Author's Note: Hello, everyone! I'm so sorry I didn't post the one-shot yet. I've been sick this past week and therefore rather lazy. I thought it was more important to update this story than get that small one out, so here you go!
Disclaimer: I'm not E. L. James, if I were, I wouldn't be posting, I'd be publishing.
I wake up in a daze, remnants of last night's dream still flitting before my eyes. It's hazy, but i remember a little girl in my arms and Christian leaving me - leaving us. Saying he didn't want me or our girl. I prop myself up on an elbow and look around the room. It all looks the same, except my dinner bowl is missing from my nightstand; Gail must've come and collected it this morning.
I reach for my phone, greedily hungry to see what message he might've left me during the night like he has the last two nights. Is it going to be short and cool like the others? Or would he have something more insightful to say after my emotional outbreak? I turn on the screen of my phone and my heart drops. No missed calls. No missed texts.
I mope around all morning, taking longer to do everything from brushing my teeth to picking out my clothes. I settle on a black pencil skirt with a light grey silk blouse and black Manolo Blahnik pumps. A dark outfit to match my mood.
I rush through breakfast to make up some time and head down to the garage with Sawyer. As we leave, I spot the new round of paparazzi waiting outside the parking deck entrance. I guess they finally learned that I won't ever be coming out of the front door.
I'm even less enthused to see all of the media outside of SIP or soon-to-be GP. Unfortunately, we don't have a back door so there's only one way I can get inside. Sawyer asks if I'm sure I want to go.
"Of course," I respond, "I have work that has to be done and I refuse to be shut at home because of the publicity uproar Christian is causing."
Sawyer parks out front and everyone rushes at our SUV. I fix my sunglasses and run my hands through my hair to fluff it up a bit. Sawyer comes around and opens my door, ushering me out before wrapping an arm halfway around me, trying to keep the paps back. They're all shouting their questions, mostly the same as yesterday but some new ones asking if I really did only marry Christian for his money and will I get anything after the prenup hits. Those questions hurt the most, even though I know no such prenup exists, because for a prenup were to hit, he would have to leave me. He has, my subconscious nastily comments. I keep my head level and my mouth shut as Sawyer rushes me to the front door.
People seem to be avoiding me and my gaze as I walk through the halls and to my I slip inside I drop my bag on the floor and sink into my chair. How long can I do this for?
A knock on my door stops me from overthinking. Hannah peeks her head around my door and I wave her in.
"Good morning, Ana," she says in a pleasant tone, "how was your weekend?"
I sigh. "It could've been better," I say gloomily.
Hannah takes a moment and bites the inside of her lip, deciding how much to say.
"Ana. I don't know what you're going through, but you deserve the best… and... I know Mr. Grey loves you very much. He always seems so head over heels around you," she says in a rush, nearly tripping over her words.
I regard her for a second. She looks completely sincere and looks like she cares for me rather than pities me. It's a nice change.
"Thank you, Hannah. It's been rough but you can't believe those gossip sites. It's not that bad."
I don't know who I'm trying to convince more; Hannah or myself.
She lets out a sigh of relief and says, "that's good to hear."
We discuss what's on the schedule for today. I have my weekly Monday morning meeting with my junior editors followed by a meeting with Janice Watson, the young author who recently broke onto the best seller's list with her debut novel. After her I have an open half hour before a two hour meeting with Roach and the other senior editors. I then get a small break to read through some new manuscripts before checking in with my team at 3pm. It's a busy day but this is just what I need to take my mind off of my emotional weekend.
My morning goes smoothly and meeting Janice Wason was a treat. I remember her coming in to meet with Jack when I first started here. At least this was one good thing that Jack did; he saw her potential and pushed her novel through. She had seemed like a sweet girl but was always happy to get out of here; I think Jack gave her the creeps. For good reason, too. I think I helped her feel more comfortable working with me and SIP.
I revisit my office and check my emails but see that nothing important has come in. I'm about to sort through my editors' recommendations when my phone goes off. I bite my lip when I see the caller ID. Mia. This isn't going to be good.
"Mia," I acknowledge her.
"Ana," Mia responds. She sounds shocked like she didn't expect to hear me. She quickly recovers.
"What happened? Kate came over and apologized for you not being there but then we see on all these horrible gossip sites that you and Christian are getting a divorce! What happened?! Please don't tell me that's true."
"No, it's not true Mia," I get straight to the point in an effort to calm her down.
"Then what happened? What were you so upset about?"
"Christian and I are just going through a rough patch, that's all," it tears me apart each time I play down how much Christian has hurt me. I'm still protecting him and I probably alway will, no matter what he does.
"What's wrong? Is it something I can help with?" she asks innocently.
"Thank you, Mia, but this is just something we have to work through."
"Okay….well….I hope you work through it fast! I love having you as a sister, Ana." This is probably the most serious and heartfelt I've ever heard her. Tears begin to sting my eyes as I listen to her.
"You've really changed Christian - we aren't just saying that. He didn't even used to come to Sunday dinners, at least not a lot. We saw him once or twice a month and he was always very stiff and formal with us. Since he's met you, he's become the loving guy we always hoped was under that tough exterior. As a kid, he was very caring towards me but still kept us all at arms length. You have no idea how good it is for my mom to see him like this. And he gives her hugs now! He never used to do that, Ana."
I'm in full tears now. I've never heard Mia like this.
"And in addition to all of that, we love having you in our family! You're the sister I've always longed for. Kate is a lot of fun but I feel closer to you. You gave me my brother and hopefully you'll soon give me some nieces and nephews too!"
I hold my breath for a moment; she doesn't know , does she? I clear my throat, hoping I don't sound like I'm crying.
"Thank you, Mia. This means a lot to me. You're a wonderful sister and Christian loves you very much."
"Thanks, Ana! Well, don't worry. Even though we love this change in Christian we know what he can be like and we're on your side! Mom and Elliot have been trying to call him most of the morning; we'll help clear this all up! Sometimes all someone needs is a stern talking to from their loved ones."
I doubt they'll help clear this up but Christian does value his mother's opinion and he called her or took her call two nights ago, so if anyone can get through right now, maybe it is Grace.
The room starts to empty after our productive senior editors meeting. I feel my stomach rumble and I check my watch as I pack up my papers - it's a few minutes after 2. No wonder I'm hungry, how could I last this long without food? The last thing I ate was oatmeal at 7am. I need to get lunch.
I stand from the table and approach the door when Roach asks if he could have a word. I turn and walk back to the chair I just vacated.
"Is something wrong, Mr. Roach?"
"No, no, Ana. I just, eh...I wanted to check if everything is okay? With you and….errr…" he trails off and I decide to put him out of his misery.
"And my husband?" I ask, kindly. He nods quickly.
"You can't trust those gossip columns," I reassure him with a smile. "We're doing just fine."
I feel like I keep saying the same thing and the same lies over and over to different people, but I guess it's needed.
He lets out a breath he must have been holding.
"Good. Good. That's wonderful to hear," he says, more to himself than to me. I nod and agree.
"Well, give my best to Mr. Grey."
I tell him I will and leave his office, eager to get back to mine.
I drop my things off on my desk and decide to go find Sawyer so that he can pick me up some late lunch. Christian would be mad if he knew I hadn't eaten in this long. Would he still be mad given everything that happened? I'd like to believe yes.
I check my phone before going out to Sawyer and I see two missed calls. I'm about to unlock my phone to check who they're from when my phone starts buzzing in my hand. Jose. I sigh and answer the call.
"Dios mio, Ana, I've been trying to call you!" I guess that solves the mystery of who my missed calls were from.
"I'm at work, Jose," I state rather bluntly. What did he expect?
"I was worried about you. I obviously saw the stuff online...are you okay?"
Jose is a good friend. Much better of a friend to me than I am to him. I should really fix that, though I'm not sure how much Christian would like that.
"They make up stories all the time; it's no big deal."
"But you were crying and upset, they didn't make that up." He has a point. I sigh for the fiftieth time today.
"I know. I was having an emotional conversation with Kate and they made up their own rumors about what we were talking about, that's all."
"You were talking about him?" I can hear the disdain in his voice. Maybe this is why we aren't better friends.
"If by 'him' you mean my husband then yes, we were talking about him and a lot of other things as well."
"Does he make you happy, Ana?"
Not right now. "Yes. Very much so." At least that's usually my answer - no need to tell Jose otherwise.
"But he makes you cry?" he asks, speculatively.
"We had a disagreement and Kate was digging for details, you know how she is. It all got to me and I cried. It's not a big deal!"
"And is that the only time he's made you cry?"
Jeez, Jose. Who do you think you are right now? I always defend Jose to Christian but it's times like these that I see he's right. Jose would rather drive a wedge between Christian than I then try to help me sort it out.
However, this doesn't make his question unwarranted. My situation and Christian's reaction have made me cry a lot over the last few days and it's certainly not the first time in our so far short relationship that he's been the cause of my tears. Fresh, unwanted tears start to prick my eyes but I physically hold my head up high, willing my voice to sound powerful and to not break.
"This is really none of your business, Jose, and I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to attack my husband every chance you get. He makes me very happy and we had a disagreement before he had to go on a business trip and I miss him very much. End of story."
"Sorry, Ana, really. I just… I care about you."
"I know, Jose, but we're a packaged deal now."
"I know," he says quietly with a sigh. "Keep in touch though, okay?"
"Okay, Jose. Thanks."
He says goodbye and I hang up. I take a deep, unsteady breath as two tears stream down my face and my stomach gurgles. One hand wipes my tears away while I put my other hand over my stomach. I haven't forgotten about you, blip. How could I?
I make my way out to reception where Sawyer sits when I hear the sound of breaking glass, a loud thud, and muffled cries. I rush around the corner and into reception and take in the scene before me. Sawyer is wrestling a man to the wet, glass-covered ground, struggling to get him down. Flowers are scattered all over the place. One of the front doors to SIP is shattered and Claire, the receptionist, is standing, frozen with shock, behind her desk.
"What happened?!" I cry, looking between Claire and Sawyer. Neither answer me but the man on the ground looks up at me and starts yelling.
"Ana! What happened with Grey? Are you getting a divorce? How much money will you get in the settlement?"
How did he get in here? I can't even ask the question before I'm blinded by two cameras going off. I squint and see that while there's a smashed camera on the ground, two men I didn't see before are now standing with their cameras peering in through the broken door. I regain my voice and clear my throat.
"You're not allowed in here, this is private property. You must leave now or I'll call the police."
"They're already called, Ma'am," Sawyer says through his struggle.
I nod my head and walk over to Claire. I wrap my arm around her and coax her in through the second set of doors that lead to the main office where some of our coworkers have now gathered. I call back and ask Sawyer to come speak to me once the cops arrive. He says he will and I close the double doors behind us, effectively blocking the noise of the reception area.
"It's okay," I tell the employees around the doors and the ones still at their desk, although their attention is purely on me and the scene behind me. "The cops have been called and this will be handled soon. Please try to get back to work."
I lead Claire to my office and she plops down on the seat across from my desk, still stunned by the outbreak.
"What happened?" I gently coaxed. I need to know and get a handle on this before Christian gets wind.
"That man that Mr. Sawyer was wrestling with….he came in with the other two, holding a big flower arrangement. He said he was delivering them to you and asked for you to come out. I told him that you don't meet with anyone unless they have an appointment. He said…" she looks me in the eye and when I nod, she averts her eyes to my desk before continuing. "He said to then tell you that he was serving you divorce papers on behalf of Mr. Grey."
Her eyes meet mine again and I know I'm frozen still. These paparazzi can be so cruel. I purse my lips and try to regain my composure.
"They are ridiculous. I'm not getting a divorce."
Claire quickly answers, "of course not, Mrs. Grey! Well I didn't even have to respond because Sawyer came out from his normal hiding spot near the security monitors and asked for all three of them to leave. The main guy pulled out his camera and started running for the office but Mr. Sawyer was able to catch him by the back of his jacket on throw him back. The man's camera fell and smashed and he started cursing. Mr. Sawyer told the other two to leave or he'd call the cops on them as well and they left. I called the cops but then the man charged Mr. Sawyer and in the commotion they hit into the main doors and the glass shattered. The vase of flowers they brought in also fell and broke and they began wrestling on the ground; the paparazzi was trying to get away and Mr. Sawyer was trying to keep him there. When he saw you and yelled at you, well the other two losers must've heard and came back to get photos," she trails off when there's nothing more to say.
I put my head in my hands. This is not the life I imagined leading and, quite frankly, it's getting to be a bit much right now. My breath is coming out in shallow huffs as I try to slow my racing mind. Saving me from a complete melt down, Sawyer appears in my doorway.
"Mrs. Grey, the police are here and they handcuffed and took the assho-" he clears his throat, "the jerk away."
He turns his attention to Claire and says that the police want to question her. I follow the two of them to a conference room where an officer is waiting to take Claire's statement.
Once the door is closed I turn to Sawyer.
"Can you take me home, please?" I ask meekly. Today has won and I have lost. It's time for me to go home and pity myself in private. He nods.
"Of course, Ma'am. I already gave them my statement and a number they can reach me on for any further questions."
I head back to my room and grab my things. On the way out, I see Barry, one of the janitors, already sweeping and cleaning the reception area. He nods politely at me and I return the gesture.
At the bottom of the stairs, Sawyer addresses an officer who are standing guard at the door.
"We need to reach the side parking lot. We'll need an escort out; do you have any other officers outside?"
The officer looks us up and down and shrugs.
"You should be fine; they may ask you a couple questions but it shouldn't be bad."
Sawyer looks at him incredulously.
"This is Mrs. Grey," he informs the officer, quietly. I blush as the officer's eyes widen.
"My apologies. We have backup outside, I'll call them in."
The officer radio's his counterparts and in a few minutes, a burly man and a petite woman come to the door.
I take a deep breath as the two new officers clear a path ahead of us as the original officer keeps people back from behind us.
The questions are flying. Divorce, pregnancy, cheating. It's all asked but I'm so over all of this that it doesn't faze me. Sawyer gets me safely in the car and he takes the driver's seat. He gives a wave of thanks to the officers who have cleared a new path for our car. I don't allow myself to tear up until we leave the parking lot.
"I'll have to tell him, Ana," Sawyer quietly comments. "I'll have to call him after I get you home."
"I know," I whisper to my window, barely seeing the people and buildings pass outside through my tear-blurred vision.
Underground at Escala, I'm out of the car the moment it stops. I hear Sawyer rush up the elevator behind me and I enter the passcode once he's inside. We take a silent trip up in the elevator and time seems to stand still. I lean back against the wall and close my eyes, willing the world to stop throwing curveballs at me. My husband left; we haven't spoken in days; the paparazzi are acting like fiends; my family and friends are worried for me though I can't tell them anything; and now crazies are trying to break into my office and get a reaction out of me so much that they say they're there to drop off divorce papers. It's all so hurtful and emotional that I can't take any more. Maybe I should stay at Kate's for a few days or even take a few days off from work and go down to visit Ray. I know I just saw him on Saturday, but why not? My stomach rumbles and I remember that I haven't eaten in nearly eight hours. At least I don't have to hear about it from Christian. If he can't even bother to call me than why should I treat him like a dietician?
We exit the elevator and into the penthouse foyer, my bag trailing behind me where I'm dragging it, my feet aching to get out of my shoes, my body longing for my bed, and my head weighed down. As we enter the interior doors, my gaze is on the floor until movement catches my eye and I immediately stop walking. To my right, in the security room and sitting at his desk is... Taylor.
My heart starts beating wildly. Taylor wouldn't leave Christian alone, right? Especially in a foreign country. Does that mean he's here? Does that mean he's home?
My eyes travel further to my right and to Sawyer's face to see if he's having the same reaction, but he's not looking at Taylor. His face looks furious and he's staring off to the left. My head whips around so fast I feel I could break my neck but that thought just barely forms before my eyes are upon him.
He's here. Christian is home. He's staring right at me, a mix of surprise, anger, and exhaustion on his face. My eyes meet his and just like that, for the second time in three days, I faint.
Author's Note: *Gasp* he's home! I'll try to get that one-shot up in a few days!
Hope you enjoyed this chapter!