never existed. The thought made her throat ache with regret. No evidence of their life together. Except there, on the bookshelf, was a picture of her new car. Thanks, man.
She picked up a piece of paper and an ink pen. What do I even say?
She sat in his chair, and spun toward the large windows that overlooked the city. She couldn’t even cry.
She turned back around and leaned forward. Her fingers stroked the fine leather of the desk pad she’d bought him on his birthday last month. The bomber-jacket leather was so soft. It had been a fun splurge. He was hard to buy for because they really bought whatever they wanted when they wanted it, but when she found this . . . she knew it would be perfect.
He’d barely been able to keep his hands off the fine soft leather when she’d given it to him. Not unlike the way he seemed to be with that woman today.
She reached into her purse and pulled out her new lipstick. Bright magenta with just a hint of sparkle to it. He’d said it made her mouth look sexy.
She twisted the lip color up and scrawled L i A R in big letters across the entire thirty-six inches of the desk pad.
The letters looked fluorescent against the dark leather. The letter i had come out a little short.
She stared at it. That little i taunted her. No surprise, because I am feeling right small today. Rather than extend the I to the height of the rest of the letters, she lifted the lipstick to her mouth and ran it across her lips in a thick layer, then leaned forward and dotted that lowercase i with her lips. “You don’t deserve me. Kiss that.”
She hoped the hot pink never came out of the leather.
“Bye, love,” she said as she headed for the door.
Standing at the door, she took one last glance back. There was something calming about what she’d just done. She straightened herself and pasted a perfect smile on her face.
The receptionist, on the other hand, looked so pale Katherine wondered if she might get the poor girl some water.
“I’m sorry,” the girl mouthed.
“No. He is.” Katherine strode out of the building, not bothering to look back.
When she got to the parking garage, she stepped out of her heels and ran the stairs. It was a relief to burn some of the adrenaline that was making her body ache, the exercise releasing some of the anxiousness in her gut.
She stood next to her car wondering if Ron’s receptionist was hard at work trying to remove her message. She had a feeling the girl may have just gone home sick right then and there, and the way she looked, no one would have questioned her sincerity.
Katherine started the car, and silenced the radio, needing to steer clear of the happy music that she’d been dancing her way through the morning to. She didn’t feel happy, didn’t want to feel happy, and didn’t know if she’d ever smile a real smile again.
Now what? Change the locks on the house? Can I even legally do that?
Would she even need to? Clearly his preferences lay elsewhere. Once he knew that she knew, he might not even show his face.
He could have his little mistress. More power to him. She probably didn’t even have a job. Little Twinkie. No. Ho Ho. Yeah, that was more like it. She hoped the girl drained him for every penny he’d ever saved. It would serve him right. What kind of woman slept with another woman’s husband?
The lowest of low.
Katherine didn’t know her next step, but did know that she needed time. Time to figure it all out. This was the kind of problem that required a plan.
Without a second thought, she dialed her boss.
“Didn’t you just leave out of here?” Dave Harris asked.
“Not too long ago. I had something come up. A family emergency.”
“Everything okay?”
“Not really. I’m on the road, heading out of town. I need to take a leave of absence. I’m sorry it’s such short notice. I need at least a month. I can explain later if you need—”
“No explanations necessary, unless you just need the ear.”
“No. I
She picked up a piece of paper and an ink pen. What do I even say?
She sat in his chair, and spun toward the large windows that overlooked the city. She couldn’t even cry.
She turned back around and leaned forward. Her fingers stroked the fine leather of the desk pad she’d bought him on his birthday last month. The bomber-jacket leather was so soft. It had been a fun splurge. He was hard to buy for because they really bought whatever they wanted when they wanted it, but when she found this . . . she knew it would be perfect.
He’d barely been able to keep his hands off the fine soft leather when she’d given it to him. Not unlike the way he seemed to be with that woman today.
She reached into her purse and pulled out her new lipstick. Bright magenta with just a hint of sparkle to it. He’d said it made her mouth look sexy.
She twisted the lip color up and scrawled L i A R in big letters across the entire thirty-six inches of the desk pad.
The letters looked fluorescent against the dark leather. The letter i had come out a little short.
She stared at it. That little i taunted her. No surprise, because I am feeling right small today. Rather than extend the I to the height of the rest of the letters, she lifted the lipstick to her mouth and ran it across her lips in a thick layer, then leaned forward and dotted that lowercase i with her lips. “You don’t deserve me. Kiss that.”
She hoped the hot pink never came out of the leather.
“Bye, love,” she said as she headed for the door.
Standing at the door, she took one last glance back. There was something calming about what she’d just done. She straightened herself and pasted a perfect smile on her face.
The receptionist, on the other hand, looked so pale Katherine wondered if she might get the poor girl some water.
“I’m sorry,” the girl mouthed.
“No. He is.” Katherine strode out of the building, not bothering to look back.
When she got to the parking garage, she stepped out of her heels and ran the stairs. It was a relief to burn some of the adrenaline that was making her body ache, the exercise releasing some of the anxiousness in her gut.
She stood next to her car wondering if Ron’s receptionist was hard at work trying to remove her message. She had a feeling the girl may have just gone home sick right then and there, and the way she looked, no one would have questioned her sincerity.
Katherine started the car, and silenced the radio, needing to steer clear of the happy music that she’d been dancing her way through the morning to. She didn’t feel happy, didn’t want to feel happy, and didn’t know if she’d ever smile a real smile again.
Now what? Change the locks on the house? Can I even legally do that?
Would she even need to? Clearly his preferences lay elsewhere. Once he knew that she knew, he might not even show his face.
He could have his little mistress. More power to him. She probably didn’t even have a job. Little Twinkie. No. Ho Ho. Yeah, that was more like it. She hoped the girl drained him for every penny he’d ever saved. It would serve him right. What kind of woman slept with another woman’s husband?
The lowest of low.
Katherine didn’t know her next step, but did know that she needed time. Time to figure it all out. This was the kind of problem that required a plan.
Without a second thought, she dialed her boss.
“Didn’t you just leave out of here?” Dave Harris asked.
“Not too long ago. I had something come up. A family emergency.”
“Everything okay?”
“Not really. I’m on the road, heading out of town. I need to take a leave of absence. I’m sorry it’s such short notice. I need at least a month. I can explain later if you need—”
“No explanations necessary, unless you just need the ear.”
“No. I
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