Chapter 9

The almost seven-hour drive from Fairbanks to Anchorage was tiring, but Aubrey opted for it all the same just so that she could have some alone time to think before she’d have to face her staff at her boutique. She had left home just before dawn to begin her journey to the city that had been her base for some years now.

She ran a successful clothing line called Maubry (a mashup of her name and her mother’s name), and within five years, her business had grown from a single store in Anchorage to having branches in New York and Chicago; the latter being the result of her expectation that she and Ryan would get married and then she would settle down Chi Town where he worked at a private veterinary clinic. Unfortunately, she wouldn’t be relocating to Chicago, but on the bright side, she now had a thriving business in that bubbling city.

Aubrey was winning in her career as a successful fashion entrepreneur with at least two awards to show for it. Her latest fall collection would be hitting the stores in a few weeks as scheduled and the numbers were looking good too. She was admired by her contemporaries and envied by her competitors, but despite all her impressive wins, she still felt hollow and empty inside. She had hoped that getting married to Ryan would fill that void but sadly, that was not to be. Now she was returning home to her luxury apartment on the beautiful side of town and a booming business that no longer brought her the kind of joy that it used to.

She eased her car into the parking lot of her apartment building, got down and took her time with getting her stuff out of the boot. She couldn’t wait to dump her things inside her house and head over to the store to immerse herself in work. Working was her favorite escape—it helped her forget her loneliness and made her feel worthy.

“Welcome back, Ms. Aubrey,” the ever-smiling doorman greeted her cheerfully as she made her way into the building.

“Hello, Mr. Spellman. How are you doing today?” she responded with a warm smile.

“Fabulous!” Mr. Spellman laughed.

“That’s what I like to hear,” Aubrey replied before getting into the elevator. It took her to the seventh floor where her apartment was located. Her next-door neighbor didn’t seem to be around and Aubrey was thankful for that because she wasn’t in the mood for any chit chat.

When she stepped into her apartment, she was instantly enveloped by a feeling of warmth and comfort. Her home was her haven, her place of solace, but it was gradually becoming her prison and she didn’t like that.

I should go out more often, she mused as she walked into her bedroom to drop her travel bag. I need to develop a social life. I can’t keep living like this.

She knew she’d had this kind of conversation with herself many times before, but she never did anything about it. However, this time around, she was ready to make the move and stop living like an old spinster. She went into her walk-in closet to pick out something to wear, then she went back to her bedroom to sit at her dressing mirror and apply makeup on her face. Today, she let her long black hair flow freely down her back in all its silken glory. It was one of the things she had in common with her mother, besides her sharp features.

Once she was done dressing up, she went into her scarcely used kitchen to make herself a mug of coffee. Her apartment reflected her stylish taste with its array of expensive artworks, unique Oriental urns, exquisite tribal carvings, lush faux fur rugs and carefully selected mismatched furniture from around the world. Her home office also doubled as a mini fashion studio where she creates new fashion pieces if inspiration hit her at home.

While sipping her hot coffee, she sat down on her kitchen stool to read the news on her phone. She checked her news app for the latest fashion stories, then business news and finally the weather update. She rarely paid attention to politics because in her mind, all politicians were liars who couldn’t be trusted, and the game of politics was a messy dog-eat-dog business that she wasn’t interested in.

Before she left her apartment, Aubrey had a flitting memory of her last encounter with Eric two days ago and her conscience pricked her. She was used to blowing men off because she didn’t want the risk of catching feelings for a guy who may eventually dump her, so, she preferred to do the dumping upfront. The only guy she permitted to see her vulnerable side had thrown her affection back in her face in the most humiliating way, so she wasn’t about to give his cousin a chance to mess with her too. But if she was honest with herself, Eric was innocent—she was the one who had jumped on him and initiated what happened between them. Perhaps she owed him an apology for being so harsh with him. Aubrey made a mental note to apologize to him next time she went to Fairbanks.

She grabbed her Chanel purse and her car keys, and gave her apartment a final once over to be sure she wasn’t forgetting anything before she headed out. She couldn’t wait to get into the sanctuary of her workplace and get busy till late in the evening. Her mood immediately lifted, and she couldn’t help but notice the spring in her steps as she headed for the elevator.