Page 59 of Miss Manage

“I mean it, Gabriel. You have to promise you won’t ever say anything about this.” She moved back, breaking our connection so she could meet my gaze.

“Why would I say anything?” My jaw flexed, anger scraping raw at the inside of my chest. “Jesus, do you think so little of me that I’d use this to get ahead?”

Her shoulders tensed. “We’re competing for the same job.”

“Yes, and I’d never use something like this to get ahead. Not only because it would go against every core value I hold true, but also because this means something.” I motioned between us. “You mean something to me, Charlotte.”

Judging by her stunned expression, my words landed too heavy and too soon. She wasn’t ready to take them, and I should’ve exercised more patience. But it had never been my strong suit.

“I recognize this is fast, and I’m not trying to freak you out. Putting that aside, please believe I would never say a word to anyone about tonight. But this won’t stand. We have to do something about him. Figure out a way⁠—”

“I have a plan. Sort of.”

“What plan?”

When her silence stretched, I knew she wasn’t about to share it.

“These trust issues,” I asked quietly, “they from your ex?”

Her mouth curved, humorless. “Probably. Yours?”

It wasn’t something I talked about with anyone. “Yeah.”

“Look at us. Open books.”

Wanting to keep the flicker of amusement alive, I tipped my head and kissed her shoulder, teasing, “Rock, paper, scissors for who goes first?”

The soft chuckle I got in return was exactly what I’d hoped for.

I slid an arm around her, easing her closer, thinking maybe these kinds of confessions would come easier if she was tucked against me.

“Yeah, well,” she murmured, flattening her hand against my chest, “mine’s a little less of a secret as you found out during dinner.”

“He cheated?”

Her sigh cut deeper than I expected. “Maybe. Maybe not. The timing was suspect, considering she was Austin’s nanny, but honestly, the marriage was over once I got a promotion and he didn’t turn out to be the partner I thought he’d be. Guess he’d say the same thing, considering he wanted a stay-at-home wife and more kids. Now he has the life he always wanted.”

My chest burned because I knew there was more. “He married you knowing you wanted a career, though, right?”

“For years, we were on the same page. Both of us were working our way up the ladders in the software industry. Different companies, but the same grind, the same goals. We were balancing a family of three, juggling daycare pickups, late-night conference calls, and weekend deadlines. And somehow, it worked right up until I got a big promotion. Suddenly my title was bigger, my salary higher, and things started to unravel.”

“He resented you for it?” I’d known plenty of men in my life whose ego wouldn’t have allowed them to be happy for their wives.

“Almost like a switch flipped,” she replied softly. “It wasn’t even about the job anymore. It became about control. He started talking about having another baby, about me cutting back. And when I said I wanted to wait, that I needed time to find my footing with the new responsibilities, he accused me of choosing work over family. In his world, I couldn’t have both.”

I couldn’t stop the bitterness in my voice. “But he could? He could chase his career without question, without compromise? What sense does that make?”

She popped up on my chest. “I think the idea of having both is something I haven’t quite stopped trying to prove to myself.”

I brushed a strand of hair from her face. “You’ve proven you can have both, Charlotte. You’ve built everything you have, on your terms.”

She gave a small, sad smile and lowered her chin, resting it on my chest. “Maybe. But I think part of me is still trying to prove it to him, to everyone…especially to myself.”

I didn’t need her to say more. It clicked. Her drive, her precision, along with the long hours and unshakable composure. The reason she wanted the CEO title wasn’t ambition alone.

It was validation.

And lying there with her, I realized how much I wanted to see her win, not only at work, but in a world that kept trying to make her choose.

“So it was over, and he moved on with the nanny.”

“Yep. Stassie isn’t bad as far as stepmoms go, and it helps that she already had a relationship with Austin, so I suppose I should be grateful.” She toyed with the sheet, her voice distant. “Whether they cheated or not didn’t really impact the end of our marriage. It was over regardless. But still, I can’t imagine being blindsided. Cheating has to be the worst thing you could do to someone you claim to love.”

Acid crawled up my throat. I drew a breath. “I have something to tell you.”

Her eyes flicked up to mine. “What?”

“I ended my marriage after cheating.”