The Teacher

CH 26: SKYLAR

I stand outside, anticipating that Wren will likely attempt to leave and go back home. Maybe if we were in a different setting, like my car, she would be more open to listening to me and having a conversation. I'm leaning against the hood of my car when I see her leave the building, but she is not alone. The guy she was fucking is right behind her.

"Wren," I call out, and she turns her head toward me. She rolls her eyes and says something to the guy when she notices me. He laughs, a deep, throaty sound that rubs me the wrong. Wren grabs his arm, trying to pull him away, but I'm already striding towards them, my determination flaring.

"Wren, we need to talk," I insist, reaching her side. The guy sizes me up with a smirk, his hand possessively on her waist.

"And who are you to demand her time?" he challenges.

I ignore him, focusing solely on Wren. "If you value his life, you will tell him good night and get in my car."

"Skylar, you need to go home." She hisses. "We're done."

I feel the heat rising in my chest, a mixture of anger and desperation. "Wren—"

"Looks like the CEO here can't take a hint. Why don't you run along back to your boardroom?" I don't know who the fuck this guy thinks he is, but I'm ten seconds from knocking his fucking teeth out. But the last thing I really want to do is fight in front of Wren. She seems like she doesn't condone violence.

So, ignoring his jab, I keep my eyes on Wren. "You have one minute to get into my car, or there will be hell to pay. And the last thing you or anyone else want to do is get on my bad side."

The smug expression on the guy's face infuriates me as he leans closer to Wren, whispering something that elicits a chuckle from her. But her laughter doesn't reach her eyes. I can see a whirlwind of emotions she's struggling to conceal.

Wren sighs heavily. "Skylar, this isn't the time or the place," she murmurs. However, I can't back down. Every fiber of my being warns me that she's making a grave mistake by choosing to leave with him. "Have a good night, Skylar," she says, her tone final.

"If you walk away now, I swear to everything I hold sacred, I will leave you alone. It will be like you never existed. We will go back to how it was before." My voice trembles with raw emotion as I deliver the ultimatum; part of me breaks. Wren's presence has become something vital, something necessary for my sanity. "I mean it, Wren."

"Well, then, I guess I don't exist." She says with a nonchalant shrug. "I told you already, we're done," she states definitively before walking away with him. Each step she takes away from me feels like a dagger in my heart. I stand there motionless, paralyzed by the realization that Wren is slipping through my fingers. Watching him help her into his car, and she doesn't look back feels like a final blow. I turn away, feeling a bitter sting behind my eyes. I've lost her, and I have no one to blame but myself.

I get into my car and drive home. Each red light I stop at is a reminder to breathe, to try to make sense of what just happened. I know I should feel angry, maybe even relieved that it's over, but all I feel is emptiness. An emptiness that seems to expand with each passing second. When I arrive home, the house is quiet—too quiet. The twins are already in bed, and the nanny gives me a sympathetic smile before she leaves.

I need a drink, but with no nanny on duty tonight, I will just get a cup of water instead. Summer came back into my life, and everything has fallen apart. I should have just explained to Wren right then and there. I should have corrected Summer when she referred to herself as my wife. But instead, I froze like an idiot. I allowed Wren to feel like she was nothing. We may not have had a label or defined our relationship yet, but I don't want to lose her.

But it's too late for regrets now; she has made her choice. The sting of abandonment lingers as she walks away with him, leaving me behind with nothing but the weight of my own mistakes and the haunting realization that she deserves better than someone burdened by past baggage like me.

I was never the kind of man who would chase after a woman once she said she was done. I did it for Summer, and she still left me and our children. I will never be that kind of fool again. Wren will get exactly what she asked for.

****

I wake up the next morning feeling hollow. The sun shines through my bedroom window, but it does nothing to brighten my mood. I lay in bed for a while, numb and lost in my thoughts. But eventually, I force myself to get up and start the day.

When I walk in, the twins are already awake and playing in their room. They greet me with their usual enthusiastic energy, but today, it doesn't bring a smile to my face like it usually does. Instead, all I can think about is Wren.

I go through the motions of getting them ready to spend their Saturday with Summer, making breakfast, and dropping them off before heading to work. The office is empty when I arrive, as it should be because we do not work on weekends. Once I became the primary parent, my weekend work schedule was nonexistent. Bella and Gabby had all my attention. Now that Summer is back, I can focus on getting more work done.

I spend most of the day in my office, staring blankly at the computer screen. The words and numbers blur together as my mind wanders back to Wren. I try to push her image away, to focus on the work in front of me, but it's no use. Her memory is too powerful, too raw.

My phone rings, and I almost ignore it, dreading the possibility of it being Summer. But when I see the caller ID, it's not Summer. It's Maurice.

"What's up, Mo?" I greet.

"The fellas and I are going golfing. Are you down?"

The invitation is tempting—an escape, a distraction. But my heart isn't in it. "I think I'll pass today, Mo. Got a lot on my mind," I reply

Maurice, intuitive as ever, pauses before responding. "Hey man, are you still beating yourself up about the schoolteacher? I told you you have to find a way to incorporate her into an outing with you and the girls."

"She was at Gibbs," I sigh. "Getting fucked by another man, and she left with him."

Maurice lets out a low whistle. "Fuck, Sky, I'm sorry." His sympathy is genuine, but it only builds up more frustration within me. I rub the bridge of my nose, feeling the weight of a headache starting to settle in.

"Yeah," I respond, the word tight and clipped. "I don't know what to do this time. I give her an ultimatum. If she left with that guy, I would have nothing to do with her. And she fucking left with him. I don't know what I was thinking."

"You were thinking with your heart, not your head," Maurice suggests softly. "That's not always a bad thing, man. It means you're still human. But maybe you should leave her alone. Clearly, she doesn't want anything to do with you, and maybe it's for the best. She's your daughters' teacher, after all. Look, keep your head up, alright? And if you change your mind about golfing, you know where we'll be. Or do you need me to swing by your house?"

"I'm at work right now, so it's fine. Tell the guys I said hi. Also, Mo, I appreciate you looking out for me," I manage. After hanging up, determined to clear my head, I stand from my desk and make my way to the floor-to-ceiling window that offers a stunning view of the city. I worked so hard to be where I am now, but with success comes sacrifice. And in my case, it's love. If only I put myself back out there sooner once Summer abandoned us, I wouldn't be in this mess now.

I need a distraction, something far removed from business deals and board meetings. On impulse, I grab my coat and decide to head to Gibbs. Perhaps immersing myself in that other world might ease this relentless ache for a while.