“Is Neo okay?” Charlie asked as soon as the call connected.
“Fuck,” Mav groaned. He pulled out his phone, typing out a message that got an instant reply. “He’s in his office. I have someone keeping an eye on him. Talk fast because I have a really bad feeling about this.”
“He found out what happened in Miami; you know, before your plane crash.”
Mav wrapped his hand in Addi’s as if he was trying to protect her from the memory.
“I found out too, I was going to—”
Archer interrupted Addi. “We can talk later, okay?”
“Neo apologized for not protecting us and said some other stuff, but then he said that Fern would be running the label while you were off with the kids,” Charlie explained.
“What the fuck?” Addi cried.
Just then, we heard a loud crash and yelling coming from further down the hall, which was where Neo’s office was.
“Shit. I’ll call you back,” I told Charlie as I hung up and we rushed to where the shouting was getting louder.
“What the fuck, Neo? Is this all I’m worth? Papers delivered to me at work? I had my cock in your ass this morning. You told me you loved me. Do you want to tell me what these are?”
Mav pushed open the door to Neo’s office to find an angry Aaron standing across from Neo. Sitting behind his desk, his face blank of emotion, a large envelope in front of him. It was then I realized how empty Neo’s office looked. No photos, no personal items; everything stripped bare.
“Aaron, what’s going on?” Addi asked.
“The fucker filed for divorce. He sent me papers at work. Not a word. Not an argument. Nothing. What, are you cheating on me? Moved on… is that it?” His hands hit the desk.
“It’s better this way,” Neo mumbled, his usual confidence missing from his voice.
“Better for who?” Aaron yelled, tears streaming down his face.
Suddenly, everything made sense. Praying I was wrong, I walked around Neo’s office until I found what I was looking for. Tucked under his desk was a black holdall. I picked it up and Neo whimpered, telling me what I already knew.
I opened it slowly, a tear rolling down my face when I found the contents. I tipped it onto the desk, listening to everyone’sreaction as the bottles of pills and the letters addressed to me, Addi, and Aaron, along with what looked like the details of a house he’d hired spilled across the desk.
The color drained from Aaron’s face as he reached for his letter, tearing it open and shaking the paper out so he could read it. It took him a while as he wiped tears away with the back of his hand, his face crumbling with each word.
When he’d finished, he ran his hand over his mouth, his head tipping back to face the ceiling. His breath was shallow, his body tense, anger bouncing off him. “Stand up,” he demanded, looking back at Neo.
He didn’t move.
“Stand the fuck up or I will drag you up.”
“Aaron, please,” Addi begged. “Just take a moment… you don’t know—”
“Read it,” he interrupted, scrunching the letter up and throwing it at her.
Addi picked it up from where it landed, scanning it before a sob tore from her throat.
“Stand up,” Aaron instructed again, but Neo still didn’t move.
“Stand the fuck up, now. You owe me that.”
Neo moved slowly, pushing himself from his chair.
“Now walk back, so you’re against the wall. I don’t want to hurt you,” Aaron whispered.
He did as he asked. Aaron moved, storming around the desk until his body crowded Neo’s. Slamming his hands against the wall, their eyes locked, pain palpitating between them.