He slumped. Sighed.
“Lindsey, are you jealous? Tiffany’s like a
sister to me.”
“She’s alone, divorced with a kid. It’s not
easy. I’m just being a decent human being, helping out an old friend.”
“Even quitting your job for her, and starting a
business with her?”
I pulled away, not wanting his touch.
Chad looked surprised. “You’ve got it all
wrong. We decided to start the company as a group. We just want to get in on this
opportunity.”
He smoothed his tie, looked at me with those
<
“Don’t overthink it. You’re going to be a mom.
You can’t be so jealous, or the baby will be
the same, okay?”
But my baby was gone.
Before I could say anything, Chad’s phone
rang.
A kid’s voice piped up the instant he
answered.
“Chad–Dad, when are you coming to see me?
I miss you!”
He looked at me, horrified, and clapped his
hand over the phone, walked into the
bedroom.
He came back a few minutes later in a
く
different shirt, ready to leave.
“Sorry, Lindsey. Tiffany said the kid’s sick,
wants to see me. I…”
I shrugged.
“It’s fine. Go.”
Chad kissed me quickly.
“When this startup thing settles down, I swear
I won’t be alone with her anymore. I’ll spend
all my time with you and the baby.”
He walked out. A second later, Mark and the
other two guys texted me.
“Lindsey, Tiffany needs Chad. Can you let him
go?”
<
I ignored them. I texted my manager to
finalize the details for my transfer.
Tiffany updated her profile:
“The two most important men in my life.”
A picture of Chad sleeping next to her kid.
Chad’s startup was a success. They landed
their first big deal.
He asked me to the celebration, promised me,
“I’m going to spend more time with you and the baby. If I do anything you don’t like, tell
- me. I’ll change.”
When we got to the restaurant, the hostess’s
ercile faltered
She mumbled
L
smile faltered. She mumbled,
“Different girl.”
It was quiet, but I heard it.
I froze. My manager texted me. I had to go over the final details with her.
Chad scowled.
“Can’t you put your work on hold, just for
me?”
I shook my head.
How many times had I called him at work
when I needed him, and he’d snapped at me?
I tried to bring him lunch. His coworker hit on
L
He’d just scoffed at me. Said he was
suffocating, he couldn’t breath because of
- me.
He told me to never bother him at work again.
Now, he wanted me to ditch my job for a
stupid party.
Chad paced.
“Lindsey, you don’t trust me and Tiffany.
That’s why I brought you here. If you leave
now, don’t come crying to me later.”
I nodded. Jealousy didn’t matter anymore.
After the date was set for my transfer, my
manager pulled me aside.
く
“You’ve lost weight. Are you two still
fighting?”
I didn’t answer. Maybe I was just waiting for
the inevitable.
A friend request popped up. It was the
hostess from the restaurant.
I accepted. She sent me a video.
Tiffany was holding a drink out for Chad to
drink. His friends cheered him on.
After the video, she texted me:
“I hate trashy home–wreckers.”
<
Chapter 2
I laughed, more than a little hysterically. I sent her a picture of our marriage certificate. She replied with “OMG” and blocked me.
