OUR MENDED HEARTS

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

My office could be considered miniature next to the huge, beautiful building that appeared before us as we pulled into the parking lot. I had been quiet the entire ride, digesting Emerson's words from the apartment.

To meet with Danielle Crest.

So many thoughts swarmed me, yet I had nothing to say. Emerson stayed quiet too as if he sensed the turmoil—the storm brewing in me. I clenched my hands, which ached for contact. For violence. I wasn't sure what I'd do when I saw her. The bitch who had broken and used my husband.

Don't forget your original motives when you married him, and the secret you kept. My subconscious reminded me.

That was before I fell in love with him. After knowing him I would never go through with it. I snapped at myself, silencing the thought before it could plant uncertainty.

I lived with it every day. Having lied to Emerson for far longer than I should have. Far longer than he had deserved. For not having told him the truth of my intentions. The only thing that allowed me to move forward was that even just after one conversation—one look—I had known in my bones that I wouldn't have been able to do it. That was the difference. And that was what made Danielle a retched, snake.

The craving for retribution made it hard to breathe, but I forced myself to remember who I was. Who I had always been. I pushed against the part of me that had been awoken on that kitchen floor. On that driveway.

Emerson placed the car in park and got out, opening one of the back doors to grab an empty black, duffel bag. Charlotte had also remained silent the entire journey to Everglade. It was a buzzed silence that told me her mind was anything but.

We walked together toward the front doors. The building was a modern design with multiple floors. It was a blend of whites, cedars, and blacks with walls on windows. Small fountains guarded each side of the two brown doors, adding a peaceful sense to the overall entrance. The pushes lining the entire front were perfectly trimmed and shaped, along with the greenest, clipped grass that surrounded the entire building.

The first thing I noticed was the clean aroma that drifted throughout the lobby. It was absolutely delightful. We were greeted by a male secretary, dressed in black, at the front curved desk. A desk that looked strikingly familiar to the one in my lobby. I looked up at Emerson, and there was a faint smile curving on his lips. As if what I was thinking was indeed true.

I rolled my eyes but decided to not bring it up, though I appreciated the distracting thought. Charlotte walked closely next to me, and her eyes gave away everything she was desperately trying to hide. I slipped my hand into her and interlaced our fingers. She squeezed it and did not let go.

"Hello, Mr. Hale," the receptionist greeted. When he spotted me, he added with an incline of his head. He acknowledged Charlotte and me with an incline of his head combined with a soft, close-lipped smile.

I offered him one back and asked Emerson quietly, "You make your employees work on weekends? Especially this early in the morning."

He flicked his eyes to me and said, "Carter requested to work on the weekends as well. He needs the hours, so I let him. He answers the calls that would typically be lost and handles the paperwork that usually piles up until Monday. But no, he isn't supposed to be here this early."

I nodded in understanding.

"Your meeting is waiting for you in the office," Carter informed Emerson, and then said with a lowered voice, "I tried to tell her that all meetings are held in the conference room unless specified otherwise, but she wouldn't listen. All she said was that she was your fiance and that she knew the way."