Delusion by Avery North
Chapter 14
Jake slammed the door to his office closed and pounded his fist on the side of his desk. This was not how the evening had been supposed to go. It was supposed to be just the two of them happily at home. Instead, here he was alone in the gallery, trying desperately to remain calm.
Why did Amber have to bring up the past all the time? What’s done was done, and they couldn't change that. After Corrine had been arrested and the mystery solved, Jake had really thought that the pictures would be put behind them and they could move on. In fact, that was what he thought they were doing—moving on.
Running his hands through his hair in frustration, he looked at a smiling picture of Amber on his desk. Was he behaving like a child? Should he have just stayed and talked about it? They had been through this so many times.
Opening up his office door, he sat down on the small couch he had in his office and sighed. He should go home with his tail between his legs and beg for Amber’s forgiveness. He shouldn’t have reacted the way he did, and he needed to apologize. He had meant to throw the pictures away. Why hadn’t he?
The sound of breaking glass startled him, and he sat up to listen carefully.
Was that inside the gallery? He thought to himself as he slowly stood up, listening intently for more sounds.
“Hello?” Jake called out into the darkened gallery. “Is anyone there?”
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Amber looked at herself in the mirror, wiping her tear-stained cheeks. How did their evening end up like this? They were supposed to spend it sipping wine in front of the fire, feasting on a gourmet meal, and making love into the early hours. So how did it end up with Jake storming out and her sobbing on the bed? Why had she reacted the way she had when she saw the envelope? It wasn’t Jake’s fault. She needed to move on.
She knew he was still sensitive about the pictures. Why had she brought them up? It was actually her fault they’d fought, and she had no reason to say the things she had, but he certainly had no reason to storm off the way he had.
Sighing, she composed herself and looked at her reflection. She’d go after him. She’d go, tell him she was sorry, and vow that the subject of the pictures would never be brought up again. After all, Corrine was in jail for the crime, and she would never hurt them again.
“Oh, Jake. I am a complete idiot,” she said to herself as she quickly grabbed her jeans and a top.
Picking up her phone, she dialed Jake’s number. Not getting an answer, she decided to just go down to the gallery and surprise him. Tell him how sorry she was and bring him home to continue on their evening.
Amber shivered as she walked out into the cool August night air, quickly turning on the heater when she got into the car. She was thankful that Adam hadn’t been home to witness their argument. The last thing that little boy needed was to think his perfect new world was falling apart.
Sighing and shaking her head, she turned her car down the deserted street leading to the gallery. The street lights shone eerily like spotlights on a stage, and Amber smiled to herself, imagining someone appearing out of the darkness to do a tap dance in the night. As she parked her car, she looked around, spying Jake’s car parked off to the side. The area was relatively safe, but she couldn’t help but shiver as she stepped out of her car and quickly walked to the gallery door.
Jake's office light shone in the back of the main room, and Amber hesitated. Should she knock or use her key and surprise him? Liking the element of surprise, she unlocked the door and quietly slipped inside.
Listening, she could hear the faint tick, tick, tick of a clock.
“Jake,” she said almost in a whisper as she walked towards his office. “I came to talk. I’m so sorry.”
His office was empty. Amber looked around, noticing his coat thrown haphazardly on the chair. “Jake, where are you?” she said, waiting for him to respond.
Feeling like something was wrong, Amber grabbed a paperweight that Jake kept on his desk and slowly walked out, looking around the gallery's main room. “Jake,” she whispered into the darkness. “Where are you? If you are trying to scare me, it’s working.”
Taking another step, her foot hit something and sent it sliding across the marble floor.
“What was that?” she said, thinking she should turn on the lights. Reaching along the wall, she found the light switch and turned it on, bringing the room to life. As her eyes adjusted, she looked down in horror. There on the floor was a pool of blood, a knife, the bat that Jake kept in his office, and one of Jake’s shoes.
“JAKE!” she screamed as she felt the bile rise in her throat. “JAKE, WHERE ARE YOU?”
Quickly running back into Jake’s office, she grabbed her phone out of her purse and dialed 911.
“911, What is your emergency?”
“My name is Amber Paige, and I just came down to McCarthy Gallery to surprise my fiancé, but there is blood and a knife on the floor.”
“Okay, Ma’am. Where is your fiancé?”
Amber stifled a sob. What had happened? Where was he? Taking a deep breath, she answered, terrified. “I don’t know. I have no idea where he is!”