wasn't even worth my tears. I felt so stupid falling for him in the first place when instead, I should've guarded my heart. He'd trampled all over it, leaving me alone to fix the wounds.

What hurt the most was the fact that Derek had betrayed me, breaking his promise to never leave my side. Every night, we shared the same bed, but all this time, Ashley had been the one occupying his thoughts.