I have a feeling it’s going to be a bad day from how my morning is already starting.

The first hint is when I reach across my bed and find the spot next to mine cold and bare. I continue to glide my hand across my silk sheets, hoping maybe I’ll find the man I was expecting to be there within reach.

My eyes fly open when I’m still met with nothing, finding my room completely empty.

I push myself into an upright position, pulling the sheet around my body. A shiver runs through me when I look around my room, knowing what happened here the night before—and the meaning behind him leaving me alone after it.

Reaching out, I run my hand along the top of his pillow. It’s cold, but his smell still wafts around me. I slip my hand underneath, thinking maybe I’ll find something there. He always leaves a note if I’m still sleeping when he leaves.

But there’s no note.

Even as I throw myself across the bed and look at the floor to see if maybe I missed it, I find nothing.

I had a nanny once who really believed in the power of the universe. She swore that it would always tell you if something was right—or if it was wrong. Before I even opened my eyes this morning, I had this gut feeling that things were off. It’s only multiplied as I search my empty apartment and don’t find any remnants of him.

His jacket isn’t slung over the back of one of the dining chairs.

The old, black duffle bag he always kept here isn’t sitting at the foot of my bed.

It’s as if Blake was never here.

I check my phone, but I don’t have anything from him. He’s been a driver for my family for years now, and since the moment he first kissed me, he’d make sure to tell me when he’d be back when he went into work. It’d be a note, a text, or something. He always wanted me to know he was thinking about me.

Now, I have nothing. And it wouldn’t bother me if we hadn’t done what we did last night.

The feeling of dread settles deep into my bones when I try to call him and it immediately goes to voicemail. I try three more times before I give up. I’m just about to throw my phone on the bed and forget all about it when it rings.

My dad’s caller ID shows up on the screen. And I get another gut feeling that something isn’t right. That something’s terribly wrong.

Hoping maybe Dad is just calling me to see if I’d want to have lunch with him, I ignore his call. My heart beats erratically against my chest as I wait to see if he calls again. It’s been a while since we’ve seen one another. Maybe it’s just that he wants to get a meal together. Or maybe there’s an event I don’t know about that he expects me to attend.

I know it’s neither of those when he calls again. Dad never calls me more than once. He expects me to call him back as soon as I see his missed call.

I pace my bathroom, trying to decide what to do. Knowing there’s no use in ignoring him, I place my phone on the cold marble counter and swipe to answer. I put it on speaker, my hands already shaking from the pit in my stomach to be able to hold it.

“Hi, Dad,” I manage to get out, my throat feeling tight.

A loud sigh echoes through the speaker. It’s one of disappointment. I’ve lived my entire life doing everything in my power to not hear those sighs from him. But this one seems bad. “Winifred,” he clips. “Get to my office. Now.” He hangs up before I can ask any questions.

This is bad. So bad that I freeze, staring at my reflection in the mirror. I keep the sheet wrapped tightly around my body, suddenly ashamed of what I let happen last night.

For months, I’d found different ways to tell Blake I wasn’t ready for us to sleep together. I knew I wasn’t supposed to be doing anything with one of my family’s employees, but I did it anyway. Because I knew what we were doing was wrong, I made sure we took things slow, but finally, last night, I didn’t want to say no any longer.

It felt like he was falling for me, that we were falling for each other. And I was ready to take the next step, hoping the following step would be for us to tell my family.

Instead, I’m waking up alone after giving him what he’d been asking months for.

What does it mean?

I try to shove my fear and insecurity to the back of my mind. He’d planned a magical night for me. He’d surprised me by already being at my apartment after I got home from an event for my family’s company. He’d made dinner and had candles lit in the bathroom.

I didn’t do anything wrong by finally giving in to the tension between us. Except maybe sleeping with someone within the family business. But I knew Dad could forgive me for that if I told him Blake and I were in love.

But are we?

Taking a deep breath, I pick the hairbrush up from my vanity and run it through my long, red locks of hair. I get more resistance than normal, trying to work out the knots, probably because of the way Blake’s fingers had tangled in it last night.

I don’t have time to try and style it nicely, so instead, I opt to put it up in a slicked-back ponytail with a knotted headband. For makeup, I only apply mascara and a bit of blush to attempt to bring color to my face. My already pale skin is void of any color due to the nerves coursing through my body.

I know I’m already running behind. Dad left no room for interpretation on how soon he wanted me at his office. Taking time to quickly get ready will surely set him off more than he already is.

The sheet falls to the ground as I walk into my expansive closet. Even with the size of it, it’s filled to the brim with clothes. It’s been on my to-do list to have one of my best friends, Emma, come over to take anything she wants.

Hangers scrape against the rod as I look through all of my options. I have no idea what I’m about to walk into, so I’m not sure what I’m supposed to wear.

I finally opt for something nice because my job is to be a face of Bishop Hotels. I attend parties, show up to meetings, and overall, just do as I’m told.

I pull a Chanel two-piece set from my closet. It doesn’t take me long to get on a bra and underwear and slide my legs into a pair of stockings. Then, I step into the lavender skirt and matching jacket.

I’d love to spend more time picking out a matching pair of heels and a handbag, but I know I’m already on borrowed time. I pick out a simple pair of nude heels and go with the purse I used yesterday since everything I need is already in there.

I’m not surprised when I find Rick waiting for me in the lobby. He stands next to Franklin, my favorite doorman. The tight-lipped smile Rick gives me tells me enough.

I’m in trouble.

With a deep breath, I follow him out to the waiting town car. He doesn’t say anything to me. He normally comments on the weather or tells me a story about his newest grandchild. Today, he does neither, even though we’re finally getting a glimpse of fall weather in Manhattan.

Eventually, the silence gets the best of me. “How bad is it, Rick?”

His eyes dart to mine through the rearview mirror. “He wouldn’t tell anyone a thing. All I was told was to come get you and to hurry.”

I sit back in the dark leather, a chill running down my body.

“Then really bad,” I mutter under my breath, checking my phone once again and seeing nothing from Blake.

The feeling of dread never goes away. If anything, it gets worse in the short drive it takes to get to my family’s office building.

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