With My Heart Wide Open

Chapter 52

Sergio awoke the next morning, feeling groggy from the drinks and excitement of the evening before. It had been almost two a.m when they had finally got back to Audrey's apartment. Macy and Karim had gone on to their house, since Macy hadn't been drinking. The night had been rather enjoyable, considering how differently it easily could have been. He was thankful that he had been able to take care of Jake without causing a scene and that Audrey had been able to enjoy the rest of the gala after Jake had left. Audrey had dazzled and impressed everyone in attendance. The event had been a great success and Sergio was so proud of Audrey. She was definitely a woman that could handle herself in the public eye and didn't need rely on his fame to help guide her. He had no doubt that he had found a diamond in the rough and wanted to be beside her, watching her shine for the rest of their lives. 

Looking beside him, he watched Audrey sleep peacefully, her breath even and a content smile had softly found its place on her lips. He hoped that she was dreaming of him, or at the very least, adorable baby elephants. He thought about the night that he met her as he continued to watch her. Sergio knew that she was special then, but would have never dreamed just how important she would become to him. Spending the night on a lawn chair with her, getting to know her and learning about the things that she loved, had been one of the best nights of his life. When she had gone back to the U.S, he feared he had lost her forever. Luckily, she had came back to him and he would never let her go if he had anything to say about it. Every night he had spent with her since she returned to Spain, had been equally amazing. Being in her presence made him feel so alive and he never wanted that feeling to go away. Even just laying on the couch watching a movie was exhilarating. He knew the feeling was mutual, because Audrey told him often how much he meant to her. They were utterly perfect for each other. 

Breaking from his thoughts, he decided to go make some coffee, hoping that it would help the groggy feeling subside. He was also in need of something for the headache that was plaguing him, because he clearly should not drink champagne in mass amounts, the consequences were too much for him to handle and he knew that he would be paying for it for days.  Leaving the bedroom quietly, so as not to wake Audrey, he headed to the kitchen. Seeing his phone on the kitchen counter, he grabbed it. He didn't miss anything important because it was dead. Thinking to himself that he should probably give his brother a call, he decided to run out to his car and grab his charger. He needed to speak to Rene about a few things and would rather get it over with before Audrey woke up. After all of the work she had put into the gala, she deserved a day of relaxation and he didn't want any interruptions. He intended to lock the two of them in this apartment for the entire day. 

Reaching his car and opening the door, he sat down in the drivers seat so that he could find his charger in the glove compartment. After finding it, he stepped out of the car, but reached  back into the vehicle when the envelope that had been delivered yesterday caught his eye. He grabbed it and headed back to the apartment. 

When he reached his destination, he threw his keys on the counter and plugged in his phone. Waiting for it to power up, he opened the envelope, still unsure why Rene had not called him before it had arrived yesterday. Sergio had a lot of different things in the works, such as various endorsement deals that were being negotiated among other things. 

Pulling the contents out of the envelope, a note floated to the counter top. Opening the note, he became even more confused. 

THOUGHT YOU MIGHT WANT TO SEE THIS

Turning the note over, he saw that there was no signature or any other indicators as to who had wrote the note. Picking up the smaller envelope that had been inside the larger one, he opened it and quickly realized that it contained photographs. 

There were two photographs. Both of the photographs were a little grainy and looked like whoever took them, had been some distance away from the scene they were trying to capture. Looking closer, he felt his heart constrict in his chest and an instantaneous feeling of nausea took hold in the pit of his stomach. Audrey was kissing a man in a ball cap in both pictures. At first he wasn't sure who was in the pictures at all, but one of them had a clear picture of her face and it was definitely Audrey. In that specific image, she appeared to be laughing. It didn't take long for him to realize that the man in the picture, although his back was only shown in both images, was Jake. He would recognize the clothes anywhere. They were the same clothes that he was wearing when Sergio had confronted him in the hotel lobby in Columbus. 

The feeling of betrayal was unbearable. He had thought that he had seen a glimmer of longing when Audrey had noticed Jake at the gala last night. Now he knew why. 

AN: Thanks again for all of the votes and comments! I hope that you are enjoying the story! I really enjoy reading your comments, so keep them coming! :)