“Where the Hell have you been?” he thundered.
Belle slammed the door behind her and slipped the keys into her purse.
“What happened here? Did you do this?” she asked, in an equally high pitched voice.
“Tell me where you were last night. I tried calling you like a million times,” he said and stepped off the mattress.
Belle remained standing where she was and glared at him, her own fury rising.
“I spent the night at a friend’s house because I didn’t want to see your face,” she said. The words came tumbling out of her. She had decided to be calm and gentle with Jesse when she broke the news, but she couldn’t control herself.
She had spent the night in Devon’s luxurious penthouse apartment on the forty-fifth floor of a Manhattan sky rise. But she wasn’t going to tell Jesse that.
“Which friend? You don’t have any friends in New York,” he spat out, taking long strides towards her. Belle straightened her back and glared at him. Jesse was studying her, like he was looking for clues about where she had been. Belle’s makeup was off, her hair wasn’t tied in a plait any more and she was starkly aware of not wearing a bra. She had taken a shower in Devon’s place though, so at least she looked somewhat presentable.
“How do you know if I have any friends here or not? You don’t know anything about my life, Jesse,” she said and she folded her arms over her breasts. He had come up very close to her and now he was breathing down on her face, but she only glared back at him. She wasn’t afraid of him. She wasn’t even guilty any more.
“You were with some guy, weren’t you?” he snarled and Belle arched her eyebrows.
“So what if I was?” she said and Jesse grabbed her shoulders and shook her violently.
“You cheated on me!” he yelled and the door behind her slammed open. She hadn’t locked it but neither did she expect it to swing open either. They both turned their heads to look in surprise.
Devon walked in, more calmly than he had pushed the door open but his eyes were narrowed and the features on his face had darkened to a stormy hue. His blue eyes were piercing Jesse.
“Step away from her,” he said in a controlled voice.
“Who the Hell are you?” Jesse yelled, but he dropped his hands from Belle’s shoulders.
“That is none of your concern,” Devon said and Jesse looked sharply at Belle.
“Who the Hell is he?” he repeated himself. The last thing he was probably expecting was a man in his forties in crisp tailored clothes to barge in through the door.
“Jesse, I need you to leave my apartment,” Belle said, mimicking Devon’s calm voice. Jesse was still in shock.
“Do you understand what she’s saying?” Devon said and Jesse’s jaw dropped open.
“She’s my girlfriend. Who is she to you?” he asked, in a high pitched voice.
“I am not your girlfriend any more, Jesse. You have till the end of the day to pack your bags and leave,” Belle said and stepped in Devon’s direction. A knowing look came over Jesse’s eyes.
“So, this is the friend you spent last night with? Are you his girlfriend now?” he said, forcing a laugh in his voice.
“Go back home, Jesse. New York isn’t for you. You need to get a job or move in with your folks if you can’t find one. I’m not going to waste another penny on you,” Belle said and she walked over to Devon who wrapped an arm around her.
Jesse continued to stare at them for a few more seconds in silence, before Devon cleared his throat.
“You have till this evening. Six. I’ll be here with Belle to make sure that you’re nowhere in sight and then we’re getting the locks changed,” he said and gently, he tugged Belle away.
She didn’t look back as they walked with their arms around each other. She shut the door behind her and only then realized that she was shaking slightly.
“Why didn’t you leave?” she asked him, as they took the stairs down together.
“Because I wanted to make sure you were safe. From the stuff you told me about him, I was expecting him to act out,” Devon told her and Belle placed her head on his shoulder.
“I feel bad for uprooting him like this, but he’s depended on me for too long. And I don’t love him,” she said softly, as they walked back out on the street again.
“I understand, Belle. You’re doing what is best for you. Let’s spend the day together and after that we’re going to find you a new place to live,” Devon said as he opened the car door for her.