Married Without Love

Chapter 21

My last few days have been really stressful. Between my newfound weird emotions for my husband, the return of my ex and my husband's growing paranoia and false accusations, I'm just a step away from bursting out.

My Monday morning was spent in my office going over Roman's case. He handled his family business of jewelry making and was initially based in California but had moved his headquarters to New York five months ago. The case was of a patent infringement. Another company was making and selling jewellery whose designs were patented by Roman's company.

Since I didn't want to be alone in the office with Roman, I asked my associate Claire who was also my second chair to be present during our meeting in my office. Though he did try to get a chance to be alone with me he did not succeed. I managed to successfully evade him.

After lunch I had an appointment with my therapist Dr Sinclair. With everything that was going on, I really needed to sit down and sort it all out before I put myself in harm's way with all the mental pressure. Trying to dodge problems does nothing but create new problems. Besides she was the one who helped me get over Roman in the first place.

"So how do you plan on dealing with Roman?" Dr Sinclair asked me.

"I don't," I replied. "I just ignore he's presence and treat him like a complete stranger."

"And what do you think that'll accomplish?"

"It'll save me a whole lot of pain?"I asked unsure.

"It may, or it may not," she said skeptically. "But you still have to work with him."

"I can be strictly professional," I told her.

"You can be." She agreed. "But for how long? One day, you might just crack."

I sighed. She was right. See, the thing about Dr Sinclair is that she never gave me direct answers. She never solved my problems for me but made me solve them myself. She was a great guide and also a sort of a mother figure.

"What do you think I should do?" I asked her.

"What does he want from you?" She answered my question with a question of her own.

"I don't know for sure. He said he was sorry and that he wanted to talk. He asked for a second chance to redeem himself, to make it up," I told her. "He's words not mine."

"And what do you think?"

"I think that that chapter is closed for me and I don't want him to open it again. There's nothing he can do to 'make it up to me'"

"Do you think he's trying to get back with you?" She asked.

"I don't know. But I'm already married so he's a bit too late for that,"

"But he doesn't know that," she pointed out.

"Before he left from my office today, he asked me for a chance where we could speak over coffee. Said he needed to talk to me," I confessed.

"Hailey, you said that the chapter was closed for you and I agree that going back to it now will not only be fruitless but also painful.

"However, I think Roman coming back to you after all these years, you should hear what he has to say."

"You want me to go talk with that man?" I asked in disbelief.

"Maybe, he's trying to repent, you know. Trying to get your forgiveness maybe not to get back together but because he regrets his mistake and needs to make peace with himself," she said carefully.

I thought about it. We all make mistakes in our lives. Roman made some really bad ones too that left me hurt and in pain. I don't think I could ever truly forgive him but if he is sincerely sorry than he deserves a chance to repent and make up for his sins. It's even in the Bible.