A week later, I was still really fucking bitter about the fact that they left me a note instead of just waking me up. I don’t know why I expected anything more from them. It wasn’t like we had been a couple or whatever you would call three people engaged in a relationship. There was no relationship, but it was bitter like there had been one. 

It was also kind of embarrassing because I had been dodging everyone’s calls and texts, only emailing Alexi faxes of the papers he needed because I wasn’t going inside that stupid complex. I couldn’t. 

Working on the housing papers made me want to rip all my hair out and set it on fire. There were several contracts to prepare for workers and companies, many to look over and revise. There were close to eighty bundles I had to prepare and fix to each company, and individual. That wasn’t even the total either. There was still a stack I had to take to Maddox to sign, then some for Alexi. It would be fine if they weren’t rushing me to have everything done in two weeks or fewer. 

I was well over stressed now. I was exhausted, and only getting worse. Coffee and a few boxes of crackers only did so much to keep me alive. 

Pushing back from the desk, I grabbed my phone off the charger cord and powered it on. It had been dead for a few hours and it was peaceful. Just simple, quiet peace. My phone vibrated solidly for almost a minute as messages and missed calls started to flood in. Groaning in annoyance, I waited until the phone stopped freaking out to check the total of all the calls and messages finally. I hadn’t checked a single message or answered a single call in seven days. 

I had dozens of calls and hundreds of texts from dozens of people. 

Maddox, Alexi, My dad, to name just a few. Opening messages from Maddox, there were at least a hundred messages and the last few were far from Maddox’s normal. They were messy and the last one said he was on his way to come to check on me and make sure that I was ok. Dragging my hand through my hair; I hissed. That message was sent well over a half hour ago. Chances were he was here or close enough. Calling or texting him and telling him I was fine, probably wouldn’t cut it. 

The worst part of all this was that Maddox had a key to my place. I gave it to him after I got the place fully as my own and switched the locks. He was the only person I knew was responsible enough to keep the key safe and not lose it.

He could get in if he needed to.

Sighing, I unlocked the door and waited. I didn’t have to wait long either. Less than five minutes, he checked the handle, opened the door and came inside. He frowned when he saw me and he crossed his arms. Looking at him, he wasn’t wearing a suit for once, rather he was wearing jeans and a long sleeve. 

“Nice to see you alive, Theo.”

“I am, yes.”

“You could have answered any of my hundred or more messages.”

“I could have, but I had no idea you sent any messages. I was ignoring the entire idea of texts and calls. At some point, my phone just died, and I left it at that.”

“I see.”

“I’m more than fine, so you don’t need to stay.” I said, the dogs finally realized that someone was here and ran into the living room from my bedroom where they had claimed to be their napping zone all day long. 

They never growled at him, they didn’t bark, they just looked at him and then turned, running back down to the bedroom. Almost hiding like they weren’t interested in Maddox at all. I found it mildly amusing. 

“Guess they didn’t like me.” Maddox said, chuckling. 

“Guess not.” I said. 

“Get up, get dressed. You’re coming with me.” Maddox demanded. 

“What the hell for?” I groaned. 

“Emerson made dinner, and you’re coming with me to have dinner with us and our son.”

“We aren’t that close, Maddox. We never have been.” I said, mildly shocked by his words. 

“No, we aren’t. But you’re not the same as the rest of them. Emerson brought up a good point, too. I don’t have much family that I would protect, and I don’t actually have a reason to push you away.” Maddox said,

I frowned.

“Hey, Theo, I get it. It’s weird for me too, to let you into my life and see my husband and child. But it’s the right thing for me to do.” Maddox said further. 

“Fine. I’ll have dinner with you and your family. But I can’t promise it will be a comfortable event.”

“It’s a start.” He said. 

“I suppose so.” I said, trying to be polite.

Heading to my bedroom, I changed out of my shorts and sweater into a pair of black sweatpants and a different nicer sweater. Sighing, I reached out and petted Hunt and Hero. 

“I’ll be back in a little while. Enjoy your naps.”

I exhaled quite dramatically as I left the room. Maddox had made himself at home in my condo, on one of my couches. He was texting someone when I came out and he smiled politely, standing back up. 

“Are you ready to go?”

“As ready as I’m going to be.”

“Right, let’s go then.”

I grabbed my wallet and my keys, slipping my shoes and following behind him after locking the door. I wasn’t thrilled by any means about this, but there was no point arguing about it with Maddox. He wouldn’t listen. He was very much ‘his way or no way’. At least he was bribing me with food. 

Which was something I would absolutely accept at this point. 

Getting into a regular car surprised me. The baby seat in the back, that was again surprising. Bucking in, I raised an eyebrow at him as I spoke. 

“No sport’s car?”

“No, I much prefer to drive this one into town. Emerson, however, will take the sports cars out. He is a speeder, though.”

“I see. I get it though, there’s something nice about having a sports car, more so when you’re not the one who had to pay the outrageous price for it.”

“Yes, Emerson, and you have that in common. Sports cars you didn’t spend a dime on.”

“He got his through marriage. I got mine through emotion and mental damage.” I said, snorting. 

“True. But you still took one of the few things that man deeply cared about—Well, three, now that you have the dogs.” He said. 

“Marco gave me the dogs. It took him long enough, but he gave them to me.” I said. 

“Do you regret Marco?”

“Do I regret him? No. Do I regret allowing him to walk all over me and treat me the way he did? Yes, fucking right I do.”

“Were there any actual good times?”

“Yes, plenty, but you definitely have to look for them. Hell, There were great times, but those only replace so much of the bad, and when it outweighs the good, and great times, then it’s over. You struggle to accept that, but it’s the facts. After that, it’s up to you what you do with the facts you have. For me, leaving was the best idea.”

“Right, I apologize if my questions are in any way overstepping here, Theo. I’m really just trying to understand your last five years and what led to all this.” Maddox said, focusing on driving. 

“Let me help you understand. Once things got bad, and they got bad quickly, it was like all the colours in my word went grey. No longer were there reds, blues, purples, and greens. Just grey, more grey and darker greys, and over time the greys got darker and darker, until finally, I needed the colours back again.”

“I see. I can’t say I even began to understand, because I couldn’t. The thought of doing to my husband what he did to you makes me ill, among many other things. But I think I at least see some of what it was like for you. I’m sorry it just took so long for me to see how bad things had got for you. Hell, there were times we spent hours working on papers. I should have noticed how dim you grew, but I didn’t.”

“To be fair, we aren’t close. If it wasn’t for you confronting me about it, I still never would have said anything. I probably would have taken most of that all to the grave. It’s a constant shame that lingers inside of me. Some nights I still lay there and ask myself what I might have done differently to make things between Marco and I work. But when I think hard enough about it, I know there was no other way for us. There was nothing left of us being in love with each other. I loved him, but I wasn’t in love with him when the end came around.”

Speaking my truth was a hard thing to do. More so to Maddox, of all people.