Chapter 54
The knot I felt in my stomach was tight enough to kill me.
I knew I had been anxious and bothered about this all weekend, but it felt a million times worse now knowing I'd have to go to work and look Connor dead in the eye after everything he did to me.
I hadn't heard a single word from him all weekend.
Nothing.
A part of me was hoping that there was still some humanity in him and that he would try to reach out and apologize. A part of me hoped that he would find a way to explain why he did what he did. Blame it on the alcohol, something. Anything.
But he didn't.
And that was okay.
Because today, I was determined to make sure Connor loses his job after what he did to me.
Dean drove me to work.
The ride consisted of him whispering reassuring words to me and offering small acts of physical comfort like holding my hand in his and rubbing his thumb soothingly on the back of my hand or placing a hand on my thigh and gently squeezing on it.
When we eventually got to Spring and parked, we noticed Lydia standing out front waiting for us.
Apart from Dean, Lydia had honestly offered me the most support in all this. She refused to leave my side all weekend and we practically had to beg Carlton to come take her away. She was ready to stand by me and offer the best kind of support she could in my mission today.
Dean went as far as walking me into the building, still holding my hand in his like he was giving me some mental courage.
When we got to the fifth floor, he turned so he was facing me directly and asked, "Are you sure you don't want me to go in there with you?"
I nodded, "I'm sure. I'll be fine."
He nodded too, although it wasn't hard to tell by his expression that he was worried for me.
"Dean, it's fine." Lydia assured him. "She'll be okay. I won't let that bastard, Connor come near her."
He let out a breath before pulling me close for a hug.
"Call me and keep me updated, okay?" He said into my hair.
"I will." I said, wrapping my hands around his waist.
Before we knew it, we heard swoons coming from some of my coworkers who were just stepping in as well. They probably recognized him from the office dinner last month.
We pulled away from the hug and Dean smiled nicely at them.
"They are so cute." One of them whispered to her friend as they made their way in.
Dean, Lydia and I let out soft chuckles.
"Alright, bye Dean." Lydia waved Dean goodbye before taking a hold of my arm and leading us both in.
"Bye guys."
I spared him one last glance before I looked forward, feeling a bit less anxious and a lot more determined.
"Where to first?" Lydia asked as we both walked.
"Kendra's office." I let her know. "I need to tell her what happened and I need her help to call for an emergency board meeting."
"Okay." Lydia nodded. "Do you want me to come with?"
"Nah, I'm good." I shook my head and stopped walking when we got to her office door. "Thank you Lydia."
