LITMIR.BIZ

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years, except on special occasions.

      Three years in which I was committed to forgetting my wrecked marriage, to putting back what was left of my broken heart, to go back to breathing without always feeling that dull pain in the chest that left me breathless ...

      And now…

      Now I was there, in a bar, not far from my office, at ten in the morning, sipping a whiskey instead of working.

      I felt I was going back years when Audrey had left me and suddenly the whole world had collapsed on me.

      For more than a year I had found refuge in alcohol, until I realized that soon I would also lose the Thunder Company, now on the verge of bankruptcy.

      Only my work had given me the strength to get back on my feet and turn the page.

      I had succeeded.

      I had had the success I had always wanted, leading me to become the head of one of the most popular advertising agencies in Chicago.

      I had achieved my dream and that of my wife, a woman who had pushed me to form a company, and to believe more in myself and the fact that I would achieve incredible goals.

      I had worked hard for years to make her proud of me.

      I loved my job, but what had always pushed me to stay in the office until midnight every night, to look for new customers even on Sundays, to invest our paltry savings in advertising, was her. I had done all that only with one purpose: not to disappoint the expectations of the woman I loved and who believed in me to the point of putting all of herself at stake to focus everything on me, her "winning horse,” as she said.

      I never took all her complaints seriously, about how I always spent too much time at work, for I knew how important it was for her too.

      However, I understood how tiring it was for her. For that reason, I had decided to give her a break and hire an employee to do her job, so that she would have more time for herself, as she always asked when we worked at Kreinberg’s.

      I did it for her, just to make her feel good.

      I had not thought that my decision would come back to haunt me, leading her to have a good time with my copywriter, Rick Mendoza.

      In an instant I drained my whiskey, hoping that this would erase my past.

      I felt alcohol burning my stomach and setting my throat on fire, but I did not care.

      I had needed to dull my mind since I had seen Audrey at Prestige.

      All I had to do is close my eyes to see my fingers scroll through the long brown waves of her hair, move the bangs that often fell in front of her eyes, slide on her face to the small and fleshy lips that always folded in a seductive smile inviting me to kiss her, while my hands continued to rest on her perfect curves ...

      It was all so indelible in my mind and her voice still had the power to hypnotize me and make me lose my head, along with that fiery look she often gave me when we were married.

       Oh my God, will I ever forget her for good?

      Her image gave me no respite and knowing that she had left New York to come back here left me uneasy and relentless.

      Why had she returned?

      Had she broken up with Rick?

      Why were you looking for a job as a waitress?

      What had happened to her?

      I should not have asked myself all those questions, but I had noticed her thin, pale face, her weight loss, her bewildered gaze, and that tension taken to the extreme, so much so that she almost collapsed.

      "Hi," someone said behind me. I would have recognized that voice among thousands.

      For a moment I wanted another whiskey, but I managed to control myself and turned slowly, keeping a straight face.

      As soon as my eyes landed on her hazel ones, I felt my heart break.

      I was in pain and hated her for it. But I also hated myself for the power I was giving her over me.

      "Before you start accusing me of stalking and seeking a restraining order against me, I want to tell you that I am here only because I am looking for work and I am handing out my curriculum vitae to all the businesses in the neighborhood," she hurried to clarify.

      If it had not been my ex-wife, I would have laughed at such a statement.

      “Chicago is an exceptionally large city. Yet you are always here, close to my company, "I pointed out coldly.

      "You're right, but I intend to stay nearby precisely because these places are the most popular with advertising agencies."

      "I thought it would be enough to take the resume directly to their offices, instead of seeking the agents at the bars," I said acidly.

      “I've tried it before, but that road hasn't worked. So now I am trying a new one. "

      "Do what you want, just stay away from me and avoid associating my name with yours to get something in return."

      "Explain to me: what you don't want to reveal is that we were married or worked together, am I right?"

      I did not answer her and turned back to the counter to finish my whiskey. I really needed it. Hearing Audrey talking about our marriage was something I still could not face. Not for nothing, nobody knew that I had been married and all the old employees of Thunder and Larson Company had been fired. A decision I had made shortly after the divorce, during one of the worst times of my life and under the influence of alcohol that flowed through my veins from morning to night.

      “Don't worry, Zane. Your name does not appear on my resume. It just says that I am divorced and worked for seven years at the Kreinberg Company. “

      "Perfect."

      "I didn't even mention I opened the Thunder and Larson Company with you. By the way, how is your work going? "

      "It doesn't concern you," I replied dryly to her vaguely irritated and offended tone.

      I stared at her again.

      She seemed decisively annoyed and angry.

      "You are right. It is none of my business, even though I spent three years of my life there. I just hope you're working hard to make your agency successful,” she answered provokingly, making me instantly nervous.

      I quickly got up from the stool and eliminated the distance that separated us.

      I was so close that I could smell her brown hair.

      “The Thunder Company is already an established agency. I have worked hard to get where I am now, and I am proud of the results. My life is filled with successes, money and fame ... unlike yours, as far as I can see. "

      "You really don’t know."

      “Am I wrong or are you here to look for work as a bartender? It is obvious that to get to this point you have to be in a bad situation both economically and professionally. What has happened? Rick doesn't take care of you anymore? Maybe he is looking for a job too, maybe as a dishwasher? "

      “I haven't seen Rick in four years, Zane, but you're right. I'm not doing well, but even if from the outside it seems that you are the career man you want everyone to see, I don't think it's really like that, otherwise you wouldn't drink alcohol at ten in the morning, with that brooding and worried attitude, when ten meters away you have a potential customer looking for an advertiser who can satisfy his requests to promote his new line of cosmetics, "she replied sternly, pointing to a blonde, middle-aged woman sitting at a table, in the company of what could have been her sister, given the great resemblance.

      "And how do you know?" I asked, avoiding getting stuck on what she had said about Rick.

      "I overheard her talking to someone at Prestige on the phone, saying she's not happy with her job and that she's looking for a new ad agency," Audrey explained.

      I

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