Page 32 of Checkmate
“Lottie, please. I’m not so distraught I’m going to put myself in danger. We’re going for coffee. In public. In separate cars.” Erica pulled her arm gently from Lottie’s grasp, walking through the double doors to her bedroom.
“And he’s not lying. You didn’t hear him – there’s no faking that kind of hurt.
“Actors do it all the time! That’s why I’m constantly googling who is fucking who in Hollywood. That’s how convincing it can be to fake it.”
Smirking, Erica took a seat at her vanity mirror, meeting her sister’s eyes as she sank onto the bed. “Your obsession with celebrities aside, I could hear it in every word he said, Lottie. And right now, he’s the only person in the world who understands what I’m going through.”
“Well, that makes sense,” Lottie admitted, scrunching her nose. “Just.... Give me his number before you go meet him. That way, if you end up missing, I have a lead to give the cops.”
Erica chuckled despite her low mood, nodding in response to Lottie’s request. “Fine, Lottie. I’ll give you his number, licence plate and a full-colour picture if it will make you feel better.”
She appreciated her sisters’ concerns, and it wasn’t an unreasonable request, but in her gut, she knew Marcus was no danger to her. He was just another broken heart. Someone who needed her as much as she needed him.
Putting her meeting with Marcus to the back of her mind, Erica turned her attention to her reflection, starting her usual skincare routine. As Lottie watched with a judging eye, Erica cleansed, exfoliated and moisturised, focusing on the task at hand so her mind wouldn’t wander, and she wouldn’t succumb to her crumbling heart.
“What are you doing?” Lottie asked, sitting up and perching on the edge of the bed.
“Moisturising currently. And then I’ll do my make-up routine.”
Lottie rolled her eyes. “Yes, I know you’re moisturising. But why?”
“Skin care is important, little sister.”
“Erica! Stop with the bullshit, you know what I mean!”
Erica smirked at her through the mirror, finding enjoyment in her frustration. Moments like this with Lottie reminded her of those precious years sharing a bedroom as teenagers. She’d hated it at the time, but now she would give anything to be fifteen again and arguing over lip gloss.
“I’ve got to go and meet Marcus,” she said, reaching for her make-up bag. “And if I don’t get a move on, I’ll never be ready in time.”
“You can’t be serious, Eri.”
“What is it?” The smile she gave her sister was a little strained this time. Lottie had done nothing but question her.
“Your husband is screwing his secretary!” Erica winced at the pain of those words. “And you’re planning on ignoring it to go meet some bloke?”
Erica shrugged and applied her base coat.
The truth was, she wanted nothing more than an endless tub of Ben and Jerry’s and a collection of tear-jerker movies to drown her sorrows in.
She wished she could put on her ratty old clothes and climb under a duvet, only resurfacing for more ice cream. Every moment brought her closer to giving in to the immense pain in her heart that threatened to break her. But if she allowed herself a moment of grief, Alex had won.
Despite all her pain, and all of her heartache, Erica was angrier than she had ever been.
How dare Alex?
How fucking dare he.
He had looked her dead in the eye and swore nothing was going on. Sophie was nothing more than a thorn in his side. She couldn’t believe the audacity of the man.
“… And I just think you should cancel on Marcus and let Alex have it!” Erica forced herself to focus on Lottie’s rant, taking a slow breath. “You’re just letting him get away with it, Eri. How can you do that?”
“Oh, Lottie. Who said anything about him getting away with it?”
Chapter 9
Marcus
“This might seem unorthodox, but would you like to get coffee?”
