Chapter 23
Chapter 23
I got home, and my phone was still connected to the office surveillance cameras. From the moment I stepped out of the building, I kept my eyes glued to the feed.
The city traffic was a nightmare that evening, so I deliberately took a side street. It might have been a little out of the way, but I didn’t want the traffic to ruin my mood. Plus, it gave me a chance to keep an eye on the cameras while driving
While waiting at a red light, I suddenly saw the office door on the monitor crack open. A figure slipped inside.
My breath caught in my throat. Without thinking, I spun the car around and headed straight back to the office.
On the screen, I saw the person stealthily approaching my desk.
It was a woman–slim, but when she lifted her head, I felt a sharp pang of disappointment. She was wearing a big mask that covered most of her face. Even with the clear footage, there was no way I could tell who she was.
I pushed the gas pedal harder. I had to get there fast, catch her before she could slip away.
When I reached the office, I dashed into the elevator. I glanced down at my phone–she was already gone. She’d taken the pieces of the photos I’d hidden in the folder and had left the office entirely.
Just then, the elevator doors opened. I rushed out, and as I rounded a corner, I collided with someone.
“Ouch…” We both stumbled.
“What are you doing here?” I froze, staring.
It was Holly, rubbing her sore arm. “What’s wrong with you? Always rushing around, losing things?”
I didn’t have time to explain. Thinking of the woman who had disappeared into the stairwell at the hospital, I immediately changed direction.
As I opened the stairwell door, I heard the sound of high heels clicking sharply down the stairs. Tap, tap, tap–it was growing fainter by the second. I thought, ‘So, it was her. She must have taken the stairs to leave.
I chased after her. The sound of the heels grew faster and more frantic, but no matter how quickly I moved, she stayed a floor ahead of me.
“Stop! Stop right there!” I yelled, desperate, rushing down the stairs two at a time. “Don’t think I don’t know you’ve been with Dexter! Admit it!”
But the sound of the heels faded completely, and I found myself in the B1 parking lot. The vast, empty garage had only a few cars left, and I scanned the area, completely lost.
Just as I was frantically searching, the screech of an engine startled me. A car came barreling toward me, headlights blinding. Before I could react, someone yanked me back, and I crashed to the ground.
The car zoomed past me, so close I could feel the air rush by. The woman even flashed her high beams at me, almost mocking me.
Holly came running up, panting heavily. “Are you insane? What were you doing standing in the middle of the road? And that idiot driving the car–doesn’t she know how to drive? Speeding in a parking garage like that. What, trying to kill herself?”
Sat,
Chapter 99
I stared at her, dazed, “It was her…”
83%麵
“What?” Holly froze for a second, then blinked, wide–eyed. “Wait, you mean… the car that almost hit you just how? That was the woman Dexter’s been seeing?”
1 gritted my teeth and nodded. “Yeah”
Holly’s face darkened. “This is too much. What are you going to do about it? Just let it slide?”
I slowly shook my head. “No… I won’t just let it go.”
But even as the anger surged in me, I felt utterly exhausted, drained by everything, that had happened,
Holly sighed. “You know what? Maybe you should just get a divorce. What’s the point in risking your life for a jerk like him? Is it really worth it?
“If you divorce him, you’ll have your son, and with your abilities and income, you’ll still have a good life. I’ve been through it, and I’m telling you–your life is far more important than any man.
“Think about yourself, your mom, and your son. The choice really isn’t that hard”
Her words struck a chord with me. She was right. I had held on this long just to get to the truth.
But now, it was only getting worse. Not only was he taunting me, but it seemed like he was willing to go as far as putting my life at risk.
I closed my eyes and took a moment to calm myself. “You’re damn right.”
Holly smirked. “I’ve been through the blood and tears. Trust me, you should listen to me.”
With my leg injured, I leaned on Holly as we limped out together.
I couldn’t believe how much I owed Holly. If it weren’t for her working late today–preparing the stuff we had discussed earlier–I’d have been in serious trouble.
Now I had to ask her to drive me to the kindergarten to pick up Juno. The drive was quiet, with Holly answering two phone calls from her daughter.
When we reached the kindergarten, she parked the car and said, “Go on ahead.”
I got out of the car, still limping, and when I saw Juno, his concerned little face almost made me cry.
“Mommy, what happened to you?” He didn’t even seem to care that I was late. As soon as he saw my injury, his big eyes were filled with worry.
“It’s nothing, just a little fall,” I said,
It was Vivian who was there to take him out today. I casually asked, “Is Ms. Santos not here?”
“Ms. Santos had something come up and took the afternoon off.” Vivian smiled slightly. “But you should really try to pick him up earlier next time. He misses you a lot.”
That hit me like a ton of bricks. “I know, I’ll try to be on time.”
On the way home with Juno, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I owed Holly even more. I ended up lending her my car for the time being.
08:54 Sat, 15 Feb 14. B
Chapter 23
Holly said she’d come by tomorrow morning to drive me to work so we could go over the morning meeting. I agreed without a second thought.
Dexter was still on his business trip, and the house felt empty. I made dinner, and Juno and I ate our fill.
83%8
4331
Kimberly tried to act all considerate. “I wasn’t sure when you’d be back, and I didn’t want to waste food, so I didn’t cook. But if you want something. I can go buy groceries now.”
I inwardly scoffed. It was already past six. By the time she bought groceries and cooked, Juno and I would be starving.
I said, “It’s fine, we’ve already eaten.”
Kimberly looked pleased with herself, like she was enjoying the fact that I didn’t have a comeback.
Later. I video–called Martha and Clara
We talked for a while, and then Clara said, “Mom’s doing better today. I’ve set up a follow–up with Dr. Norman for next week. Want to come with us?”
“Of course, I’ll go.” I nodded.
I still needed to get a gift for Rhea, but I couldn’t forget Jeremy either. Despite his sharp tongue, he was a great doctor with a good heart. If it weren’t for him, Martha wouldn’t have recovered so quickly.
I tossed and turned for hours before finally texting Dexter. [When are you coming back?]
I waited a while, but no reply.
The next morning, I saw his response two hours later. [Not coming back for now. Have you made up your mind?]
I almost laughed when I read it. I thought, ‘So now Dexter is asking me to reflect on myself?‘
Suddenly, I understood what Holly meant. Without a second thought, I sent him a message. [Stop playing games. Come home early so we can talk about getting a divorce.]
