Breaking the Fantasy (Polyfidelity)

Chapter 31 - Falling For... Couture?

Chapter 31 - Falling For... Couture

(Make sure to look at authors note at the bottom of the chapter, there might be a surprise... 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️)

Saville's POV:

The view of Downtown Los Angeles was beautiful in the early morning hours. Sitting in this conference room, I held my coffee cup in my tight clutches. The voice of my Publicist was absent, as the only thoughts in my head were of the delicious ache in my hips.

I could feel the bruises, the scratch marks and the dying welts on my back from 36 hours ago. The coffee taste in my mouth reminded me of Elliot and his need for bold coffee. The fact that I was sitting in a meeting, not paying any attention to what was being said because of them, made me angry.

"Saville!" I heard Brenda yell at me, which prompted me to swivel around to look at her. Raising my eyebrows questioning, she continues speaking.

"Have you heard anything I've said?" She asked to which I smiled guilty and replied.

"No."

"What I was saying is that the Diane Sawyer interview has been placed on hold indefinitely. We don't need you on TV talking bad about your husband right now. I mean for god-sakes your holding his funeral today." Brenda spoke, angering me before she continued speaking.

"Aside from that, I think you need to take a break from any kind of social media. You need to appear contrite and that your mourning. I fear some of your fans still believe you had a hand in Gillians death. Even if you didn't, this whole thing is still taunting your image."

Instead of the same burning anger that I had felt earlier, I now only sit here confusingly.

I didn't realize people still believed I killed my husband. It seems like the rest of my team doesn't even believe me, so of course my audience would feel the same. The more I sit and think about it, I am forever going to have the stain of my husband dying on my profile. People will automatically link the two of them, and I can never escape his name now.

Divorce would have tainted me, but not in such a harsh way. It's funny how Gillian got exactly what he wanted, even if he had to die. He wanted to be tied to me forever, to my name and now... it looks like that might be true.

Brenda is still speaking when I stand from my seat and begin walking out of the room. It's been 5 years and not once has she steered my wrong in what to do. If she feels things need to be done this way, I'll do them. In the meantime, I have another meeting across town that I don't want to be late for.

Finn walks behind me rapidly as I head for the elevator and onto my next meeting. His phone is plastered to his hand as per usual and I am forever thankful to his loyalty to just me. It's not the brand he cares about, its not even the other members of the team, it's just me.

It's a least an hour later when we finally step into the warehouse that hold Gillian's fashion house. I'm immediately greeted by his assistant who offers his deepest sympathies. Looking at him, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that he had more of a relationship with my husband than I. He's definitely Gil's type, and though I believe this, I would never hold it against any of the boys.

While the assistant rattles things off about the brand, he also leads us to the upstairs conference room. The rest of the board is seated there when I head in to speak with them.

"Good morning Mr. Carter, we all would like to start this off with our deepest condolences about the lose of your husband." The woman speaks, her head down and voice thick with emotion as she speaks. When she looks up, I think she's puzzled to see that I look perfectly normal and not distressed.