CHAPTER 57: THE STRANGER AT THE DOOR
Diana spent the entire morning and afternoon on Thursday engrossed in researching her new allies.
By Thursday evening, she had a grasp on each woman's business – Grace a cosmetics mogul. Monica, a textile powerhouse. Valerie, a chemical whiz. Diana wondered how she managed to get married to a doctor. It was almost as if she knew Harry was meant to be her husband because their business line went hand in hand, and Sandra a movie producer. Each woman, a force in her own right.
It struck Diana how all these brilliant women, despite facing customer challenges and other hidden business struggles, refused to rely on their husbands' wealth or expertise. They were all determined to build empires independent of their husbands, just like Diana. That independent success they craved was something she deeply resonated with.
They wanted to make it big so they could stand Proudly by their husbands.
Friday afternoon found Diana in her office, brainstorming solutions and trying to figure out how to make the women's businesses work. Sandra's film business seemed the trickiest.
She completely branched out from the rest, but it was not insurmountable.
Lost in thought, strategizing and scribbling plans in her diary, a knock on her office door startled her. "Yes who is it?".
Her question was met with Silence.
The knock came again, followed by an unsettling quiet.
"Who is it?" Diana shouted her question the second time but the person still did not respond.
She pressed the button on her desk for her Secretary and was met with another silence. Where was her secretary?
A third, more insistent knock sent shivers down her spine.
Diana cautiously approached the door, her heart hammering in her chest, apprehension creeping in. Slowly, she turned the knob of the door and flung it open ready to address the interruption.
Her breath hitched. There, framed in the doorway, stood the man who haunted her dreams, the one who felt like a stranger, distant and uncaring. A surge of emotions washing over her as she saw the unexpected visitor – James.
Diana stumbled two steps backward before composing herself. She looked at him properly.
He looked exhausted, his usually sharp suit slightly askew, his face shadowed by stubble - stood in stark contrast to his usual impeccable demeanor. Yet, an undeniable magnetism clung to his tired eyes, that made him look alluring.
Tears welled in Diana's eyes as she stared at her husband. She felt a familiar knot tighten in her throat as her eyes remained locked with his.
"Good afternoon, ma'am," Antonio chimed from behind James.
Diana snapped out of her trance, momentarily forgetting about James's presence. Her gaze snapped to Antonio. Ignoring him, she turned back to her husband, her voice laced with raw emotion.
Rage surged through her, momentarily eclipsing the confusion swirling within. "You vile, evil, mother fucker" she choked out.
The words tumbled out of her, a dam breaking days of pent-up frustration.
Before James could react, Diana slammed the door shut on his face, the echoing bang mirroring the tumult within her.
Sliding down the door to the floor, she surrendered to the torrent of tears she'd been holding back for days, a mixture of anger and a deeper, more complex emotion roiling within her.
Her mind reeled with questions that she could not answer, she hated him more now.
For thirty minutes, wracking sobs wracked Diana's body. A torrent of grief and longing of seeing him or holding him one more time washed over her. Memories of sleepless nights yearning for his touch flooded back.
Here he was, the man she'd ached for, and all she could muster was anger. Henry's words echoed in her mind – "Take it easy, go slowly and be there for him." But how could she be there for someone who didn't seem to see her?
How could she be patient when he treated her like an afterthought?
An hour bled into another in a haze of conflicting emotions, the anger slowly dissolving into a potent ache.
The memory of her longing eclipsed the resentment.
With a surge of desperation, she stood and flung open the door, fear twisting in her gut that he might be gone.
But to her surprise He hadn't. He stood there, still, without moving a muscle.
In a reckless surge of emotion and a single, messy movement, she launched herself at him. She clung to him, burying her face in his chest. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she choked out accusations.
James, caught off guard, barely managed to catch her. He held her tight, a wave of relief washing over him and a fierce possessiveness tightening his grip as she buried her face in his chest, tears staining his shirt. He held back a groan – He'd missed her deeply, more than he thought possible.
These past twelve days had been a personal hell. The nightmares intensified, sleep a fragmented torture of three hours a night. This woman, who had wormed her way into his life, was a constant, unwelcome presence in his dreams. She affected him in ways he couldn't explain.
Yet, seeing her like this, raw, vulnerable, and in tears meant she missed him too. A fierce ache bloomed in his own chest.
He'd seen her messages, the silent pleas, the unanswered cries for connection, but he just could not reach out. He remained silent, a prisoner of his own demons.
Now, bathed in the raw vulnerability of her tears, Diana realized the truth – she'd fallen for this enigmatic man. She loved him. This distant, tormented man she barely knew, he had become her dark angel.
Shame burned at her cheeks as she pulled away, sniffling. She mumbled an apology, the force of her emotions leaving her drained.
"I'm sorry," she mumbled, voice thick with emotion. "I didn't mean to cry so much."
He led her to the sofa, a silent command she readily followed. He lowered himself down, pulling her close. "Here" he rasped, his voice husky with sleep deprivation, "Just let me hold you." The first words he'd spoken since arriving. The exhaustion etched on his face was undeniable
Diana nodded and allowed him to hold her.
Diana nestled against him. In less than 5 minutes, she could hear the steady rhythm of his heartbeat - a soothing counterpoint to the storm within her. As he drifted off to sleep, she stole a glance at his face. His brow was furrowed, even in slumber.
She tried to get up, when his arm tightened around her. "Please don't leave Diana, just stay here with me for a while. Please".
Diana smiled and relaxed in his embrace.
A million questions swirled in her mind. But for now, she simply held him close, content in the fragile peace of his embrace.
They both drifted off, a fragile truce forged in the heart of the storm.