After finding the notebook, my mind is made up. I still don't know whether I want to be with Dom, or what the right choice is here, but I am certain in the knowledge that Adrian is not the man for me.
If I loved him, I wouldn't have all these feelings for Dom, and I wouldn't try to act on them. Besides, the way Dom makes me feel will never compare to the blandness of Adrian's touch.
My mouth pursed, I go back to the house and find Adrian has already left for work. Even though I want to have this conversation straight away, I make myself go about my day. I work on the design of a newly married couple's bedroom. It relieves some of the tension, but come lunchtime, I decide to go to Newport and visit Adrian in his office.
I slide his engagement ring off my finger, staring at the huge sapphire on it. It's beautiful, but it's the only beautiful thing in our relationship.
I've been fooling myself for a long time, living a life that I never wanted. I've been keeping my eyes firmly shut, seeing the residual light through the darkness. But now it's as if a whole new world has opened up, a dreamland of vivid, gorgeous colors. And I know I won't be able to live with my eyes closed anymore.
I push the ring inside my purse and drive to Newport, parking in the lot under Adrian's workplace. I didn't call ahead, knowing he might say he's busy working – but I just can't wait any longer. I need to tell him now.
His assistant is out when I get to the office, but the receptionist knows me well and lets me through. I stride to Adrian's office, a beautiful room with gorgeous wood paneling I helped him decorate. He got promoted last year, earning his own office and a beautiful view of the beach.
I knock in my signature way, letting him know it's me, then open the door.
My fiancé is sitting on his office chair, the one I picked for him lovingly, choosing a buttery cream color to calm him while he works. His trousers are unbuttoned and there's a woman on her knees in front of him, sucking his cock.
I just stare at the scene in front of me, feeling nothing. I'm empty. Completely devoid of feelings and emotions.
Adrian throws his head back, his mouth open in a surprised o-shape. "Cassidy," he groans, and I realize he hasn't seen me yet. He's calling my name as some woman sucks him off. Sick. It's sick.
"Right here." The words roll off my tongue before I can stop them.
His eyes find me standing at the door, widening in horror.
"Cassidy!" he says in a raised tone, rushing to get up. His trousers fall to the floor in the process and reveal his erect cock, still slick with the other woman's saliva.
I can't move, still glued to the doorway as I stare at the disaster in front of me. The woman on her knees gets up, facing away from me. She's wearing a pencil skirt and begins buttoning up her blouse before turning towards me, her mouth pursed in a tight line.
I recognize her immediately. "Brielle?" I ask.
She smirks at me, wiping her mouth with her palm which makes me cringe since the action is so vulgar. It's Dom's cousin, the woman who has been helping me organize Valerie's wedding. On her knees. Sucking off my husband-to-be.
"Get the hell out, Brielle," Adrian spits out as I just stare and stare. She grabs her purse and laughs as she leaves, shooting me an evil look on her way out. I have enough strength in me to grab her wrist as she passes me, and she stops in surprise.
I've mentioned I've changed a lot since the first summer in this town. I've become calmer, softer, gentler. But the scene I just saw has left me raw and emotional, and for once in my life, I let my real personality shine through.
"What are you gonna do, slap me?" Brielle asks, laughing as I hold her limp wrist between my fingers. "You're useless, Cassidy. As a woman and as a lay, or so I've heard."
Her words should cut deep, but instead they make me feel fury. "No," I reply sweetly. "I don't need to slap you. Reality will do that for me, dear."
She looks at me in confusion, but I'm not done with this whore yet. "You think you've won, Brielle?" I ask her as she returns a defiant stare. "You have nothing. You're a taken man's whore, and he'll never take you as anything else.”
Her resolve falters as I lean in closer, getting ready to deliver the final blow. "And don't think I don't know why you're so involved in the wedding. I know you're hoping to inherit something when Valerie passes," I spit in her face and she looks guilty. It immediately lets me know I've hit the nail on the head.