CHAPTER Six

CLARISSA.

I walked out on Bruce without looking back, feeling disgusted that he had touched me with his filthy hands, and terribly annoyed that he kept acting like he wasn't guilty. I couldn't wrap my head around the fact that Bruce knew that our only daughter had died because of his carelessness, and that he just kept acting so normal like the loss of a child was some everyday occurrence. He knew — I could swear on my life that he knew — that I was so upset with him for some reason, and because he expected me to stupidly believe the silly tales he told when I'd noticed the things I had, he desperately kept trying to act normal around me. It sucked!

I couldn't even believe it. Freda? Of all people? Over the years I'd thought that whatever Bruce had had with Freda had ended after my marriage to him. I thought that was a done chapter, but my guess was as good as wrong. 

“You’ll leave. Soon. And everything you thought was yours? Bruce. The house. His name. All of it will be mine.”

Her words re-echoed in my ears again as I climbed down the stairs into the living room, and because I suddenly felt very thirsty, I walked into the kitchen and headed towards the refrigerator to grab a chilled bottle of water. I downed the contents of the bottle in quick, large gulps, and I walked out of the kitchen, feeling light-headed as I struggled to wrap my head around everything that I'd discovered earlier that day. I stopped at the foot of the staircase as I walked out of the kitchen, tears trickling down my cheeks and because I couldn't bring myself to return to the bedroom upstairs, I headed to the guest room just below the stairs instead, lying face-down on the bed and crying myself to sleep.

I woke up hazily the following morning, but with a stronger resolve to leave. I couldn't afford to keep living there, not with the brutal betrayal from Bruce nor the stinging words that rolled out from the mouth of his mistress. For anything, the only reason I'd have had to stay back after discovering Bruce's affair with Freda would've been Sophie, but now that she was no more, and with what Bruce's mother had said the previous evening, it was very obvious that my time here was up. I was going to leave anyway, whether Bruce's mother had said anything or not. 

Later that morning, I sat on the bed, looking at my boxes as they stood before me all packed, waiting to be moved out of the bedroom. Bruce had left for work before I'd left the guest room, and I could see that he had left his breakfast untouched on the dining table. I called out to the chef to take the food out and clear the table before I headed upstairs for the bedroom. I decided to head to the office to pick up a few things before I left, and in thirty minutes, I stood before the mirror above the dresser, staring at my reflection on the mirror. The dull look in my eyes screamed the unhappiness I was wallowing in, and no matter how hard I tried to force a smile, it did little to take away the very sad expression on my face. Oh well, I was anything but happy right now, wasn't I?

It was a little past noon by the time the cab I rode in came to a slow halt in front of the office building. I could easily have driven down here in my Mercedes which I'd been gifted by Bruce the previous year on my birthday, but I was in no mood to drive, especially knowing that the car came from him. Everything that reminded me of him irked me so badly, and I just wanted to leave so badly. I alighted from the backseat of the car, pausing at the driver's door to pass him a slim wad of dollar bills for my fare. I inhaled sharply as I turned to face the building, and I was surprised to see an unfamiliar face standing at the gate as the security guard. 

“Good afternoon, ma'am,” the new security officer greeted curtly. “Who are you and how may I help you?”

I was taken aback. Who was I? “I'm Clarissa, and I'm the CEO's wife.”

He scanned me furtively, narrowing his eyes as he looked at me from head to toe. After a few seconds, he shrugged and opened the gate, letting me in.

I stood still in the elevator as it glided upwards to the top floor where my office was situated, and I heaved a sigh of relief as the elevator bell dinged, the doors gliding open slowly. I walked out and headed for my office, rummaging through my bag for my key card. I unlocked the door with a swift swipe of the key card, and I shut the door tightly behind me as I walked in. I'd just settled into my seat when a knock came on the door, startling me.

“Come in,” I said hesitantly on the third knock after I'd ignored the first and second raps on the door. 

I peeled my gaze from the desk I'd been blankly staring at to see my personal assistant, Laura, shut the door behind her as she walked towards me, stopping just a few meters before my desk.

“Good morning, Ma'am,” she greeted as she stopped at my desk. “I've got a letter for you.”

“I'm in no mood for anything now, Laura. That can wait,” I replied, looking away from her.

She remained there. “I'm sorry, ma'am. But I think you have to see this. It's from the CEO and the rest of the board.”

I turned sharply to look at her, sitting upright on the chair. “What? Let me see,” I said, beckoning to her as she stretched out her arm to pass me the letter. 

I unfolded the letter in my hands and read through slowly, and I looked up occasionally to glance at Laura as she stood before me, her gaze fixed on the floor. 

I held in my hands a letter of resignation from me, submitted and signed the day my daughter was buried. And as if that wasn't enough, it had my signature forged and signed on it.

All of this in just one day!

I peeled my gaze from the letter in my hands to look up at Laura, my eyes filled with shock. 

“What the hell is this?”