Chapter 69
Philip's POV
My hands clenched the phone until the case creaked. Howard's cold dismissal burning in my ears. Annie was with him now.M∗Annie.In his bed. The thought sent waves of nausea through me as rage and grief clawed at my chest. She was supposed to be mine forever-the divorce papers shouldn't have changed that.
"How dare she?" I snarled into the darkness of my car, my voice raw and unfamiliar. Divorced or not, this was betrayal. Six years of marriage, and now she was spreading her legs for that cold bastard? The steering wheel groaned under my grip as violent images flooded my mind- Howard touching her, kissing her, taking what belonged to mne. Red tinged the edges of my vision as an animal sound of pain escaped my throat.
They were probably doing it right now, her body welcoming him like she used to welcome me. The thought sent me spiraling into a pit of rage and despair so deep I could barely breathe. It didn't matter that we'd been divorced for months. In my heart, in the only truth that mattered, she was still my wife.
Ten minutes later, I burst into the private room of our usual club,where Allen waited with several other friends. The expensive whiskey was already laid out-they knew me well enough to anticipate my needs.
"She's really left me," I choked out, my voice rough with emotion as I collapsed into a chair. The words hung heavy in the air of the private room,joining the haze of cigarette smoke from Allen's expensive cigars. "Annie's actually gone."
Allen shifted uncomfortably in his seat, clearly unsure how to handle my uncharacteristic display of vulnerability. I couldn't blame him -I barely recognized myself. The successful CEO of Philip Investment Group reduced to a drunken mess in a private club room at midnight.
"How could she just,,, stop loving me?" The words spilled out, bitter and raw, "Six years of marringe. Six years where she gave me everything. Her devotion, her kindness.." My hand trembled as I reached for the bottle again."And now she's with "him*,"
The memory of Howard's hands on Annle's waist, his lips against her neck,sent a fresh wave of nausea through me that had nothing to do with the alcohol. "They're probably together right now," I said, my voice cracking. "In his bed..."
"Annie was always too simple for someone like you," Allen began cautiously."A small-town girl who couldn't understand our world. Maybe this is for the best-"
"Don't." I cut him off sharply, an unexpected surge of protectiveness rising through my drunken haze. "You don't get to talk about her like that. None of you do." The same friends who'd encouraged my affair with Sarah,who'd laughed about Annie's 'provincial' background at dinner parties - they had no right to judge her. "She was worth ten of Sarah,and I was too blind to see it."
The irony wasn't lost on me - defending the woman I'd betrayed to the friends who'd encouraged that betrayal. But the thought of anyone speaking ill of Annie made my blood boil. She'd been perfect. The problem had been me, though I couldn't bring myself to fully admit it even now.
"The investigation is still ongoing," Allen offered carefully. "These things take time if we want thorough results..."
I barely heard him, lost in memories of Annie's smile, the way she used to look at me with such pure affection. When had I stopped noticing? When had I started taking her devotion for granted? My phone buzzed - my mother's name lighting up the screen. I almost ignored it. but years of ingrained filial obligation had me answering automatically.
"Philip," my mother's volce carried that familiar note of barely concealed disapproval. "I've been thinking about your situation with Sarah."
I pressed my fingers against my temples, trying to ward off the approaching headache. "Mother,please..."
"You two should reconcile," she continued as if I hadn't spoken. "It's the sensible solution. Sarah knows how to behave appropriately in our social circle, unlike..." She left Annie's name unspoken but clearly implied.
"I can't," I replied, the words scraping my throat.
"Philip, you need to stop this obsession with Annie. It's beneath you."Mother's voice turned sharp. "After eveything she's done? Cutting off contact with her own son? Sarah at least knows how to properly care for Brian."
"She was my first love," I said slowly, each word deliberate despite my drunken state: "My white moonlight. I thought having her would make me happy..." A bitter laugh escaped me. "But I ruined everything."
"Philip-"
"Stop pushing, Mother," I interrupted, surprising us both with mny firmness."I won't doit."
The line went dead. I stared at the phone, momentarily shocked by my own defiance. The room spun slightly as I stood, waving off Allen's concerned gesture.
Mother's words echoed in my head as I ended the call:"Philip,you need to stop this obsession with Annie. It's beneath you." Beneath me? I laughed bitterly, the sound harsh in the emptiness of my penthouse. The same penthouse that had once been filled with Annie's presence - her books scattered on coffee tables, her illustration supplies neatly organized in the corner desk, the gentle scent of her lavender candles lingering in every room.
The contrast between Annie and Sarah struck me with sudden clarity.Annie, who had worked tirelessly, saving money for Brian's future while managing our home. Sarah, whno seemed to view my credit cards as her personal shopping account, who treated my son as a mere prop in her calculated performance of devoted stepmother.
My phone buzzed with another text from Sarah - something about needing funds for new furniture. I ignored it, my thoughts fixed on the memory of Annie at the gala. The quiet confidence she'd carried herself with,so different from Sarah's practiced seduction. Had Annie always possessed that strength, and I'd been too blind to see it?
"One more drink," I muttered, reaching for the crystal decanter. The whiskey burned going down, but it couldn't erase the image of Howard's hands on Annie's waist, the way she'd melted into his kiss.
Annie never looked at me that way, a traitorous voice whispered in my mind. Even when things were good between us, she never seemed so...complete.
The room spun slightly as I stood. Allen - or was it Marcus?-had insisted on driving me home after finding me at the bar. "You're in no state to drive," he'd said, his voice carrying equal parts concern and judgment. "What's happened to you, Philip?"
What had happened? I'd lost everything that mattered while chasing things that didn't. The morning light stabbed at my eyes as consciousness crept back unwelcome. My head throbbed in time with my heartbeat,mouth dry as sand. For a moment, in that hazy space between sleep and waking, I could almost hear Annie's voice: "You've been drinking again...look how much pain you're in..."
The phantom comfort was worse than the hangover.How many times had she nursed me through mornings like this? Her gentle hands pressing aspirin into my palm, her quiet movements as she drew the curtains against the cruel sunlight. I'd never properly thanked her for any of it.
The drive to Howard Technologies felt endless. Every red light was another opportunity for my mind to torture me with images of Annie and Howard together. Her smile - the one that used to be mine- now directed at him. Her trust, her affection, everything I'd carelessly discarded,now given to a man who clearly knew their worth.
"Six years," I whispered to my reflection in the rearview mirror. "Six years of marriage and I'm only now understanding what I had."
The sight of her with Howard made breathing difficult. The casual intimacy between them at the gala had been bad enough, but knowing they were probably sharing a bed now... The steering wheel creaked under my white-knuckled grip.
Howard Technologies' underground parking garage was quiet at this early hour. I recognized his reserved space, positioned my car to block the entrance. My heart pounded as I waited, rehearsing what I'd say when I saw Annie. I had to make her understand - I'd been a fool, but I could change.I would change.
For the first time, a terrifying thought crossed my mind: What if it was already too late?