Sealed With A Vow

Chapter 29- Waiting

The dark, lonely hours dragged by agonizingly slow, and I'd almost thought that dawn would never come again. After Derek had left my room last night, I couldn't sleep a wink.

As a ray of sunlight peeked through the curtains, I felt more conflicted than ever about my feelings for him. Everything had been going so well for us, but then it'd come crashing down like a storm. All because he was incapable of drawing the line between him and Ashley.

But what if he didn't want to?

Then it finally dawned on me. My husband had hired Ashley to work for him with the intention of keeping their close friendship. No matter how much he denied it, I knew that he'd always have feelings for her.

But he loves you, my subconscious reminded.

I sighed heavily, nestling into my pillow as I stared up at the ceiling. Honestly, I didn't even know anymore. My relationship with Derek had never been an easy one, but now, I began to fear that it was on the edge of a cliff, struggling to survive.

Regret consumed me as I remembered the hurtful things I'd said to him yesterday evening. More than ever, I wanted to apologize to him, but I was afraid that he'd push me away.

It felt like a giant rock had been placed between us and neither one chose to climb across. I really hoped it wasn't going to be like this forever.

Eventually, I decided that I couldn't stand the silence anymore and got out of bed, pulling on a hoodie over my tank top. My footsteps were light against the floor as I walked down the hall to Derek's room.

The door was open and immediately, my heart sank as I saw the neatly made bed and unwrinkled sheets. He hadn't slept in here at all last night. My suspicion was confirmed when I went into the garage to see an empty space where his Range Rover was normally parked.

Derek had left. And it was all my fault.

Dragging myself upstairs, I felt lonelier than ever. I wished it was all just a dream and that he would walk through the front door any minute, but in reality, he was probably at a hotel right now and absolutely furious at me.

A man could only keep his promise for so long until he'd finally had enough.

I climbed back into bed and snuggled under the covers, blinking back tears. An hour later, I was about to fall asleep when I felt the mattress dip beneath me.

"Derek?", I croaked, praying that it wasn't just my imagination. I winced, suddenly aware of how much my throat stung from screaming yesterday.

"It's me, sweetheart. Are you alright?", he asked. My eyes fluttered open, and I looked up to see his kind, blue eyes gazing down at me intently.

"Y-you came back."

He tucked a strand of hair behind my ear, his brows furrowed in confusion. That's when I noticed the huge bags under his eyes, and to say that he looked sleep-deprived would be an understatement.

"I drove out to Pacific Beach and went for a run earlier. And like you said, I'm back now. What's with the surprised tone, though?"

"I thought you left me," I said quietly.

"Why would I leave you?"

"Because of everything I said to you yesterday."

I sat up straight, rubbing my eyes with the back of my hand then met his gaze.

"Do you have any idea how rough last night was for me? I lay awake for hours worrying about you...about us," he said, running a hand through his hair.