Chapter 12 Can You Stop Apologizing to Her?
George was feeling all kinds of messed up. He stood on the balcony for a bit, taking a deep breath before finally stepping back inside through the floor-to-ceiling windows.
He wasn't even trying to come up with some lame excuse for Ellie about why he was back just to leave again.
He knew being straight-up was the way to go. But man, he had no clue how to face her.
It was like, scarier than dealing with those crazy tomb raiders and artifact smugglers.
He couldn't even picture the look on Ellie's face when he told her he had to bounce for another business trip.
George dragged himself into the living room. There was Ellie, chilling on the couch, hugging a pillow. Her pale, delicate feet were tucked under her, and she was staring at the TV like she was in another world.
George opened his mouth to say something, but then shut it again. Ellie suddenly turned her head to look at him.
His heart did a weird flip, and he swallowed hard, feeling his lips go dry.
"Uh... so, the Director just called me," he stammered. He barely got the words out before Ellie had already pieced it together. From his hesitant and shifty eyes, she knew he was probably heading out on another trip.
She bit her lip and looked down a bit. "So, did you tell your boss about finding someone to cover for you?"
George felt even more guilty. His hands fidgeted nervously in his pockets. "I was gonna tell him, but the job's urgent, and there wasn't enough time. I figured I'd talk to him face-to-face when I got there..."
The job was urgent, but what about her? Seeing Ellie just staring at him like that made George even more anxious.
He quickly tried to calm her down, "I swear, once this gig's done, I'll find someone to take over. I'll definitely talk to the Director. Some stuff just can't be explained over the phone, you know? Better to do it face-to-face."
Ellie clutched the pillow tighter. "So, you're going on another business trip?" Her voice was shaky, full of hurt.
George felt a pang in his chest but could only nod reluctantly. "Yeah."
That single "yeah" made Ellie's throat feel like sandpaper. She went quiet for a moment before asking, "When are you leaving?"
"...Tonight."
Tonight?!!
Ellie froze, struggling to process his answer. George went on, "I gotta rush to the office and meet up with my team in an hour."
It'd take over an hour to get from home to the meeting spot on the outskirts, but he couldn't tell Ellie that. He had to fudge the truth a bit.
Hearing this, Ellie realized he wasn't just leaving tonight—he was leaving right now. Her hurt quickly turned into anger.
"So, you're leaving now?!" Her voice shot up, totally losing control.
George had never seen her this worked up since they got hitched. He wanted to say something, but out of all the things he could say, only three words came out. "I'm sorry..."
"Sorry?" Could he stop saying sorry all the time?!
Her throat felt even drier, and her eyes and nose started to sting. Ellie looked at his pained expression, wanting to throw a fit but feeling like it wouldn't be fair. After all, he was going to work, not off on some joyride.
But that feeling of hurt, that unwillingness, made it hard for her to breathe...
Log in with Google Account
Chapters
Favorite
Settings
