The days passed for Daniel in a lethargy, they were endless. Sometimes he would have episodes of despair, throwing things against the wall in a rage because Deanna had left him, and sometimes he would burst into tears like a child for the same reason. He was going crazy.
He went back to half-living in his office at the company, finding it hard to face the accusing looks of his children and the sadness of Jonathan. The little boy seemed like a ghost in the house, wandering aimlessly or locking himself in his room, not even using his player to listen to music. He could not see him, he could not face them, because even he could not get out of his state of fear.
How could he support his children when he was a mess? When his wife died, Daniel spent nearly three months shuttling between the office and home. Camila and Susan took care of his children when he was lost in grief, but somewhere he found the strength to carry on. His children needed him, and there was nothing he could do to bring Emily back.
But this time was different. Deanna was out there, somewhere in the city, but he couldn't reach her. Harry had told him once how it felt to want to be with her and not be able to. Daniel finally understood, it was an emptiness in the middle of his chest and it caused a pain he had never felt before. Helplessness. Frustration. Anguish.
The worst came at night when he stayed in the office because he couldn't sleep in his bed, the one he had shared with her. He would pour himself a glass of anything that would knock him out and sit and look out the window and reminisce. When he held her in his arms and kissed her and Deanna touched him without shame. When he saw her ecstatic face and her breathy voice asking for more. The freckles on her back wet with sweat, her hair disheveled, her need on the surface of her skin. And his body betrayed him as he ran these images and sensations through his mind. He reacted to the pleasure of his imagination and disgusted himself, He hated himself. The need he felt for her only reminded him of how much he'd lost, how much he'd let slip away.
And then those images of Deanna would mix with Reed's haughty face and foul smile and he would explode in a mixture of grief and rage. He would definitely lose it. If that guy laid a hand on her... And then he would be overcome with anger, he preferred anger. Anger at her for showing up at his door with Leonard. Because if he had driven her there, it wasn't the first time she had gotten into his car. And if it wasn't the first time, that meant there had been others. Since when? Since the theater? Had she slept with him too?
No, Deanna wouldn't do that. It was his jealousy that made him think that way. He'd been drowning in it ever since he'd met her, always looking for ways to keep anyone else from looking at her, to keep her away from other men, to keep a close eye on her if one came near her. The jealousy that had clung to her insecurities and caused more than one argument, convinced that someone could take her away from him.
"You're your own worst enemy," he told himself ruefully. In the end, the only one strong enough to rip her from his side had been him.
Beverly had kept to herself after the fight with Harry. She had to let a few days pass for things to calm down, still waiting for Daniel's apology for accusing her of sending the video to Deanna. But it didn't come. Everyone knew what had happened between him and his brother and, as expected, the gossip had spread beyond the walls of the company.
But the gossip didn't just go, it came. Everyone was talking about Leonard and how he was keeping Crusher's wife in a hotel, how old Reed had taken Daniel's wife away from him and had her living like a queen in a room at the Durban Hotel, all the time visiting her with gifts. Not only had Daniel been left as a dumped husband and Leonard a winner, but Deanna had been confirmed as nothing more than a gold-digger.
"She saw that Leonard had more money and contacts to get her out." "Camilla Crusher must be devastated now that her eldest son has been left as a betrayed husband," "Everyone knew the young lady was only interested in the Crusher inheritance." And so Deanna ended up in the worst position. In Beverly's mind, there was only one thing left to do: sign the divorce papers. If she had left because of what had supposedly happened between Beverly and Daniel, she could not return now that she had become Leonard's new "mistress".
When all this rumor reached Camilla's ears, she wanted to run and ask her son to get rid of this woman once and for all. But Charles stopped everything, no one would say a word to Daniel and leave him alone to purge his guilt. When the time came for a divorce, he would be the one to decide, not the gossips.
Leonard was attentive to his daughter's every need. After his talk with Philippa, he had decided one thing: Deanna would go back to singing and he would take care of it. And for that he had to talk to her and offer her his idea in the hope that she would accept it. It would be wonderful to see her sing in the most prestigious theaters! He had the experience, the contacts and, if necessary, the money.
He picked her up at the hotel, as he did every afternoon, and was eager to tell her what he thought. Hopefully she would accept him for lunch outside these four walls.
- Are you feeling better? - he asked.
- Yes, thank you -
- Good... would you like to go out for lunch? You've been stuck in here for days -
- It's strange to see you here all the time... I didn't know you until recently -
- Believe me, it's strange for me too -
Yes, it was, but at the moment he was only interested in her well-being. Strangely enough, Leonard cared about someone other than himself.
Rumors had reached him, too, but he wouldn't tell her for the world. Those idiots never knew who they were gossiping about, never knew her. They could say whatever they wanted, for the first time he had a chance to do something good and do it right, and he wasn't going to waste it again.
He convinced her to have lunch with him. He told her that he had great things to tell her. On the one hand, she was curious how this man who could be so unpleasant could become so caring and even loving. On the other hand, she felt a little sorry for him. After all, he had been left alone, and he was her father.
He took her to a restaurant downtown, and no one missed the "couple" eating lunch in a corner and chatting quietly. If anything was needed to add fuel to the fire, it was a public demonstration that Leonard had stolen Crusher's woman.