Chapter 3: Wife Strikes Back

Cindy lifted a hand to her chin, and her eyes began to redden.

Dexie had already released her, but the secretary stayed where she was, looking past Dexie toward Luke. Her voice had softened the moment he arrived. Now even the way she held her face seemed meant to draw his attention.

“Mrs. Dawson, there really is nothing between President Dawson and me.”

Dexie glanced at the fingers she had used to hold Cindy’s chin.

“What are you talking about? I was only joking.”

She opened her bag and took out a wet tissue. The packet rustled in the quiet space as she pulled one free and wiped her fingers.

Cindy stared at her hand.

For a moment, the hurt expression slipped. Her lips tightened, and the color in her face deepened.

Dexie noticed, but she continued wiping her fingers slowly. She had spent a year letting this woman speak to her however she pleased. Even now, Cindy wanted to make the whole argument about a jealous wife instead of the remarks she had made.

Dexie folded the tissue.

“Sorry. I have mysophobia. I don’t like touching things that make me uncomfortable.”

Cindy drew in a sharp breath.

Dexie dropped the tissue into the nearby trash can, then closed her bag.

“Mrs. Dawson,” Cindy said, her voice strained, “you’ve misunderstood me.”

“Misunderstood you?”

“There’s nothing going on between us. I only do my job.”

“I already told you I was joking.” Dexie gave her a faint smile. “Why are you taking everything so seriously?”

Cindy’s mouth opened, but no answer came.

Behind Dexie, Luke remained silent.

She knew he was there. She had already met his eyes, and she did not need to turn again to check whether he was still watching. If he wanted to speak, he could.

For once, she would not choose her words around what might please him.

“Although, I do have to say something,” Dexie continued.

Cindy watched her carefully.

“Luke Dawson must be blind if he thinks someone like you makes a good companion.”

“You…”

Cindy stopped herself. Her gaze flicked toward Luke before she lowered her eyes.

Dexie almost smiled at how quickly she remembered to look hurt.

“You said he takes you to business dinners, didn’t you?”

“Yes. It’s part of my work.”

Cindy straightened slightly as she answered. There it was again, that small sign of pride.

Dexie had heard it often enough in the past. A casual mention of a dinner. A remark about how late they had stayed out. A smile that suggested Cindy knew more about Luke’s day than his own wife did.

Dexie had never known how much of it was true. She had only known that every remark left her feeling further away from her husband.

Today, she had no reason to swallow it.

“But from what I’ve heard, those are ordinary dinners,” she said.

Cindy’s expression stiffened.

“When there’s an important banquet or a meeting with important clients, he usually brings Warry, doesn’t he?”

Cindy did not answer.

Dexie allowed the silence to last for a moment.

She was repeating what she had heard, not claiming to know every event on Luke’s schedule. Still, Cindy’s reaction suggested that the difference mattered to her.

“I suppose that makes sense,” Dexie said. “Luke might be blind, but he isn’t stupid.”

Cindy looked up sharply.

“If he brought someone who didn’t know when to keep quiet to an important event, she could offend the wrong person.”

“You have no right to speak about my work like that.”

“And you have no right to use your work as a reason to mock my marriage.”

The answer came without a raised voice.

Cindy went still.

Dexie stepped aside slightly, giving herself room to stand without being crowded against the secretary’s desk.

“If he only brings you to the less important dinners, perhaps you shouldn’t be so proud of it.”

A small sound came from nearby.

Dexie glanced toward the employees who had gathered within hearing distance. One lowered his head. Another turned away, but not quickly enough to hide a smile.

Quiet laughter followed.

Cindy heard it too. She looked toward them, and the softness in her face disappeared.

Dexie remembered how loudly Cindy had greeted her. Everyone nearby had been able to hear the remark about Luke throwing away her food. Cindy had not seemed concerned about having an audience then.

Now she looked as though she wanted them all to leave.

Dexie turned back to her.

“Everyone has some use,” she said. “Maybe that’s yours.”

Cindy’s fingers curled at her sides.

For a brief moment, Dexie expected another angry reply. Instead, Cindy glanced past her again and pressed her lips together.

Luke’s presence was still keeping her careful.

Dexie could not prove what happened between them, and she would not pretend otherwise. But she did not need proof of an affair to know how Cindy had treated her.

The cruel remarks had been spoken directly to her. She had heard those herself.

“Instead of worrying about my marriage, spend more time worrying about yourself,” Dexie said.

Cindy glared at her.

“Maybe then you’ll learn when to stay out of other people’s lives.”

Dexie adjusted the strap of her bag and turned to leave.

“Mr. Dawson!”

Cindy’s cry stopped her.

Dexie paused. So now the secretary was ready to acknowledge him.

“Mr. Dawson,” Cindy repeated, her voice trembling. “Mrs. Dawson seems to have misunderstood our relationship.”

Dexie looked back.

Luke stood several steps away, with Warry beside him. Cindy had turned fully toward Luke, her red eyes raised to his face. One hand remained near her chin.

For a moment, Dexie watched the three of them.

Cindy had made her appeal. Now she was waiting.

So were the employees.

Luke did not answer her.

His gaze stayed on Dexie.

In the past, being watched by him in front of other people would have made her careful. She would have wondered how much he had heard and whether he was angry. She might even have explained the argument before he asked.

Now there was something far more important to discuss.

“I signed the divorce papers,” she said.

The last quiet laugh died away.

An employee who had been turning toward a colleague stopped moving. Cindy’s hand slowly lowered from her face.

Dexie barely noticed them.

“Didn’t we agree to complete the divorce today?”

Luke stared at her.

She waited for an answer, but he gave none.

“I waited for you at the Civil Affairs Office for an hour,” she continued. “You never showed up.”

Saying it aloud brought back the frustration of standing there with no clear idea of when he would arrive.

Once, she would have kept waiting. She would have worried that leaving might upset him, even though he was the one who had failed to come.

Not anymore.

“You wasted my time.”

Something changed in Luke’s expression.

It was small, a tightening around his mouth and a shift in his eyes, but Dexie saw it. She had spent too long studying his face to miss the signs that he disliked what he had heard.

She kept her gaze steady.

He had wanted this divorce. She had signed the papers and given up the settlement. She had even returned her shares.

There was no reason for him to make her stand around waiting.

“If you couldn’t come, you could have told me,” she said.

Luke remained silent.

Cindy stood close enough to speak again, but she did not. Her eyes moved between them as though she was searching for a place in a conversation that had left her behind.

Dexie had nothing more to say to her.

Her attention stayed on Luke.

He was looking at her with an intensity she did not remember seeing when she asked him to spend time with her. His gaze moved over her face, then returned to her eyes.

Dexie wondered what he was searching for.

An apology? A sign that she was still afraid of losing him?

She had given him enough of both.

Luke started toward her.

Dexie stayed where she was.

His shoes struck the floor in slow, clear steps. No one around them spoke, and the silence made each step easier to hear.

She lifted her chin, determined to hold her ground. He could be angry if he wanted. It did not change the papers she had signed or the empty space she had left in his house.

But he kept coming.

The distance between them narrowed until she could no longer ignore how tall he was or how tightly he held his jaw.

Dexie took a step back before she could stop herself.

She hated that small movement.

Luke came closer, and she stepped back once more.

This time, she stopped. Her fingers tightened around the strap of her bag.

He had given her no answer about the missed appointment. He had said nothing about Cindy. Yet now he stood directly in front of her, close enough that she had to tilt her head to see his face.

Dexie slowly raised her eyes.

His expression was cold, but his attention remained fixed on her with a force that made her chest tighten.

She would not lower her gaze.

Around them, the employees waited. Cindy said nothing. Even Warry remained quiet.

Luke had finally come close enough to listen.

But neither of them spoke.