Author's Note: My apologies for taking so long to get this chapter posted. My vacation and then subsequent recovery from said vacation put me behind on this chapter. Thanks to northstar61 for letting me run some ideas by her. Big developments in this chapter. I'm both nervous and excited to hear what you guys think about it so leave me a review and let me know. :) Enjoy!
A few days after the dinner party at Kurt and Daniel's, Jesse walked into the bathroom as Rachel was just getting out of the shower to inform her that his real estate agent, Veronica, had just called to inquire about his decision on which apartment he would possibly like to make an offer on. "What did you tell her?" Rachel asked, towel drying her hair lightly before tossing the towel aside.
"That I would get back to her tomorrow," he replied, leaning against the doorframe as he watched his girlfriend beginning her morning routine. He smiled at the fact that he now knew that she had a morning routine.
"What are you smiling about?" she asked as she looked at him in the bathroom mirror, unable to keep a smile from gracing her lips after finally noticing his sleep mussed curls and the way the t-shirt he had on with his pajama pants showed off his lean, muscular arms that were loosely crossed in front of his chest.
He pushed off the doorframe and walked over to stand behind her, placing his hands on either side of the sink. "Nothing," he said softly before placing a kiss on her bare shoulder. Jesse rested his chin in the crook of her neck before speaking again. "So you and I need to make a decision today."
"And how do you suggest we do that since we loved both places so much," Rachel answered, leaning back into Jesse slightly.
"Well, I was thinking a pros," he punctuated his word with a kiss on the right side of her neck before continuing, "and a cons list." He moved his head around and kissed the left side this time.
"Oh, you think it'll be as easy as that," she somehow managed to a skeptical reply, despite the breathiness in her voice that his lips on her suddenly too hot skin was causing.
"I do," he replied, locking his eyes with hers in the mirror as he reached up and undid her towel that was currently knotted just above her breasts. She saw the heated look in Jesse's eyes as her towel fell to the floor, leaving her fully naked in front of him. Rachel watched as his hands skimmed across her skin to cup her breasts and fondle them.
"Jesse, I thought we needed to work on a pros and cons list," she tried to protest even as she felt herself ache for him to touch her between her legs and give her release.
"We will," he replied huskily. He kept a hand on one of her breasts as he teased her nipple into a hard peak and snaked his hand down her abdomen. He arched her back against him before he dipped a finger inside of her wetness. He loved how turned on she got just from a simple touch. "You may have to take another shower in a little bit."
His words and the movements of his hands made her want him even more. She whimpered as his hands left her body so he could make quick work of his clothing. She widened her stance, arched her back even more and leaned against the sink in front of her.
Jesse looked at the exquisite curve of her back as he ran his hand down her spine before he gripped her hip and with his other hand positioned himself perfectly at her entrance. He rubbed himself back and forth over her wetness several times as he looked at her in the mirror. "Keep looking at me," he rasped out just before he pushed inside of her, causing her to cry out in pleasure. She rocked back into him as he thrust into her from behind again, thus beginning their steady yet frantic rhythm.
The sound of skin slapping against skin as their bodies moved in tandem mixed with their moans and grunts of pleasure, filled the tile bathroom with sounds of their urgent coupling. Jesse knew he was close and wasn't sure he could last much longer so he slipped one of his hands around Rachel and circled her nub. Rachel felt her legs start to tremble as she felt the beginnings of her orgasm. That was all it took for Jesse to spill his seed inside of her as he continued to thrust in and out of her.
"Don't stop," Rachel panted, feeling her own impending release. He did as she asked and worked magic with his fingers. It wasn't long before she was gripping the counter in front of her as she was rocked with a mind-numbing orgasm.
Finally breaking eye contact, Jesse leaned over and placed a wet, open-mouthed kiss on Rachel's neck before he began sucking. He had an overwhelming need to leave his mark on her for all the world to see.
She gripped the back of his head, lacing her fingers through his hair as she held his head firmly in place wanting his mark on her just as much. "God, I love you, Jesse St. James," she told him breathlessly, feeling him smile against her skin at her words.
After they had both showered and dressed, they made their way to the living room couch with a pen and a pad of paper ready to put together their pros and cons list for the two apartments at the top of their list. Rachel wrote Central Park West on one side and Upper East Side on the other. Then she wrote the words pros and cons under each. "Okay, let's start with the pros," she said looking up at Jesse.
"The view of the Park definitely for the Central Park apartment," Jesse replied.
"Although, the view of the city from the Upper East Side apartment is pretty incredible too," Rachel countered, putting down both on their list.
"It is, but there's something about having that view of the park and the city," Jesse offered. "The openness of the living space is definitely a pro for both of them."
"Agreed." Rachel wrote that down for both apartments. "The dark hardwood floors in the Upper East."
"Really?" Jesse asked, surprised that was a pro for her. "I'm kind of more partial to the lighter floors in the Central Park. It made the apartment feel bigger."
"That's why I liked the darker floors on the Upper East; it made the apartment feel cozy." Rachel could already tell that apparently their list making was going to be much of the same as they both clearly had a favorite. It was just going to be about convincing each other which one was a better fit for them. So she wrote down the floors in both the pros and cons list and their reasoning for each apartment before speaking again. "I really liked the clean, modern feel of the Upper East kitchen with the dark cabinets."
"I liked it too, but it almost felt too industrial. There was something warm and inviting about the Central Park kitchen despite it being equally as modern as the other one," Jesse rebutted.
Rachel sighed, setting the pad of paper on the coffee table before turning to Jesse. "How about instead of a list we just make a case for our favorite since we both obviously have one."
"Alright, you go first," Jesse replied. He smiled as he watched Rachel get up off the couch and start pacing back and forth in front of him.
"As I have previously stated," she began formally which only made Jesse's smile grow wider. "The Upper East Side apartment has all of the things that I love. Sleek, modern and spacious yet still warm and cozy. I loved everything about it from the gorgeous floors to the floor-to-ceiling windows to the flow of the layout of the apartment. I could see a little piece of us in every room. It feels like us. Plus, it's in one of the most fabulous neighborhoods that New York has to offer. I think we would love it there." She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she tried to think of something more to say about the apartment that she loved so much. The simple gesture was so reminiscent of something her high school self would have done in that moment that Jesse couldn't help but smile fondly at the woman standing in front of him. Deciding that she couldn't think of anything more at the moment, Rachel sat back down on the couch next to Jesse.
Taking his cue from his little drama queen, he stood up before he started speaking. "The moment I walked into the Central Park West apartment, I felt like I was home. Like we were home. I could see us waking up to that view every morning together from our king-sized bed. We would make love in front of the fireplace. Take baths together in the tub. Cook dinner for our friends in the kitchen as they sit comfortably in the living room chatting with us. Raise our son or daughter there. Walk hand-in-hand with our child as he or she is just learning how to walk as we take a lazy stroll through Central Park on a cool fall day."
Rachel felt like her heart was beating out of her chest at Jesse's words. How could she not want to live in a place where Jesse had envisioned their lives so vividly? She wanted the future that he had conjured up so badly that it almost hurt.
"The truth is, Rachel Berry," Jesse began, kneeling down in front of her and taking both of her hands in his. "I don't care if we live on the Upper East Side or Central Park West or Murray Hill or any other part of this city, as long as you're there, I'll be happy. You're my home."
Rachel felt tears sting the corners of her eyes at the beautiful things he had just said to her and knew that her decision was made. "Central Park West," she told him softly, a tear slipping down her cheek.
"Are you sure because…" he started but she cut him off with a kiss before he could finish.
Resting her forehead against his, she answered, "Yes, I'm sure."
Jesse was in his dressing room after the show later that night when he heard a knock on the door. He smiled as he went to answer it as he fully expected it to be Rachel, but to his surprise it was his director who was standing on the other side. "Can I come in?" Edward asked.
"Absolutely," Jesse answered, opening the door and motioning for Edward to come inside the dressing room.
"Fantastic performance tonight," the director complimented him as he sat down on the couch.
"Thank you," Jesse replied, a little unsure as to why Edward was in his dressing room. In all the months that they had been doing the show, the director had never come into his dressing room just to talk. He sat down on the couch opposite Edward, waiting for the man to explain the reason for his impromptu visit.
Finally he spoke, "This was delivered to my apartment by your wife earlier today." Jesse noticed for the first time that he was holding an envelope in his hand.
"Soon-to-be ex-wife," Jesse corrected as he took the envelope that Edward was handing to him. The director waited for Jesse to look at what was inside of it. In the envelope was the picture that she had taken at Rachel's that she had sent to Jesse in a text message of he and Rachel locked in a passionate embrace. There was also a note that accompanied the picture that simply said I thought you should be aware of what the two stars of your show are doing when they think no one is watching. Scandal can be very bad for business. "Edward, listen," Jesse started but the man held up his hand to stop him.
"If I was another director or this was another production then this very well could have had serious ramifications. But that's not how I run my productions. I don't know how long you and Rachel have been more than co-stars and frankly, I don't want to know," Edward reassured him. "All that matters is that a certain level of professionalism be maintained, and both you and Rachel have been nothing but professionals since day one."
"I am sorry that you and the show were dragged into this," Jesse apologized.
"Jesse, I've been through a nasty divorce myself so I understand. I know what she had hoped to accomplish, but it doesn't go any further than this room." He stood up to leave. "You might want to consider having your publicist release a statement about your impending divorce."
"Thank you, Edward." He managed to muster up a stiff smile as the director headed toward the door. Jesse looked at the note and the photo again, anger coursing through his veins as the note crinkled in his fist. She had really crossed the line with her latest revenge tactic. It was one thing for her to try and involve Donovan in her payback, but for her to physically go to Edward's apartment and hand him a note was a whole new level of playing dirty.
Jesse thought about burning the note and the picture and just not telling Rachel about it so she didn't have to worry, but then thought better of it. She would want to know about this especially now that their director knew of his two stars off-stage romance. He smoothed out the note and put it and the picture back in the envelope, stuffing it in the back of his jeans so he could show her when they got home.
"So tell me what's wrong," Kurt queried, noticing the look on Rachel's face as they ate lunch together the next day. He could tell that something had been bothering her since they had sat down earlier.
"It's Isla," Rachel replied.
Kurt sighed. "What is the bitch up to now?"
"She went to our director's apartment and gave him an envelope with a picture of me and Jesse kissing along with a nice little semi-threatening note," she told him through gritted teeth.
"I swear she is chemically imbalanced. She needs to be on some medication or she's going to all Fatal Attraction on your ass and start boiling bunnies." He thought for a moment before continuing. "Well, actually I guess you would technically be Glenn Close in this scenario, but you know what I'm saying. The woman is crazy, Rachel."
"More like vindictive," Rachel grumbled. "She couldn't get Donovan to do her dirty work so she decides that if she can't trash us in the press then the next best thing is to try and destroy our reputation with our director and who knows what else. Get us fired?"
Kurt reached across the table and took his best friend's hand in his own. "I'm sorry that you guys are going through this."
She managed to give him an appreciative smile even as tears began to well in her eyes, blurring her vision. "I mean, it's not like we're completely innocent in all of this, but can't she just demand the apartment and let it go? Why does she have to try to destroy our lives? It's not like they were in a happy marriage." Tears slipped down her cheeks and wiped them away quickly. "I just want to move on with our lives."
"You know if there was anything I could do…" Kurt started before Rachel waved him off.
"You are doing something." He raised his eyebrows at her declaration. "By listening to me," she explained like it should have been the most obvious thing in the world.
Kurt grinned proudly and leaned back in his seat, hoping to lighten the mood a bit. "Well, I am a pretty amazing best friend." He got the reaction that he wanted as Rachel giggled.
"Oh, I have good news," she burst out as she remembered why she had originally asked Kurt to go to lunch.
He leaned his elbows on the table and leaned forward conspiratorially. "Do tell."
"We picked an apartment," Rachel told Kurt, happy for the change in subject.
Kurt clapped his hands enthusiastically at the news. "So, tell me which one…" Rachel opened her mouth to speak but before she could say anything Kurt held up his hands and interjected. "No, wait, let me guess. You guys went with the… Central Park West apartment."
"How did you guess?" she asked excitedly, a huge grin on her face.
"The way that Jesse was talking about it at dinner it seemed like it was his favorite. I knew he'd be able to persuade you if you were leaning toward the Upper East Side apartment." He gave Rachel a knowing look. "That's what happened, right?"
She had a sheepish grin on her face as she explained how she and Jesse had come to a decision. "You should've heard the things that he said, Kurt. He had practically imagined our entire lives in that apartment. It wasn't that I didn't love the Central Park West apartment already but I thought I liked the other one more, but then he started talking and I began envisioning it too and I wanted everything that he had pictured for us in that apartment. Then he told me that he didn't care where we lived as long as I'm there with him."
Kurt raised his eyebrows at her words. "Oh, he's good. I need to get some pointers from him for when I need Daniel to see things my way," he smirked at Rachel.
"He wasn't manipulating me, Kurt," Rachel retorted with a roll of her eyes. "I could see us having a family and being completely happy in the other apartment, but I want the life that he was describing."
"I'm happy for you guys," he told her, laying a hand on her arm and giving it a gentle squeeze. "I expect an invite as soon as you have the keys to it."
Rachel giggled as she replied, "Deal." She took a bite of her salad before she remembered the fashion gala that Kurt had been working his ass off for over the last month to get ready for. "The gala is this Friday night, right?"
Kurt's eyes lit up at Rachel's question. "It is. I wish that you could be my date but you have some other engagement that you can't seem to get out of for some reason," he teased. "I still think you should call in sick."
"Well, at least you'll have a very handsome man on your arm all night," she said, winking at her best friend.
"Yeah, I guess Daniel will do in a pinch," Kurt quipped, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.
Kurt and Daniel had been at the fashion gala for nearly an hour when Kurt spotted Isla for the first time that evening. He should have known that she would also be attending seeing as she worked for Vogue. She may be a complete bitch but she's a bitch with an impeccable fashion sense, he thought as he appraised her stunning Versace dress. He noticed that she kept looking to her left like she was watching someone. Or he wondered if perhaps she was trying to catch someone's eye. Kurt didn't know what compelled him but he excused himself from the small group that he and Daniel were chatting with to follow her.
He made his way through the crowd of people following closely behind her but keeping his distance so she wouldn't recognize him. Kurt stopped next to a pillar and watched as Isla stopped next to a larger group of people. Apparently, there had been someone she was watching. While the man was handsome, he had to be at least ten years her senior. He saw her whisper something in the man's ear. Whatever she had said caused the man to discreetly walk away from the group he had been conversing with and follow behind her.
As soon as he saw them disappear into a small alcove, he hurried in their direction and peaked around the corner. He expected to find them locked in a passionate embrace but instead he saw that they were in the midst of a very heated discussion with Isla's face alternating between frustration and desperation. Kurt did the only thing he could think of and quickly pulled out his phone. He turned on the camera and then the video mode before hitting the record button. He smirked as he thought of the picture that she had used of Jesse and Rachel to threaten them. If there was one thing that you didn't do, it was fuck with his best friend.
Just as it looked as though Isla's mystery man was going to walk away, she grabbed him and kissed him hard. Then it was like whatever had been holding the man back before just disappeared as he pulled her against him tightly and kissed her back deeply. Kurt continued to watch and record the private moment even as they broke apart and had a quiet, intimate conversation. He quickly pulled his phone back to stop recording as he noticed that their conversation appeared to be over. Standing nonchalantly with his back to the entrance to the alcove, Kurt heard their laughter as they passed by him to rejoin the party.
Once again, Kurt followed behind them through the crowd until he saw them head towards the bar nearby. He immediately made a beeline for Daniel who he saw still chatting with the same group he had just left him with. "Excuse me, I have to borrow him," Kurt told the group before pulling Daniel away.
"What in the hell is going on with you?" Daniel asked, puzzled by Kurt's odd behavior.
"I need you to do me a favor." The urgency in Kurt's voice got Daniel's attention and he nodded. "I need you to go talk to that woman over there," Kurt said, pointing at Isla.
"Okay, but why can't you just do it?" He needed more of an explanation from Kurt than he was currently getting.
"Because that's Jesse's wife, Isla, and I saw her kissing that man that she's standing next to." Daniel looked over at the couple before looking back at his partner. "Take my phone and record your conversation." He gave Kurt a look like he was crazy before he took the phone in his hands. "Find out if that man is her boyfriend."
So Daniel made his way over to the bar and sidled up next to Isla who currently had her back to him as she talked to her male companion. Even though he was standing close enough to touch Isla with his shoulder, he couldn't hear a word of the hushed conversation that the two people next to him were having. He waited patiently for the busy bartender to make his way over to him. "Gin and tonic," Daniel told the bartender. He watched the bartender mix his cocktail and wondered how he could strike up a conversation with the woman next to him especially when the man she was with was still standing there. Looking down at Kurt's phone that was still currently in his hand, Daniel also wasn't sure how he could inconspicuously start recording a conversation with Isla once they actually started talking. So he decided to go ahead and start recording in hopes that it wouldn't be much longer before he spoke with her. He hit the record button and laid the phone face down on the bar between him and Isla.
As the bartender handed Daniel his drink, it was almost like the man had heard his thoughts about wanting to speak to Isla alone as he said something to her and walked off in a hurry. A clearly frustrated Isla tried to get a bartender's attention but was unsuccessful so Daniel took this as his in, managing to get the attention of the bartender that had just helped him. "What are you drinking?" he asked Isla.
"Vodka club soda," she told him over the buzz of the party that was in full force all around them. Daniel gave the drink order to the bartender before turning to smile at Isla. "Thank you!" He nodded his head in response as the bartender handed her the drink. Daniel watched her take a large gulp of the drink. "God, I needed that," she said loud enough for Daniel to hear.
"Boyfriend troubles?" Daniel asked. Isla raised an eyebrow at him questioningly. "The man that was standing here before, he's your boyfriend, right?"
"I don't know if boyfriend is the right word for him," she remarked, taking another long sip of her drink. "But we are together."
"How long have you guys been together?" He tried to be as nonchalant as he possibly could. He didn't want her to question why he was asking her all of these personal things.
"Off and on for a little over a year." Daniel did his best not to choke on his drink as he heard what she said. "Sometimes it feels like it's been much longer than that," she said loudly.
"I know the feeling. I've been with my partner for three years but sometimes he makes it feel more like thirty," he said with a laugh. "Speaking of him, I see him over there looking for me. It was very nice to meet you…"
"Isla," she told him.
"Daniel," he offered as he leaned closer to the phone on the bar to shake her hand. "Well good luck with your man, Isla." Grabbing the phone off the bar top and with his drink in his hand, Daniel made his way to the last place he had seen Kurt. Sure enough, he was still in pretty much the same spot that Daniel had left him only now he was talking to a different group of people. Daniel just smiled at Kurt with wide eyes as he stood beside him.
Kurt excused himself from the group to talk to his boyfriend. "So what happened?" Kurt asked anxiously.
"I found out that she's been seeing the guy you saw her with for over a year," Daniel said handing Kurt back his phone. "We have to tell Jesse."
Jesse and Rachel had just got back to her apartment when Jesse's phone buzzed indicating that he had a text message. Looking at his phone he saw that it was from Kurt.
Check your e-mail. There's something that you need to see.
Rachel looked up at Jesse to see a puzzled look on his face. "What is it?" she asked.
"Just a vague text from Kurt," he answered, showing her the message on the screen of his phone before he opened up his e-mail inbox to find the e-mail from Kurt. Rachel leaned over and rested her head on Jesse's arm so she could also look at what her best friend had felt was so urgent. There was no title and no text in the e-mail, just an attachment. "Huh, there's a video," Jesse remarked before clicking on the attachment to open it and watch it.
As it started playing, it took Jesse a moment before he realized what he was seeing. "Is that…" Rachel started to ask, astonished by the video that was currently playing on Jesse's phone.
"Isla," came Jesse's stiff one-word reply as he continued to watch his soon-to-be ex-wife locked in a passionate embrace with a man that looked vaguely familiar to Jesse but he couldn't quite place the face. He was seething as he remembered the night when he had left her and the things that she had said about him and his relationship with Rachel. There was no doubt in his mind that the stolen moment he was currently watching was not the first time it had happened.
As soon as the video ended, he found Kurt's number in his contact list and hit the screen to call him. The phone only rang twice before Kurt answered. "Did you see the video?" he asked in lieu of an actual greeting.
"Where did you get that?"
Kurt decided that he should just give Jesse the whole story to spare him from having to ask a bunch of questions to get the information out of him. "Tonight at the fashion gala I saw her and followed her. Don't ask me why, but I just did. I saw her approach this guy and then watched them sneak off together only to witness what you just watched. So I thought that you might like a little video evidence of her since she likes to take stalker pictures of you and Rachel." He took a big breath before continuing. "That's not all though. I had Daniel talk to her to try and get some information out of her. Turns out she and that guy have been fooling around for over a year."
"What?" Jesse asked. Rachel just looked at Jesse waiting to hear what Kurt had told him on the other end of the phone.
"Yeah, that's what she told him. Luckily, I had the foresight to give Daniel my phone before I sent him to try and get some information out of her so he managed to actually record their conversation. Granted, it's not the clearest thing in the world, but you can hear everything that they're saying," Kurt explained, almost proudly.
Jesse couldn't help but chuckle at the sound of Kurt's voice. "Are you planning on moonlighting as a detective?"
"I'd make a damn fine one," he responded, the smile evident in his tone. "I'll send you the audio file. Do with it what you will."
"You're a good friend," Jesse said. "Thanks, Kurt."
"You're welcome. Tell Rachel I said hi." And with that Kurt and Jesse hung up the phone.
"What did he say?" Rachel asked the moment Jesse set the phone down on the coffee table.
"That Isla's a liar and a hypocrite," he responded feeling himself getting angry once again. "She's been messing around with that guy for over a year. She told me that I was the one that ruined our marriage. Like I was the only one that broke our wedding vows."
"Over a year?" Rachel repeated, astonished that Isla had been unfaithful to Jesse for so long. Rachel wondered for a moment if Isla had ever cheated on Jesse before. She tried to think of something more to say but found she was at a loss for words.
"I cannot fucking believe her," Jesse spat as he stood up and began pacing back and forth. "She's been playing the scorned woman, contesting the divorce and refusing to have any discussions about anything, spying on us, tried to convince Donovan to trash us in the press, even went so far as to try and cause trouble with Edward and the show when she's…" Jesse ran his hand through his hair in frustration.
Rachel got up off of the couch and lightly gripped his arm to get him to look at her. As she looked at his face, she made a decision. "Go. I know you need to do this," she told him, reaching up to run her hand down the side of his face eventually letting her fingertips rest on his jaw lightly.
"Rachel, I don't–" he started before she placed her fingertips on his lips.
"Yes, you do. I understand. All I ask is that when you've done what you need to do that you come home to me," she said.
"I will always come home to you," he replied, pulling her close and placing a gentle kiss on her lips. "I love you." Letting go of her, he walked over to the coffee table and grabbed his phone. On his way out of Rachel's apartment, he picked up his keys off of the small table near the door and turned around to look at Rachel once more. "I won't be long. I promise."
Somehow Rachel managed to muster up a smile as she nodded in understanding. She wanted so badly to go with him, but he had to do this on his own. Besides, her presence would have only made what was sure to be a bad situation ten times worse.
For a moment, Jesse thought about using his key to open the door but decided that he wanted to make his presence known so he banged on the door a few times with his fist as loud as he could. On the cab ride over he had tried to abate his fury at the information that he had learned just a short time before, but nothing had worked. He waited a moment for Isla to answer the door but when no one came he raised his hand to bang on it again when he heard the lock turn.
The door swung open revealing Isla in her robe. "Damnit Jesse, you're going to wake the neighbors with your banging," she hissed, her eyes narrowed into slits. "What the hell are you doing here?" She stepped out into the hall and closed the door slightly behind her.
"Is he in there?" he asked, gesturing towards the apartment.
"What are you talking about?" Her eyes widened imperceptibly, but it did not escape Jesse's notice.
"The boyfriend that you neglected to mention that you've been screwing around with for over a year," he growled.
"You don't have any proof of that," she retorted.
Jesse merely sneered at her response as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. "Don't be too sure of that. You remember how you so kindly warned me about being affectionate with Rachel in public? Well, you might want to watch what you say to total strangers." In all the years that they had known each other, not once had Isla heard the cold calmness in his voice that was there now. She paled as she looked Jesse in the eye wondering just how much he knew. When she didn't respond, Jesse thrust his phone at her. "Do you want to see?"
She shook her head 'no' in response. "What do you want?"
"I want the truth which I know is going to be hard for you because it seems that everything thing that passes your lips is nothing but a lie, but try," he commanded in a low, dangerous voice. Isla hesitated for a moment wondering how much she should tell him. "If you don't tell me everything about him and your relationship then I will find out some other way and I won't hesitate in using that information."
"Fine," she huffed. "Alec and I work together. He's my editor. We went on a business trip together last year and we had drinks after dinner one night then one thing led to another. That's when our affair started. We started planning more business trips together. Late nights at the office became secret rendezvous. Unlike you, his wife started to suspect something months ago and she threatened that if he didn't end it that she would take the kids and he would never see them. Her family would help her see to that. So he ended things when we were in Paris."
As Jesse heard Isla mention Paris and the fact that Alec had broken things off with her there, all the pieces started to come together. Her sudden change of heart to make their marriage work and her desperation for him to be intimate with her. It all made sense to him now.
"When you went to Atlantic City for the weekend, we began seeing each other again. We have been ever since," she finished. "Are you satisfied now?"
"No." Isla looked slightly taken aback by his answer. "Here's how it's going to be. You're going to give me the uncontested divorce that I wanted from the beginning. We're going to sell this apartment and if you don't want to sell it then I'm going to want my half. Finally, you're going to stay the fuck out of my life." He lowered his voice to almost a whisper as he leaned in close. "If I find out that you're trying to fuck with my or Rachel's careers again, you're going to regret it."
With that, he turned and walked back towards the elevator. Before he reached the elevator doors he turned around and looked back at Isla. "I'll tell my lawyer to expect a phone call from your lawyer tomorrow."
Rachel lay in bed unable to fall asleep while she waited for Jesse. She wasn't sure how long he had been gone, but it felt like an eternity. She turned on her side to face Jesse's side of the bed, laying her hand on his pillow. Just then she heard the front door open and sat up as Jesse walked into the bedroom.
He came over to her side of the bed and sat down next to her, taking her face in his hands. They just stared at each other wordlessly for a moment. "Hi," she whispered.
"We won't have to worry about her anymore. It's over," he told Rachel, relief flooding his features.
"Really?" Rachel asked, wanting to make sure that she had heard him right.
"Really," he replied before pressing his lips against hers tenderly.