The minute he calls her that, I see black. “I’m going to give you less than a second to get your fucking hands off her before I put you through a wall,” I say, my voice staying low. Vivienne’s eyes come to mine, and I see her with tears in her eyes. Scott turns around and sees me, his hands slipping off her arms.

“Mark, it isn’t what it seems,” he says, and I put my hands in my pockets instead of going to him and grabbing him by his jacket and putting him through a wall.

“I know one thing,” I tell him, walking into the room. “She told you not to touch her.”

“It’s a private conversation,” he says, and I laugh.

“How is this for private? If I see you touching her again, after I finish putting you through that wall, I’ll make sure I break every fucking bone in your body?” I tell him when we stand toe-to-toe. Except he’s smaller than I am, so I look down. “Now it’s safe to say our business relationship is also terminated.” He nods at me, then turns to look at Vivienne one last time before he walks away. “Oh, and Scott, don’t cross me. I would love nothing more than to bury you, and we both know I have the means to do it.”

I watch him walk out of the room and turn back to look at Vivienne, my beautiful Vivienne. “Mark,” she says my name softly, and I look down. I knew today we would either continue or it would have to end. I couldn’t do this anymore. I couldn’t stand not going home with her. I couldn’t stand not waking with her, it was just too much, and I was over it. She either was with me or she wasn’t. I just never thought that it would come to this right here. She steps forward and puts her hand on my arm, and I just look down at it, the hand that I want to hold for the rest of my life.

“Um …” I start, then I stop talking because there is so much that I need to say, there is so much that I want to say, but my heart is beating so fast, and my hands are trembling. “I think we should go.”

Her hand falls off mine, and I look at her. She puts her shoulders back. “Perhaps I’m the one who should go.”

“Vivienne,” I say. “I don’t want to do this here.”

She nods at me and walks ahead of me down the stairs, and I follow her. She walks over to grab her shawl and then comes to me. “I think it’s easier if I just grab a cab.”