Chapter 44 Shelyn's visit
Vivienne's POV
I pulled back to look at him. My hands were still shaking a little bit. "Thank you for understanding. Thank you for not just telling me I'm being dramatic or paranoid."
"I would never do that," he said seriously. His voice was firm and strong. "I saw her today, Vivienne. I saw the way she looked at you, the way she talked to you. That wasn't love. That wasn't a concern. That was control, pure and simple."
His words made me feel better. At least someone else saw what I saw. At least I wasn't going crazy like Margot always made me feel.
We heard a knock at the door. Both of us jumped at the same time. My heart started racing again. It was beating so fast I could feel it in my throat. I grabbed Raphael's arm without thinking. My fingers dug into his shirt.
"It's okay," he said quickly. He must have seen the panic on my face because he put his hand over mine. "It's probably Lucien or the security guard. Margot wouldn't come back so soon."
But I wasn't so sure. I knew Margot better than anyone. Margot was unpredictable when she didn't get her way. She hated losing control. She hated when people didn't do what she wanted. And right now I have done the worst thing possible. I had walked away from her.
Raphael walked to the door slowly. He looked through the peephole. I watched his shoulders go stiff. His whole body changed. He stood up straighter like someone unexpected was standing at the door. Someone he didn't want to see.
"What are you doing here? And who told you where I live?" His voice was hard and cold.
He opened the door wider. Shelyn came in carrying a bag of groceries. She was dressed in a provocative and sexy manner.
The kind of outfit meant for the eyes of a man she was planning to seduce. Her dress was too short. Her heels were too high. Her makeup was too much.
"Hey, I was at the store and thought I should grab some things for you," she said cheerfully. Her voice was sweet like honey. Too sweet. Fake sweet.
Then she looked at me. Her eyes went straight to my face. Her smile faded away completely. "Vivienne? I didn't expect to see you here. You look like you've been crying but that's your business."
Her words stung even though I tried not to let them. I wiped my face quickly with the back of my hand. I tried to smile, but it probably looked fake. It felt fake on my face.
"Like you said, it's none of your business. What are you doing here?"
My voice came out stronger than I expected. Good. I didn't want her to see how upset I was. I didn't want her to know how bad my day had been.
Shelyn set the groceries down in the dining area. She looked between Raphael and me. Back and forth. Like she was trying to figure out what was going on.
"This is my man's house, what does it look like I'm doing here?"
My stomach dropped. Her words hit me like a punch. My man's house. She said it so casually. So confident. Like it was a fact everyone knew.
I looked at Raphael. His face was red. Not embarrassed red. Angry red. His jaw was tight. His hands were in fists at his sides.
Raphael walked behind her fast. He grabbed her arm and dragged her to the door. He must have seen the look on my face. The hurt. The confusion. The betrayal started to creep in.
"I don't know what games you're playing, but I don't know you and I don't intend to. Now take your miserable groceries and get out of here."
His voice was loud. Louder than I'd ever heard it before. He wasn't playing around. He wasn't being polite.
Before she could say another word, Raphael shoved her out of the door. He grabbed the grocery bag and threw it at her. The bag hit her right in the face. Some of the groceries fell out and scattered on the floor outside his apartment.
Shelyn stumbled backward. Her mouth dropped open in shock. She looked like she couldn't believe what just happened. Like she expected him to laugh and say it was a joke.
But Raphael slammed the door in her face. Hard. The sound echoed through the whole apartment.
There was so much satisfaction in that simple act. Watching her get thrown out like trash. Watching her confident smile disappear. Watching her realize she had no power here.
But I acted as though he was too rough on her. I didn't know why I did that. Maybe because I felt bad. Maybe because even though I didn't like her, throwing things at people seemed wrong.
"You didn't have to be so harsh on her. A simple word of mouth would have made her leave without shoving her," I said truthfully.
“That's Shelyn, Margot's daughter,” I said.
Raphael turned to look at me. He was still breathing hard. His chest was going up and down fast.
"A simple word?" He shook his head.
"Vivienne, Shelyn isn't the woman I want even though it’s for the papers,” He walked closer to me. His voice got softer but it was still intense. "She knew you were here.
Margot must have told her to come here. She came here on purpose to start trouble. To make you think there's something between us when there isn't. There never has been and there never will be."
I believed him. I could see it in his eyes. Hear it in his voice. But it still hurts. Still felt messy and complicated.
"How did she know where you live?" I asked quietly.