Jess waited in vain the next weekend but didn't hear from Rory. He didn't panic, it wasn't the first time that she had failed to come. Her husband must be home, or she was sick or busy and couldn't get away. He tried to overcome his impatience waiting for her to be here, for her to end her marriage. Both were long overdue.
He hadn't felt this way about anyone before, not even when he and Rory had dated the last time. She was different now, but just as special. Maturity had brought them closer together, helped them connect in a way that they had never been able to do before and Jess felt alone when she wasn't here. He would wait though, because Rory was definitely worth it.
But by the next weekend, when Rory once again didn't show up Jess was becoming increasingly worried, and by the third weekend when there was no word for her Jess decided he had to take some action.
Jess got all the money together he had to by a ticket to see her. He didn't know what was going on. Either she didn't want to be with him anymore or she wasn't able to come. Whatever was the case, he needed to know.
Jess arrived at Rory's mansion on Monday afternoon. It had been more than three weeks since they had spoken last. As much as he tried to appear stoic, Jess was shaking slightly with anxiety. Would this mess up everything for her? Should he have stayed away? How long was he supposed to wait?
He finally summoned the courage to ring the bell and a servant answered the door.
Jess cleared his throat before speaking while the servant looked at him expectantly.
"Uh... is Mrs. Huntzberger here?" he asked cautiously, his mouth stumbling over the unfamiliar name. She wasn't Mrs. Huntzberger, she was Rory, his Rory!
"No she isn't here, but Mr. Huntzberger will speak with you. Would you care to step in?" She gestured and for a brief minute Jess debated running away but he decided that he had to face Logan. If Logan knew then so much the better, they could get everything out in the open.
So he stepped inside and followed the maid as she lead him inside. Jess saw a man he assumed was Logan who stood up and shook his hand. The other man's eyes were cold and hard.
"You must be Jess." he said flatly.
"Guilty as charged." Jess replied.
"Well I guess we were both her victims." Logan said. Jess realized that he looked terrible. His hair was unbrushed, he smelled strongly of liquor and his clothes were sloppy.
"What do you mean?" he asked confused.
"My wife has decided to leave me." Logan said. "I know she was seeing you. Don't worry, I don't blame you." He added quickly. "You weren't the only one."
Jess stood there, stunned. Was this real? Or a trick? He wasn't sure what to believe.
"Where is she?" he demanded.
Logan looked slightly amused. "She ran off to Europe. With my best friend. I should have known she would never stay with me. Although.." and here he stopped and looked at Jess critically. "I must say I'm a little surprised at her taste.. It's usually so good."
Jess's face burned with humiliation and he had trouble restraining himself from taking a swing at Logan. What a pedantic jerk! He was stopped however when he glanced down and saw a newspaper photo. He felt dizzy as he realized that it was Rory in the photo, another man's arm around her waist, a smile on her face. The caption informed him that Mrs. Huntzberger was seeking a divorce from her husband, and already engaged to Colin McCrae. Tears briefly blurred his eyes before Jess forced them away with the power of will.
Then he turned without another word and left.
As soon as he was gone Logan gave a short laugh, running his hands through his hair to straighten it out. A smile lingered on his lips. "That was all too easy." he muttered to himself as he went up to shower and change.
Jess sat back home in his darkened apartment. He didn't know what was true anymore. All he knew was that she was gone. Somehow, Logan had said or did something that had convinced her to leave. He didn't believe that she had abandoned him for another man. That wasn't Rory, not the Rory he knew. It wasn't Leigh either, from what he knew of her. Logan must have forced her into something, somehow. He didn't even think of going after her, had no idea where he would even start. So his mind immediately turned to revenge. And he knew exactly how he would get his revenge on Logan. He almost counted on Rory as gone for good. She hadn't told him she was going, or where she was going, she obviously didn't want him to know. Maybe she did love another man. Maybe she had fallen in love with Colin somehow in the last three weeks. It didn't matter now, she was lost to him forever.
Jess contemplated how he would exact his revenge, how he would get the money to make it work. But Logan would regret anything he had done when Jess was through.