Collide (Collide, #1)(102)
Olivia’s statement seemed to pique the interest of the driver, who was now smirking at them through the rearview mirror.
Emily’s mouth dropped open, her eyes wide. “Jesus, Olivia.”
“Well, it’s the truth,” she laughed. “And you’ll get in a decent amount of time with him, considering he’s right around the corner from here. So f*ck, f*ck, f*ck away, friend.”
“Okay, I’m officially ending this conversation,” Emily laughed. She leaned over Olivia to open the door for her. “Get out, psycho.”
Laughing, Olivia hopped out of the cab, nearly slipping on the slickened sidewalk. “Get food shopping done at least.”
“Yes, I’ll do the food shopping. I won’t see you until later tonight though. I have some errands to run, and then I’m meeting Gavin at his office at five. We’re going out to dinner to try and figure out this whole Dillon mess.”
Poking her head back into the taxi, Olivia cupped Emily’s chin, her eyes soft. “And it’s a wonderful mess to try and figure out. Don’t forget that.” She planted another quick kiss on Emily’s forehead, ducked out of the vehicle, and closed the door.
Sighing, Emily watched as she made her way into the gallery.
Less than two minutes later, it was Emily’s turn to dig into her purse and pay the driver for the short distance. Cautiously, she slipped out of the taxi and thanked him. The door attendant swiftly made his way over to her, offering her his hand to help her navigate through the now slush-riddled sidewalk. Digging in her purse once again, she went to tip him, but he waved her off, explaining that he was more than happy to help. After thanking him, she shuffled into the lobby and headed for the elevators. On her way up, she couldn’t help but laugh to herself as she recalled what the last two times in this very elevator felt like. This time, even though there was a steady flutter of butterflies tickling her stomach, she was relaxed.
After making her way down the hall to Gavin’s penthouse, Emily rang the doorbell. That relaxation she had just been experiencing suddenly turned into a mixture of shock and confusion when the door swung open. With her heart pounding in her chest—its speed that of a jackhammer—her eyes transiently followed suit as they swept over the woman who had opened his door, wearing nothing but a sweater and panties.
Over her now rapid breathing and sweat-soaked body, Emily managed to get out, “Who are you?”
With the tilt of her head, Gina eyed Emily up and down. “I’m Gina. Who the hell are you?”
Somewhere in the back of Emily’s mind, she and Gavin’s conversation from the baseball game flooded her psyche.
“Besides, her name is Gina, and mine, of course, is Gavin—two Gs. I think it was an omen or something—destined to not work out.”
A writhing ball of hurt tore through Emily’s stomach when she realized who she was. Gavin made her feel like she stood a chance with him, but she really didn’t. She couldn’t compete with the greatest love of his life—the woman whom he’d loved enough to want to marry.
Without another word spoken, Emily quickly turned and headed for the elevators. She wouldn’t go in to talk to him. She couldn’t. Pride kept her feet moving and kept them moving fast.
“Hey,” Gina called out. “Are you going to answer my question or not? Who are you?”
“Apparently, I’m no one. I had the wrong address,” she answered, badly wanting to cry.
Wanting to know that she wasn’t numb.
That she was still feeling.
As it turned out, she needn’t worry that she’d lost her ability to feel because her heart was crushed like a pressed flower in a tattered book. Her body desperately tried not to let go of the contents inside her stomach. Her spirit felt defeated, broken, beaten, and torn—its assault brought on by a man whom she was naive enough to trust. Worse, she was naive enough to believe he actually loved her.
By the time the elevator completed its descent to the main floor, despite her best efforts to contain it, Emily’s stomach decided to fight back, releasing the small amount of food it held. Right there in the middle of the crowded lobby, she dropped the bag of bagels onto the floor as she dry-heaved repeatedly after throwing up. Embarrassed by her display, her brain faintly registered the sound of a woman gasping in shock. Cupping her hand over her mouth, Emily fled from the building. The icy cold air shocking through her system offered no reprieve to her sweating flesh.
As the heart of the world hummed around her with commuters walking down the packed city streets, Emily fought to gather her senses and tried to swallow her pain. However, her wounds rang loud, like the rushing winds screaming in the wintry storm around her. Clenching her purse against her chest, she found herself walking, her thoughts wholeheartedly derailed. She made her way into a diner around the corner and took a seat at a table, her hands trembling—and not by the frigid temperatures outside.
Peeling the sleet-beaded coat from her body, she ran her fingers through her wet hair, and it was then that she completely lost it. The tears flowed steadily down her cheeks as she tried to make sense of what’d just happened. She tried to make sense of her toxic, muddied perception of who Gavin made himself out to be in front of her. In her eyes, he was the master of trickery, delivering nothing but words tainted with lies and betrayal. The long road they were supposed to travel together was now riddled with pieces of her heart—pieces that he’d strategically placed there for her to trip and fall over. He was everything she wanted, and apparently, she was nothing he needed.