Chapter 45
The two of us just stood there on opposite sides of the bed.
Levi clearly hadn't slept well. He said yesterday he wouldn't be coming home at night, so he must have come back too late and didn't get enough rest.
"You need to stop saying one thing and doing another."
Was Levi blaming me?
"How am I saying one thing and doing another? I've always been proper. When did I ever boss you around? You explain it to me."
"You just asked me to get you water?"
I blinked. "That was a slip of the tongue. I apologize, I'm sorry."
He rolled his eyes at me in frustration. "What about last night then? How do you explain that? You were..."
"Don't you dare accuse an innocent person. I fell asleep early last night. I don't even know when you came back. What could I have possibly done to you?"
I felt my behavior had been perfectly fine. I hadn't done anything out of line at all.
If there was anything, it might have been that I had a dream.
"I really can't with you."
"Then make yourself clear. Don't keep throwing vague accusations at me. I won't accept it." I said confidently.
I just thought he was being really strange, saying all this nonsense first thing in the morning.
Could he somehow peek into my dreams?
"See, you're going silent again. You never explain things clearly to me. Like with Jessa - I ask if you like her, and you never answer."
"I've said if you think she's the one you want, I can get divorced anytime."
Hearing the word "divorce," Levi looked like he'd eaten something bitter and became even less willing to talk.
'Last night, she was all kisses and hugs, and now she was turning on me just like that.'
I knew full well Levi still wouldn't answer me, and I didn't want to embarrass myself, so I might as well go out and get some air, let him get some proper sleep, and talk to me when he's clearheaded.
"I'm not waiting for you for breakfast. Come down if you want to eat. I'm going downstairs."
I walked past him casually.
As soon as I got downstairs, Indigo came running over.
"Mrs. Morgan, would you like breakfast?"
I looked at the clock on the wall - it was already 10:30 in the morning.
"I saw you and Mr. Morgan were sleeping, so I didn't prepare anything. I didn't want to disturb you."
"It's fine, I'll just grab something quick."
My stomach was empty, and if I didn't eat something, I'd easily feel nauseous.
"Let me make you something."
We went to the kitchen, and while Indigo heated up milk, she chatted with me.
"Mrs. Morgan, have you been under too much stress lately? Why do you keep getting drunk?"
I laughed awkwardly. "I had a couple of drinks last night and had to trouble Nola to send me home."
"It was Mr. Morgan who brought you home last night. Miss Skye called the house and asked for Mr. Morgan's number."
What?
My head instantly started buzzing. It wasn't Nola who arranged for someone to send me home? She contacted Levi? Wasn't Levi supposed to be at a dinner with other people?
What was going on?
When Levi said I was saying one thing and doing another, what exactly was he referring to?
No matter how bad I am with alcohol, I can still tell dreams from reality, right? Could I really be that bad after drinking?
"You drank too much. Mr. Morgan carried you back."
Indigo placed the milk in front of me. "Mr. Morgan said you'd be fine after sleeping it off, and then you both went to your room."
"Stop, stop, stop."
I couldn't bear to let Indigo continue. I had some memory of what happened after that - I kissed Levi and asked him to hold me?
It wasn't a dream?
I didn't believe it.
"There's something I need to do in the yard, Mrs. Morgan. Take your time." Indigo said and went outside, leaving me alone to stare at the milk.
Were Levi's dark circles because I didn't let him sleep well?
'Blair, it's not real. You've always had boundaries. Even if someone gave you all the courage in the world, you couldn't do something like that.'
I called Nola while eating.
"Hello, Blair, you're up so early. I'm so tired." Nola's voice was clearly weak - she probably hadn't woken up yet.
"Nola, did you contact Levi to pick me up last night?"
"Yeah, Levi got there pretty fast. He came and carried you away. You got drunk again last night."
I was really speechless. It really was Levi who picked me up...
"Blair, let me sleep a bit more. I saw he treats you pretty well. Stop talking about divorce with him and just make it work." Nola hung up.
I was absolutely crushed at that moment.
Nola actually thought my wanting to divorce Levi was me making a fuss. What could picking me up once represent? When he was out with Jessa, did he ever think about my existence?
Last time I got drunk, Indigo said Levi had been taking care of me. This time, he picked me up again. The few embarrassing moments in my life had all been witnessed by him.
And I thought I was having a nice dream - I probably just made a fool of myself in front of Levi.
If I could erase past memories, please delete all of these. What nice dream - it was just humiliating.
But I couldn't figure out why, given Levi's personality, he could have just left me alone. Our relationship wasn't good enough for him to put up with me like this, was it?
Didn't he dislike me?
Didn't he feel wronged for marrying me?
I lay on the table, watching the occasional falling leaves in the yard, just like my current situation - unable to settle.
My phone suddenly rang, pulling me back to reality.
It was Elliot calling.
"Ms. Ember, about the financing I mentioned a few days ago - have you thought it over?"
I always had some doubts. Would they really support my work just based on our classmate relationship? Although the last series was profitable, it still didn't meet my expectations.
WR Company shouldn't be investing more in Heartstrings Jewelry.
"Financing would certainly be good for us, but your company is being too generous."
Elliot's laugh was bright. "It's because your products are solid."
"You don't need to be modest either. I've seen your designs from the last collection - they're excellent. The company can definitely focus on you."
"I don't deserve such praise. You should know the headquarters won't put all their eggs in one basket."
"But they have to prioritize, right?"
I was worried Heartstrings Jewelry couldn't be too aggressive all at once - if things didn't go well, problems could easily arise.
"Why don't we meet and talk? We've already drafted a preliminary cooperation plan."
I wasn't in good shape, had just had an unpleasant exchange with Levi, and my mind was a mess.
"Let's all take a day off today. I'm sure you're very busy too, Mr. Sullivan. Let's meet next Monday." I declined.
"Alright then."
After hanging up, I felt empty inside. I couldn't describe my feelings about Elliot - there was always this inexplicable worry.
Heartstrings Jewelry was my life's work. I wanted it to succeed more than anyone, but I couldn't aim too high without the means. I should really learn more about WR.
Levi definitely had access to a lot of resources, but given our current situation, I didn't want to ask him for help.
He just said I was bossing him around. If I asked him for information now, wouldn't that put me beneath him? Absolutely not.