83
I'm tired of all of this, tired of everything that causes me pain. It hurts me deeply, especially Gerard's reaction to what happened, he didn't say a word.
"Miss Juliette, Mr. Durand is approaching," Luc warns me, slowly releasing me.
I also let go of him, but I don't turn around to look and instead get directly into the car. The last thing I want is to see his stupid face next to Karen's.
"Don't sit next to me, please, don't come here”, that's all I ask once inside the car.
But I immediately notice that he's coming to sit next to me. I'm instantly aware, and with all the audacity in the world, he settles right next to me, even though I can't stand his presence.
As his damned witch of a partner gets in with a displeased face, the car starts in complete silence, a silence so heavy you could hear a pin drop.
I notice they got out so quickly after me, and judging by their expressions, something must have happened, but I don't care.
Driving down the road, I feel nauseous inside, unsure if it's mostly from the disgust I feel towards the two people present, the bad impression after what happened, or the intense smell of their perfume that turns my stomach.
"Stop the car, Luc," I say loudly enough for him to hear, causing him to look at me through the rearview mirror. "Please."
"No," Gérard intervenes authoritatively.
"I need to get out of here," I mutter through gritted teeth, glaring at him.
"I already said no," he declares harshly.
"I don't care what you say, because I want to get off this car," I reply with anger rising within me.
"We won't stop until we reach the company!" he retorts forcefully.
"I don't give a damn about getting to your cursed company, so stop the car now!" I shout as I stand up.
"Sir..." Luc starts.
"Do it!" I scream at him, furious, tears of anger and helplessness flooding through me.
Shaking his head, he pulls over the van to the side of the road, and without waiting another second, I slam the door with all my might, immediately hopping into a taxi to go home.
When I arrive at my apartment, the first thing I do is get rid of the dirty shirt, then strip off all my clothes to take a shower. The water running over my body hides all the tears I've tried to hold back until now.
I can't believe he let that happen and stayed silent. I was humiliated and he didn't care, he didn't stand up for me. It hurt even more that he didn't react.
But as I promised, this time my tears are not for him, but for myself, for everything I've allowed myself to endure and the damage I've inflicted on myself in this relationship.
I step out of the shower, noticing my wrinkled fingers, and reach for a towel to dry off. After changing into pajamas, I call to order food; I haven't eaten all day, my stomach is empty, but I have no desire to cook anything.
I turn on the TV to find something to distract myself until my pizza arrives, and I come across a Harry Potter movie.
It's funny, because now I can't watch anything from the series without Damien coming to mind.
A small smile forms on my lips as my eyes fall on the table beside me where I have the magic wand he gave me as a gift. Despite what happened, I just hope he's doing better.
After several minutes, knocks on my apartment door snap me out of my thoughts, and remembering the food I ordered, I get up from the couch and grab the money from my bag to pay.
As I head towards the entrance, the knocks on the door become louder, so I ask them to calm down before opening.
As I open the door to receive my order, the figure behind it kills my appetite, and reflexively, I try to close the door to keep him from entering my home, but he's quicker and more agile than me, managing to wedge his foot to stop me from closing it, ultimately entering my apartment, upsetting my whole system.
"What are you doing here?" I demand angrily, seeing him standing before me.
"We need to talk," he says, trying to stay calm.
"I have nothing to say to you, so leave," I spit out coldly.
"I left that mess hanging," he retorts, referring to the photo shoot.
"That's your problem," I retort.
"My problem?" he asks, looking at me with indignation. "I did it for you."
"For me? For me, you did nothing, because you allowed me to be humiliated," I accuse him. "So get out of my place, because I don't want to see you."
"You don't know what happened afterward there," I say, stepping closer.
"Stay away from me," I say, stopping her from taking another step. "I don't care what happened afterward, because the only thing that matters is what didn't happen when I was still there."
"I was furious with you, and that's why I didn't say anything!" he exclaims, upset. "But then I reacted and put that bastard in his place!”
"I don't care," I say, because it's true. I no longer care about what he might say to me.
"Of course you care, so stop pretending like you don't!"
"Get out of my place," I repeat, pointing towards the exit, trying to control my breathing.
"Juliette!"
"Get the hell out of my place!" I shout, releasing all my anger, to the point that his expression changes. "I can't stand seeing you, I don't want to see you!"
"You know that's not true."
"I have never been more sincere in what I'm saying, in my entire life," I spit out through gritted teeth.
"I know that's not true, and this will be the only time I give in," he scoffs. "But just to calm you down, because we need to sort this out."
"Get lost," I say, ignoring his words. "Get lost, Gérard."
I stand my ground until he slowly turns to leave and walks out the door, slamming it so hard it makes me gasp for air.
But I don't care, he can turn back if he wants to, because it's over.