Too Late for Regret

Heartbroken

Chapter 2

Analise’s POV

I haven’t spoken to Holden Vaughn for over three years. Ever since I called off our arranged marriage that our parents cooked up. I refuse to speak to him again, if at all possible. He never knew why, and as far as I’m concerned, he never has to know. If he had actually thought about it at the time or cared about me at all, he would have figured it out. But confronting him about it would destroy the friendship between him and my brother. I can handle it, I’ve done so this far, almost a decade since I turned seventeen. I hadn’t known that Holden was back in the city, but I’m not totally rude. He did me a favor, as I would have been totally blindsided by Roger if he hadn’t sent me this video.

I was on my phone once I allowed myself to calm down. My first call was to my best friend, Gwen Simpson. “What’s up, Ana? We just saw each other for our weekly meeting? Did you forget to tell me something?” Gwen asked in amusement.

“I’m going to bring my newest collection of jewelry drafts over tomorrow. I need you to take them on Monday morning and have them copyrighted in my company's name. I won't be letting Roger get his grubby little hands on them,” I replied.

“I thought you were letting Roger have them for his pitiful little company?” Gwen responded. I didn’t miss the mocking way she said Roger’s name.

“I changed my mind, and the wedding's off. I’m going to sell my shares and let his company die a slow, painfully expensive death. It’s what he deserves,” I advised.

“What did he do?” Gwen asked. I could tell that she is already angry on my behalf.

“Sasha is back now that I’ve got his company running smoothly. He is happy to offer her my position as Design Director, but I won't allow her to use my work to enhance her own reputation. That won't be happening. She can have him. I doubt she will want him after he hits rock bottom, though. She only came back because he's achieved success. He thinks she loves him, but that’s his problem now. From now on, I'll only be working at Fashion Forward. I refuse to help someone who lies and cheats,” I said, my voice now starting to break. I probably should have taken some time to cry earlier, instead of just starting to line up my ducks. I just want to hit the ground running on Monday.

“I’m coming over, Ana. I don’t want you to be alone tonight. It will be like a sleepover when we were kids,” Gwen insisted.

“No, I’ll be fine. I just found out about it, so naturally I'm upset. I need to mourn the relationship, because it was real on my end. Even if he never cared for me, I loved him. I thought he cared for me, and one day it would bloom into love for him, too. I suppose I was wrong about a great many things. I have a week to complete all the tasks I need to accomplish. Apparently, Roger is taking her to Paris for their honeymoon. Oh, but that’s not the best part, Gwen. Sasha’s pregnant, and according to them, it’s Roger’s baby,” I admitted. Hearing her gasp, just as shocked as I had been, had my tears start to fall.

“I have never liked that little jackass. You can do so much betterAna. I never understood why you let Hoden go. I remember the crush you had on him. Maybe it’s time for you to get back with him,” Gwen suggested.

“Never, I would never give him a chance. He might have helped me out tonight by sending me the video, but I can’t trust him. Not anymore,” I managed to reply.

“I will be there in twenty minutes. I want to see this video. So, Holden is back?” Gwen asked.

“Yeah, apparently he’s back. He was the one who sent me the video,” I replied.

We hung up, and I tried to collect my emotions. Gwen lives just ten minutes away, so I am sure she will be here quicker than twenty minutes, as she only needs an overnight bag. I need some comfort food, and I’m not about to cook. I ordered a pizza for myself and one for Gwen. It will be here in forty minutes, just enough time to shower, greet Gwen, and let her see that creep in action. I needed to see the video again myself.

I quickly showered and threw on some comfy pajamas and a soft pair of socks. I needed as much comfort as I could get. I toweled my hair off before heading into the kitchen in search of a drink. I grabbed a bottle of water instead of wine. I was on a mission now. Operation Scorched Earth is about to commence, so I needed a clear head for my plans. I didn’t feel bad for what I was about to do to Roger. If he had been honest with me instead of agreeing to marry me, we wouldn’t be here. Plus, Sasha wasn’t here when he agreed to the engagement. I suspect that she has a significant role to play in this.

If that b***h thinks that she is about to steal my designs, she's the delusional one. Roger can’t give them to her anymore either. I pick up my phone to make the call I needed to make. I hadn’t spoken to Roger about my parents. He thought that I had come into my money because I had lost my parents. I never corrected him on that. According to my bio, I'm an orphan. The fact is, I couldn’t introduce him to them. They knew who he was, and because I was happy, they were happy. That's no longer the case.

He actually knew who they were because everyone knows who the Caldwells are. It was the very reason I couldn’t introduce them to him. My cover would have been blown. I'm so thankful that Holden gave me a heads-up. I would have hated to have given up my virginity to a man like him. I was a late bloomer. I was overweight most of my teen and adult years. I was completely focused in college. I had school, and I had the business I created as a senior in high school. I was always busy.

Fashion Forward was very important to me. I spent my time attending college and growing my fashion brand. I was the owner, but I appointed Gwen to be my CEO. My other best friend, Emily Thomas, was our primary model. I realize that the name was a little immature now, but I was eighteen when I came up with it. At twenty-seven, our name, or reputation, is already out there. It’s too late to change it now, and I’m proud of my company.

Emily wore our clothing, modeled the handbag and jewelry ads, and even our shoe line. The last year and a half, I’ve been busier than ever. I’ve lost weight, a little over fifty lbs., but I hadn’t mentioned it to Roger. I had been a 20/22, but now I’m a 14/16. I’m happy with where I am. I’m comfortable in my own skin now. Much more than I've ever been. My parents have always loved and supported me. My older brother, Seth Caldwell, has always been a strong supporter of mine. Regardless of my size, they've always loved me. They're proud of my accomplishments.

I still wear loose clothing, so no one at work has noticed my weight loss. My family and my two best friends have been the only ones who have noticed. I’ve been pretty busy running my own company and helping Roger grow his. Planning for my wedding was overwhelming on top of everything else. I had an episode two months ago, when Roger was out of the country. Gwen and Emily had to rush me to the hospital the day it happened. I was severely dehydrated, and my blood sugar was very low. I was in the hospital for three days.

I should have realized then what a jerk Roger was. He came back from his trip, which I’m now sure was to meet Sasha. He then yelled at me for missing work. He saw that I was pale, but Dixon had told him that I had called out while he was away. I still remember the argument we had that day over it. Dixon stood behind Roger, encouraging him to deal with me.

“Elizabeth, you can’t just call out whenever you want to. You need to be here if I’m not here. What were you thinking?” Roger had yelled at me.

I still hadn’t regained my full color. I was pale, and if he cared at all, he would have noticed that. But I took my work at Cook Custom Jewelry seriously. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have forced myself to come here the day after I was discharged from the hospital. “Where were you, Roger? You didn’t take vacation time. You didn’t notify me that you were even taking a trip. I had a medical emergency. It was out of my hands. You weren’t traveling for business, so why weren’t you here?” I asked.

I didn’t feel well enough to coddle him that day, and he had been shocked by my response. I brought in all the investors, and we had no meetings scheduled for out of the country. Once I questioned him about where he was and what he was doing, his tone changed. He started acting concerned for me. He then told Dixon to stop causing issues between us. If I hadn’t been feeling so bad, I would have probably noticed something was off. I scoffed just thinking about it now. I’m too smart to have fallen for his lies, yet here I am.

I picked up the phone and called my mother. My parents needed to know what happened. They will begin making the necessary calls. Just like they silently helped me grow Roger’s business by investing themselves. They would now pass on the word that they’re no longer supporting Cook Custom Jewelry. Their friends would all start to pull out, too. After that, it's only a matter of time before the company is dead in the water.

The problem was that as soon as my mother, Alicia, picked up the phone, my throat tightened up the moment I heard her voice. I started to cry, despite all my efforts. I could hear her speaking to me. I could hear my father in the background, but I couldn’t speak. I heard my mother say, “We will be there in ten minutes, baby. Hold on, we’re coming.”

I cried in the shower. I thought I had cried enough. I thought I would only feel anger from now on. I was wrong. Hearing my mother’s voice brought back all the pain of what he had done. I cried for the loss of the relationship I thought I had. I thought that he appreciated me. Not just for my talent, but for everything that I had done for him.

He had flirted with me. He had treated me well. I knew he didn’t love me yet, but I thought that in time, he would come to love me. I had always been the one fold, while he couldn't do the bare minimum for me. I thought he was a good man. I see him for what he is now, a user. But if he thinks he’s going to use me and get away with it. He's got another thing coming.