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Hey beautiful. I guess you must be asleep. I hope you’re feeling better. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it to you tonight. I’m flying to Miami right now to meet potential clients. I’ll be back tomorrow or the day after, it depends on how the meeting goes. Take care of yourself. Call you later.
A massive sigh of relief wafts through me. Thank heavens I won’t see Gareth today. He gave me the day off when we returned to New York yesterday, and I was sneezing hopelessly from the mild cold I caught in Aspen. After having such a splendid weekend, I’m grateful for the rest, but this discovery has me on edge.
What do I do? Wait it out, or go right now to get a test?
A knock on the door disrupts me from my thoughts. I wonder if Gareth was only pulling my leg when he sent me the text. I hope it isn’t the girls from work. I lied to them that I had traveled to Wyoming over the weekend to see my mom.
“Hold on,” I yell when I hear the knock on the door again. I glance at my sweater and slacks and hope it’s not Gareth. I always want to look my best for him.
My eyes widen with astonishment when I look through the peephole on the door and see Linda. What the hell is Gareth’s ex-wife doing here? And how did she discover where I live?
I debate whether I should open the door or ignore her. But she already heard my voice, so there’s no point pretending I’m not home. With a heavy sigh, knowing I probably won’t like the outcome of her visit, I sluggishly open the door.
“Linda! What are you doing here?” I question, displaying a thick frown on my face.
Smiling gracefully and looking like a billionaire’s wife in an expensive-looking chic grey dress, she asks, “May I come in?”
“Um… sure.” I step aside for her to come through. I catch a whiff of her exotic perfume as she brushes past me.
“My, what a lovely apartment. So this is where my ex-husband’s little mistress lives. Not bad.”
“Excuse me?” I blink rapidly. I’m sure I didn’t hear right. How did she find out? Who told her?
She whirls around, still with that condescending smile on her face. “Oh, do shut the door and take a seat. I assure you I come in peace, even though I know you’re sleeping with Gareth.”
I stay put, not believing she didn’t come here for a catfight. After all, she wants Gareth back.
Linda sighs before lowering herself onto the sofa and placing her clutch beside her. “If you prefer that your neighbors learn Gareth is about to replace you, that’s your cup of tea.”
“What?” I immediately shut the door, but I stay by it with my arms wrapped across my chest.
“You know he’s on his way to Miami, right? I believe he called you to tell you. Well, you don’t know that he’s going on that trip with his new robotics expert. She’s young, blonde, and very beautiful. They’re about to begin a project that will take him away from New York for months, with his new employee, of course. Speaking from experience, it’s only a matter of time before he starts sleeping with her, too.”
“And you said you came here in peace?” I probe with disbelief.
“I don’t want you to make the same mistake I did.”
I frown. “What mistake?”
“Come. Sit. I’ll tell you a story.”
I don’t like being ordered around in my house, but I oblige her. The sooner she has her say and leaves, the better for my peace of mind.
“Alright. I’m sitting,” I inform her as she continues staring at me.
“I used to work for Gareth. I was his P.A. Did he tell you?”
My lips part, but I quickly compress them in a thin line when I observe Linda’s smug look.
“He didn’t tell you. I’m not surprised. If you must know, Gareth has a thing about sleeping with his employees. Not only was he sleeping with me, but he was also sleeping with Susan. There were others too.”
“That’s a lie!” I shoot to my feet. “I will not sit here and listen to you slander your ex-husband out of bitterness because he rejected you.”
To my surprise, Linda bursts into laughter. “Oh, dear, I can see I’m too late. You’ve fallen in love with him, haven’t you?”
Ashamed of my outburst, I resume my seat with a reddened face. She shakes her head and clicks her tongue.
“I can’t say I blame you. He’s very handsome, charming when he wants to be, and great in between the sheets. But listen here, I have no reason to lie to you. Gareth was my boss before we became lovers. When I discovered he was also sleeping with other women, I knew I had to do something to keep him away from them. And so, I intentionally got pregnant.”
