Chapter 207: Ready To Confront Your Demons
Bella, walked into Ken’s dimly lit home office, a crisp, ivory envelope in her hand. Ken, hunched over his desk, seemed oblivious to her presence. He was staring at a photograph, a faded image of a young woman with bright, laughing eyes. It was Maeve.
Bella sighed. Since Ken had been saved by that Lyse girl, he had become a shadow of his former self. The vibrant, charismatic man she had known, the life of every party, the one who embraced every opportunity, had retreated into a self-imposed exile. He had shunned his usual routine, canceled all of his upcoming events, and spent his days locked away in his office, lost in his grief which had apparently been woken up by the Maeve look alike.
"Ken," Bella said softly, breaking through his reverie.
He looked up, his eyes dull and lifeless. "What is it, Bella?"
Bella held out the envelope. "There is an invitation," she said. "For you."
Ken glanced at the envelope, his expression uninterested. "Tell them that I will not be attending," he mumbled, turning back to the photograph.
Bella’s patience, usually boundless, began to fray at the edges. "You seem to forget that I am not your assistant, Ken," she reminded him, her voice laced with gentle exasperation. "I’m your manager. And part of my job is to make sure you are...managing...your life which I am currently failing at."
Ken did not respond. He simply continued to stare at the photograph, lost in his memories.
Bella studied him for a moment, her heart aching for him. She understood his grief, she truly did. From all that she had heard about Maeve, she had been special, a light in his life. But she was certain that this...this self-destructive behavior was not what Maeve would have wanted for him.